New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-06

ment we would respectfully refer you to
Mr.. j. Pinckney Smith, Mr.. William vi
gers and Mr.. j. w. Madden.
We have the honor to be your very ODE
dent servants,
E. w. DEVICES,
MORTIMER CARR.
New Orleans, January 3, 1872.
COMMITTEE Room, January 4, 1872.
Sworn to before me and by me.
THOMAS GREEN DAVIDSON,
Chairman.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN w. MADDEN.
o, Committee I Roor, }
New Orleans, January 1, 1872
Questions to John w. Madden:
First questionable you have war
rants issued to you by Mortimer Carr,
Devices, Nigers and J. p. Smith! If yea,
how many, and of what size were the war
rantse
Answer had three warrants of $4,000
each, which warrants l sold on the market.
Second questionable you sell the war
rants Of $4,000 to Messrs. Carr and
Devices!
Answer did not.
Third question-Who did you sell these
three warrants of $1,000 to!
Answer-As it was a cash transaction, !
do not remember to whom / sold the war
rants, not having made any memorandum
the original warrants when duplicated.
JOHN w. MADDEN.
Sworn to before me January 1. 1872.
THOMAS GREEN DAVIDSON,
Chairman.
Icertfy, under oath. that before signing
the duplicate warrants l cancelled my name
from the original warrants which had been
altered from $4,000 to $4,000, and as far as
my knowledge goes, the statements of
arr nd 10
WILLIAM VIGERS.
Chief Clerk of the House OF Representatives.
Sworn to before and by me. New Or
leanns, January /, 1872.
THOMAS GREEN DAVIDSON.
Chairman.
NEW ORLEANS. January 4, 1872.
To the Honorable Members appointed to nvesti-
gate the charges i'll relation TO these fraudulent
warrants:
GENTLEMEN-I have to state that | is
sued these warrants. for $4,000 each. to John
w. Madden. and somehow thereafter the
warrants were sued upon in the Eigh tn
District Court. and were presented to he
to know whether they were genuine or not.
Upon reference to the margin of my war
rant book, found the warrants had been
raised from $4,000 to $4,000, and, upon which
the Hon. Simeon Belden, Attorney General
of Louisiana. Cancelled the same, and
marked upon their face: Good for $4,000
Some time afterward the warrants were
brought to me by Messrs, Carr and Devices
who l believed to be the innocent holders
of the same. and requested ME to cancel the
original and issue duplicate warrants in
their stead, which l did not do until |
consulted my attorney, who informed me
that l was right i'll doing the same; after
which | signed warrants in lieu of the raised
warrants, three in number, for the same
amount, and of the same date as those
legally and originally issued, and indorsed
the fact across the face of said warrants.
under the Endorsement of the said Attorney
General to the effect: That this warrant
having been traudulently raised from $4,000
to $1,000 is hereby cancelled and made null.
and the warrant tor the true amount issued
instead signed by me. also erased my
name from the fraudulent warrants. and
saw, also. the name of the chairman of the
contingent expenses committee erased,
rendering the warrants totally valueless.
J. PINCkNEY SMITH.
Warrant Clerk
Sworn 70 before and by me. january +.
1872. I. G. DAVIDSON.
Chairman.
NEW ORLEANS, January 4. 1872.
To the Members appointed 10 investigate tic
charge of three warrants being fraUdulently
issued:
GESTLEMES-In rely to your commun-
cation of this date. beg to state that a
mandamus, on the relation Of K. Mill was
sued out in the Eighth District Court of
New Orleans for, think or about $4,000
more or less. Included among other war
rants of the General Assembly, were some
for different newspapers for printing for the
House. | contested the warrantcv for
these and others, believing they should not
be paid. Messrs. Semmes and Mott, who
represented relator. substituted, with nv
consent. other warrants for the current ex-
penses of the General Assembly. Among
the warrants substituted were the three
warrants in question. of $1,000 each. l was
atterward informed that these warrants had
been raised from $1,000 to $1,000 each |
learned this from the Warrant Clerk of
the House. as shown by his warrant book
and the Auditor of Public Accounts i'm
mediately sent for Mr.. Mott, of the law
firm of Semmes & Mott, and informed him
of the fact that the said warrants had
been raised as above stated. and in his
presence, and with his consent, Cancelled
the warrants, Endorsed on their face good
for $1,000; when l say good for 5000, |
learned from the proper books that was the
sum for which they were originally issued,
and which seemed to be the sum due
These warrants were entirely withdrawn
from the suit, and since which l have
Eearu nothing from them. i have eX-
amined into who committed these otfenses
and never been able to ascertain any thing
And now as to the legal point involved, |
have to say that if the raised warrants
were destroyed, / see no legal objection to
issuing warrants for 5000 each, the amount
tor which they were originally issued, and
which | supposed they would do.
SIMEON BELDEN,
Attorney General.
The committee was then discharged from
urther consideration of the case
The committee appointed to wait upon the
Governor reported, through its chairman,
hat his excellency would communite with
he House as soon as the Senate would Lave |
quorum of members present.
NOTICES OF BILLS.
Mr.. Carr, of De Soto, gave notice that at |
ONE future dav he would introduce a bill |
ntitled "A joint resolution requesting Viii |
am p. Kellogg to resign his seat in the |
'nited States Senate as a Senator repre- !
enting the State of louisiana"
Mr.. Barrett, Of Orleans, moved an adj |
Ournmant.
And the House was accordingly adjourned !
ntil twelve o'clock tomorrow.
WILLIAM VIGERS,
Chief Clerk.