New-York tribune., 1921-10-08
Ex-Under Sheriff Phillips
Made Bidders for City
Sewer Work Do Business
Witt, Him, Says Witness
Connolly Campaign
Demand Is Alleged
Ring Controlled Borough
Bids, Committee Is Told:
$500 in Checks, Used
as Evidence, Disappear

A remarkable story of the absolute
power welded by John NJ. Phillips.
former Under Sheriff in the Borough
of Queens, in the office of the Sewer
Department of that borough, and his
alleged relations with Maurice Cons
molly, President of Queens, was re-
veaied by witnesses before the Never
investigating committee in City Hall
yesterday.
Phillips, although having no Of
ficial association with the bureau.
was said by witnesses to be generally
recognized as the unofficial head OF
the Sewer Department." and that ali
contractors who had dealings witls
the bureau, did All their business
through him.
Campaign Demand Alleged
Respecting his alleged relations vit,s
Borough President Connolly. il Wa
testified that he demanded s25ooo :,
cash from a contractor named Josenh
Il. Sigretto 80 defray the expenses a.
man running for the Supreme Cours
at that time The with IS said Tie
man referred to was Maurice Connolly.
present Borough President of Queen
Another instance of the activities o,
Philips was related by Henry E. Fox
head Of the Henry f. Fox Construction
Company and the Fox Reynolds Cor
! struction Company. Mr.. Fox told how.
he had been threatened about bid.
alng on certain job and was told to
keep Off" His secretary. Mrs. Ada
Dudley, said that MIR. Fox had told he,
taat Pnfilips had threatened To blow.
the contractors brains out il he went
through with certain job
NJ, Fox also told Of a telephone
shortly after he got pumping station
contract from the boroughs as lop
bidder, which, is appears from the eyi-
dence, upset ZONE of Phillips's plans
Ia the course OF this conversation
Philips Is reported 70 have asked ~
Fox Why he didn't "lay off that lob
ana WY didn't you get in with US OIL
s3oo add'ng ood that ne could have made
Sloo,oOO. He went on to saw that
there was lot Of other work coming
out, and Why don't you get in on /.
with US ?"
Phtllipss Memory Faulty
Phillips was placed on the witness
stand and proved sharp and noisv
witness. He displayed faulty recoi-
lection with respect to almost ever
question asked him, declaring in re-
ply to query that his memory was
sick" He made g sweeping denial
Of all the things that had been said
by witnesses about his relations With
contractors and the Bureau of Sewers,
and didn't know what he did wi,r
moneys alleged to have been received
by him from contractors and others
in Queens. He called several OF the
witnesses Glars" and denied apecih-
cally that he told anybody that the
$4,000 check ne received from Sigrettc
was to 20 to ldr. Connolly's campaign
expenses or that he had any specia
privileges in the Department Of Sewers
Mr.. Conn oily was again very much in
evidence st the hearing yesterday. Fe
had been taking notes of the proceed
ings at one Of the desks in the Alder
manic chamber when Mr.. Purcell tes-
tilted that he had seen President Con
molly III conversation with Mr.. Phillips
in City Hall as he entered the hearing
room yesterday.
Mr.. Connolly leaped to his feet and,
pointing TO the witness. shouted out.
"He is q liar, Mr.. Chairman" Chalk
man Meyer raped for order, and Mr.,
Connolly, much wrought up, took his
seat, muttering things in low voice.
Two Checks Disappear
There was considerable ado also
about the mysterious Disappearance OF
two checks representing $500, which
Contractor John F. O'Rourke said he
gave Doc Matthews to preach the
gospel OF concrete blocks to the deaf,
dumb and blind officials and engineer.
in Queens One of these checks fo-.
$4,000 is said TO have borne the indcrse-
ment OF Phillips under that Of Mat
thews.
Marvin Scudder, an Investigator for
the former committee headed By ex-
Governor Whitman, swore he gave the
checks to Arthur N. King. one of Mr..
Whitmans chief aids, Who was looking
into the Queens Borough contracts at
the time. Mr.. King, when put on the
stand yesterday, denied ever having
seen or received the checks in question
Erom Mr. Scudder. Samuel A. Berger.
the associate counsel for the Meye.
committee, who is conducting this phase
Of the committees examination, is de-
these checks, and there were .Atima-
ticns that deplorable scandal war
about to be uncovered with reference
to the disposal of the documents
The committee adjourned until 10
o'clock Monday morning.
Nj Purcell executed the bond which
guaranteed that Sigretto would COM
plete the WORK or contract which had
been awarded TO him in accordance
with the terms set forth. He said that
when Sigretto found he had to give tho
contract up, he found another cor
tractor to take 1t over named John j.
Green.
Payment for Contract
Green, 1t WAS testified. paid $4,000
IN cash and certain percentage of the
contract to Sigretto. Purcell said that
Sigretto was compelled 10 turn $4,000
OF this over to "Jack" Phillips. and
that the contractor had told him he
had been forced to abandon the COLI
tract because OF Phillips's demand for
5000.
He said when he asked Sisretto
why Phillips had asked sea, ,O0c.
Sigretto declared Phillips remarked "it