New-York tribune., 1873-01-15
Ven. XXXlI.....N 9.9l7.
THE CONGRESS SCANDAL.
MORE DAMAGING DISCLOSURES.

d
MORE REVELATIONS EXPECTED-1EN' ''>''
FIELDS DENIAL SATISFACTORY
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNkl a..
WAsuISGToN Jan. 14.--The Credit Moolner Ooin
mittce sat for six continuous hours o-u"S' AN'
waited over an hour for witnesses "no "ele
while promenading the passages OF .ile O"pi'V- 80
certain whether it was Committee NO "a
mittte No before which they shouiu SPp.'l,
Co,omittees having summoned them, ana pO1h ueils
=. aaaeior finally the Poland Committee got pos
- 90 y F Ham. Assistant Secretary and Treas
90 tho Credit MobiHer Company. and proceeded
- a,sa,,,;no him. Mr. Ham brought with him
80 rnnainted wooden box, fastened by an oid
Iootbor strap. When he opened this 1t was
tornd IN he about two-thirds full of shavings, on
the TON Of which lay large book and i've smaller
ones The large book proved to be the ledger OF the
oompanv. Judge Poland opened 1t, and the mem
hers of the Committee pressed around nm ana
looked at il with solemn curiosity. as II murder
had been committed and they had Just discovered
the body of the victim. The page devoted to the
account of Cakes Ames, trustee, was soon found
On IL appeared record of the issue to him. on jan
q 1868 of the following certificates Of stock Three
of 50 shares each six of 90 shares each and four OF
10 shares each on April 1868, the following issues
were recorded: Nine of 10ishares each, ana one OF
shares making in all 24S shares. Mr. Ham SAID that
these shares had been cut up in lots OF 10 ~ ana ~
each at Amess request, and presumed that ne bau
promised them in such lots The correspondence Oh
these figures with those the back Of Amess letter.
and with the admissions of Ames In his evidence as
10 the shares he sold to certain COngressmen appear
to furnish pretty strong presumpiye evidence that
he got the whole 24S shares to place" among his
friends in Congress.
A good deal of important evidence was wormed
A.. bx-1 n
of the Credit Mobier Ialthough he appeared at first
10 be a very unpromising witness. He got second
LOT Of books by express from Philadelphia while he
was estifying but when asked TO produce the stock
transfer book he said it could not be found 1t had
mysteriously disappeared with other important
PAPERS and he could give clue TO its whereabouts.
He told a curious story OF the way the compa-
nys books had been moved from place TO place 10
avoid judicial investigation, and deepened the
previous impression that the corporation
was a slippery concern that tried to keep It's
affairs as much in the dark as possible. The Com
pany had declared only one dividend. He said all
the Others were divided among the stockholders as
profits on the Ames contract, in which they were
partners and this part of the business was done by
q Board of Trustees in Boston, of which Oliver Ames
was chairman. Much of Mr.. Hams testimony was
upon the issue of stock and the payment OF dlvl-
dends to Charles II. Nelson ison-iniaw of the Hon.
James Brooks. He said that the 100 shares first
issued to Nelson was Durants stock and was
transferred by him The so shares subse-
quently given him he had no right to under
the resolution of the Executive Committee, which
authorized an increase of the capital stock and every
stockhoder TO take so per cent additional to what he
already held by paying its par value. Durant had
already got tins advance the 100 shares trans
ferred to Nelson For every 81 600 of the additional
stock thus taken a $1,000 first mortgage bond OF the
Union Pacific Railroad was given as gratnity, and
Durant had got this bonus on the 100 shares. The
issue Of the 90 shares TO Nelson was, there
fore, an act of favoritism, and had been
ordered by number of the large share
holders who had signed paper to that effect. The
paper he could not find. According 10 Mr.. Ham,
Mr. Nelson's $50 shares cost him $4,000. and his
statement of what this investment produced fur
nlshed a striking illustration of the monstrous
profits realized by the Credit Mobilier stockholders
For $4,000 Nelson received 80 shares Credit Mo-
bilier stock, worth $500 each at least $4,000 I;
cash dividends $4,000; SD shares Union Pacific
stock worth about $4,000; 20 first mortgage bonds
Union Pacific Railroad $1,000 each, $4,000; total
$4,000. All of this within about years time
An examination of the journal kept by Mr.. Ham
showed that, where the entry recording the trans
fers of the 100 shares 10 Nelson had been made
some name originally written where Nelson's APP
peared had been erased and Chas II. Nelson writ
Ten over it. Mr.. Ham did not remember what the
name was but said might possibly have been that
of James Brooks, but if so it had been mistake.
The case looked bad for Mr. Brooks in Mr.. Hams
evidence but the next witness made it worse. This
was II. C.. Crane, who swore that Mr. Brooks had
paid him for the 100 shares and ordered it trans
ferred TO Nelson and that he had delivered to Mr..
Brooks the day FIVE first mortgage bonds Of the
Union Pacific Railroad Mr.. DuTant, who was next
put the stand, completely destroyed the line Of
defense upon which Mr.. Brooks had cen operating.
He ndiculed the idea that he had let Mr. Nelson
into the Company on his own account./ He
didn't know Mr.. Nelson, and had never had
any conversation with him. His bargain was
with Mr.. Brooks, whom he had promised
some stock some time before. Mr.. Brooks had
helped him dispose of stock before it became valu-
able, and at one time thought he could placeIhalf
million of it. In consideration of these services he
had promised him some stock. Mr.. Brooks thought
he would like Is 20 shares and after the stock be-
came valuable he, with others, applied for the stock
which he Durant) had promised. He finally COM
promised with Mr.. Brooks by letting him have 100
shares and bonus of FIVE 81 600 Union Pacific first
mortgage bonds. When Mr.. Brooks took
the stock he was a Government director, and on
this account he had il transferred to his sonnlaw
Nelson Mr.. Durant said he had been offered $500
share for the stock which he sold to sold to Mr..
Brooks for SlOO As to the additional 30 shares is
sued to Mr.. Nelson, he knew nothing about it. 1t
was issued while be was in Europe When ques-
TONED about Mr.. Ames's operations, Mr. Durant
said he knew nothing about them, but always be-
Geved that Mr.. Ames had talked about his friends
in Congress TO get stock for himself. he had sued
Mr.. Ames for the stock he got as trustee Mr..
Durant exhibited certified copies Of the books
of the trustees under the Ames contract His
examination was but just fairly begun when the
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