New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-26
FIREMEN PAY $500
FOR PROMOTION
Commissioner Finds Evidence
of TimeWOrn
SWindIe.
AFFECT LIEUTENANT'S LIST
Five Men, Said to Have Paid
Money to Clerk in High
ways Department, Are
Suspended.

Suspended.
The Fire Department has been affected
by what Fire Commissioner Joseph John
son terms "the tine worn swindle prac'
tised upou candidates for civil service
places +" and the promotion of all firemen
who recently passed successfully the eX'
animation for lieutenant will be held VI
until new. and unexpected graft in
vestigation has been completed.
In correspondence between the Fire
Commissioner, Mayor Gaynor and james
Croelmau, president of the Municipal
Civn Service Commission, It was as
serted that certain fremen had paid $50.
each TO Henry G. Clark, a clerk in the
Brooklyn Bureau Of Highways, on his as
surance that his influence would put them
among the first one hundred men on the
list Of elgibles.
Five men have been suspended and Will
be put on trial. They refused to accept
immunity and in return tell what they
knew, saws the Commissioner. Two other
fremen have exposed the scheme IN de-
tail
Mayor Gaynor has written that he
feels hurt TO have this thing happen
and characterized the scandal as out
rageous TO the last degree" He says that
unless the list Of prospective heutenants
can be purged Of suspicion II should DC
held UP altogether.
The letter Commissioner johnson wrote
20 the Mayor follows.
President CreeIman informed Chief Ken
lon on November IL ne oeAGVe9 , tllsI
NnF =
about year previous e HoIC nad
made by some one to PERSUADE canuldales
Tor Lieutenant 10 pay money 10 aJldln a
place. in the first hundred on the Msl'
Crcelman gave kcnlOn the name OF
man Henry Kennedy, OF HOOK ailG 49, 80,
der No. 80, as a candidate VINO hau DeeH
/ started investigation. Kennedy con.
Tessed that, following an lntr0GuCuon ~
Fireman Behler 10 7 6enIy - eCo1i,Iyn he
iu the Highways Bureau, brOghiyH II, ~
had I'm September or OCTOBER, 1911, Pdiiu
CLARK $500 That, having failed TO attalh
a place IN the first hundred clark Iau'
November Is. 1912, returned the CASH
Rebler CorrOborated in detail the trans
action. He said that he had acteu az
Clark's agent, and had lhtfouuSed ~
following. who. ne uLaeIStooH'g I ttlu IL "a ~
Jhe following sums: Fireman kenneay'
S5d0. T,ireman BoyIan. 500: Fireman Chal-
rners. $500. Fireman Rousseau, $4VO OF
$50; Fireman O'Toole, $oD ie, ,il,.i
Eagan had been approachGd' put p arL
preached, but Behler did not hilo" III"
Eftcr these DEVELOPMENTS the matter
was Immediately placed IN tnS nd 4I,igfTriCt
the Police Department ana the blS'''0'
Attorney Of Kings County
Mayor Gaynor replied;
Your letter Of November p, Showing
certain members Of the Fire Depar tl LIi J..
p9id money to an outsider, naIleLyl
fIrnrv 3. clark. who agreed with them
that i'm the civil service pTomouoh eA
eu1inatiOus he would see that they SO'
ON TIE eligible list among the hTst ON
hundred. is at hand. cannot eNPl -
TO YOU how much this matter mas as
y Mr.. CreeIman, president Of the Munich
pal civil Service T9LIss1Gl irI tstIr Cd
him TO withdraw the list from you, SO
that no promotions could be made from
81 until the whole matter had been thor-
XIV dfs1osition is to have the whole
list killed. That win be done unless
proof Is conclusive that nobody who paid
More thap that, I think the list will
have 20 be freed from all suspicion In
order to stand. 1t Is not only necessary
that the eligible Hsts. be. free from al
dishonesty but that they. have also the
appearance Of being so.
After an that I have done to assure
the members of the Fire Department that
the payment of money cannot secure
Appointment or promotion, feel hurt tC
have this thing happen. II is outrageous
70 the last degree.
SO let us now make the closest posi-
bic examination, and II this list cannot
be entirely freed from suspicion, even
let it be killed and new one made up
The department members who have paid
money must be put on trial forthwith
excepting Of course, any TO whom you
have promised immunity in order 10 OBJ
tain the facts.
Commissioner Johnson explained the
alleged transaction fully in his letter tc
Mr. Creelman, saying that Kennedy
after a positive denial, confessed that he
had paid Clark $500 and received re-
ceipt. which provided the return Of the
money IN case Clark was unsuccessful ir
putting the. fireman. in the position sought
for. Kennedy did not get in the first one
hundred and Clark repaid him 500.
Kennedy said that Behler had ap
preached other fremen Behler, after a
stout denial. confessed he had made the
proposition 10 the men named. Assistant
District Attorney Henry Anderson and
Detective Lee Sharpe were present al
the inquiry With Commissioner Johnson
and Chief Kenlon.
The Commissioner announced last night
that he had suspended Boylan, Chal-
rners, Rousseau, O'Toole and Herman,
and while promotions and appointments
Of battalion chiefs, captains. engineers
and nrcmen will be announced, as
planned, tomorrow afternoon, the ap-
pointmeut of no lieutenant will be an
nounced.
District Attorney James c. Cropsey
OF Kings County, said last night that he
had been investigating the charges
against Mr.. Clark for the last few days
Beyond this ne said that he did not care
10 make any statement.
Clark, when seen at the Office OF the
Bureau Of Highways, at the Borough
Hall, Brooklyn, yesterday afternoon re-
fused to discuss the case in any way.