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# Ring Frauds—Another Suit against Mr. Murphy, etc.
NEW YORK, Jan. 31.—Miss Fowler was award-
ed $4000 damages against Mr. Martin, for not
marrying her, at Kingston, yesterday.
The commission of appeals in the case of
Rawson against the Pennsylvania railroad com-
pany have decided that their limitation of lia-
bility to $100 for loss of baggage is not a con-
tract, and have awarded the plaintiff $4000 dam-
ages for her baggage lost by the defendant.
The general sessions grand jury are in doubt
whether to refind indictments against the ring
men. They have not time to bring witnesses
before them, as their term expires Saturday.
A petition to the South Carolina legislature to
consolidate its debt is being signed by the finan-
cial men of the city.
A disastrous fire occurred in the armory of the
22d regiment yesterday, caused by the wood-
work taking fire from a grate put in by Garvey,
the swindling ring plasterer.
It is stated that Attorney General Barlow is
about to commence suits against Jay Gould and
other members of the Erie ring.
John V. Gridley, a Tammany republican, has
been appointed water purveyor of this city, by
Tweed's successor.
Many of the persons who are charged with
furnishing supplies to the city department, in
the account published yesterday, represent that
they never received the moneys charged to them.
It also appears that many of the articles were
never furnished. The disbursement bureau re-
pairs, published yesterday, show that a quarter
of a million was paid out. Eighty thousand of
this ranks as repairs to the police civil courts,
though not one-tenth of the amount was actually
expended.
The coroner's jury last night rendered a ver-
dict that Mrs. Fannie Hyde killed Geo. W. Wat-
son in Williamsburg. Two jurors considered
the shooting justifiable.
The republican general committee last evening
elected John G. Townsend president, and John
J. O'Brien secretary.
The congressional committee resumed their
sessions to-day. A letter was read from a coal
inspector, alleging irregularities on the part of
inspectors. He will be subpœned. A letter
was also received from Gens. Porter and Bab-
cock, asking to be subpœned to testify against
the statements made adverse to them. Gens.
Porter and Babcock will be heard next Friday.
Chas. Billings testified that his brandy was
robbed under Grinnell's administration, of five
gallons to the cask, and could get no satifaction
at the custom house.
The case of Thomas Sproul, which came up
in the Jefferson Market police court, yesterday
afternoon, occasioned much excitement among
the spiritualists. It will be recollected by the
readers of the Spy that he was charged with the
larceny of a watch and chain, he alleging that
it was a conspiracy against him on account of
his exposing the tricks of a couple of so-called
spiritualists, named Elizabeth Fuller and a man
named Gordon, who was formerly associated in
business with Sproul. The testimony was of a
most ludicrous character; that is, when viewed
through the glasses of those who are not believ-
ers in the mystery. For instance, one of the
witnesses, a spiritualist, of course, testified that
Gordon, at one of the seances, exhibited the bust
of Benjamin Franklin, which was not flesh nor
blood, and a child that had been shockingly mu-
tilated by a railroad accident, and said that no
person had succeeded in unraveling the mys-
tery, the "spirits" vanishing when approached.
Mr. Sproul's evidence was very attentively list-
ened to, and his denunciation of the tricks re-
sorted to by the "medium," Gordon, was of a
most decided character. He claimed, and made
apparent to his own satisfaction, and to that of
many in the court room, that Gordon's mani-
festations were produced by an elaborate com-
bination of wires, strings, pasteboard, pictures,
illusion lace and darkness.
The Times contains another broadside at the
"ring," the frauds in the department of public
works while under the direction of "Boss"
Tweed coming in for consideration. Among the
items is one of $76,217 recorded for repairs on
public markets, and investigation fails to sub-
stantiate the fact. In other words, the Times
says not a dollar was paid by the city for such
repairs. Another $82,924 is recorded for re-
pairs in police and civil courts, which are in a
notoriously bad condition, and upon which prob-
ably not a dollar has been expended, as claimed.
It also appears that Haggerty, the voucher
thief, now in the tombs, was not removed from
office until yesterday, and has drawn his salary
regularly.
Vice President Colfax has been invited to ad-
dress the young men's Christian association of
Brooklyn.
Another suit has been commenced against
Collector Murphy, to recover the amount of a
political assessment paid by an office holder in
the custom house.
The Williamsburg coroner's jury in the case
of Watson, who was shot on Friday last by the
woman whom it was said he had insulted, ren-
dered a verdict, last evening, that the deceased
came to his death from a pistol shot fired by
Mrs. Hyde, with malice aforethought. Two of
the jury wished to find a verdict of justifiable
homicide.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of
Hyde, the husband of Fanny Hyde, as accessory
to the murder of Watson.
Mr. Patterson, whose name was disagreeably
connected with the failure of the Market savings
bank, visited the receiver, to-day, and declared
that he was able and willing to repay the loan
made him. The receiver expresses the belief
that the bank is unable to pay depositors over
forty per cent.
A portion of the Southside railroad track, at
Rockaway, L. I., was destroyed by some un-
known persons. One of the early trains this
morning had a narrow escape from a serious
disaster.
The principal theme of discussion about city
hall yesterday was the audit bill passed by the
legislature, and great satisfaction was felt among
the employes of the various city departments
when the news arrived of the governor's signing
the bill, thereby making it a law.
