National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-03

| O. Where IL that 4. That is here, in this
hrst block; at the Capitol and Maryland avenue
and B street. have two houses on that. That
property is 5000 feet there, =,
o. When did you acquire that property a.
Well, about ten years ago, or eight years, Say.
The records will tell. That properly is worth
square 7sS. That. IL down here, just below
General Chipmsa's, on First street. That
property consider Is worth about $50, 900.
| Q. When did You acquire that A. puf-
chased that q year ago, think. have IN
square 600 6,6Oo feet that bought from Mr..
Gulick. That q worth, I should judge, about
$4,000.
@. When did you acquire tha.i A. About
the same time.
| Q. So that you have acquired all this prop
erty within the last two or three years, except
those two houses over in this vicinity A.
When 1 wen. IN with the Board of Public Works
had money In my pocket.
By Mr.. Wilson: q. Did you get contract
from the Board Of Public Works about the
time you acquired this property from Mr..
Gulickl A. / did not give Mr.. Gulick any
thing. [Laughter.l =,
o. Idid not ask you II you cid. I do not
know why you should be 30 suspiciousi A.
There has been something of that nature up.
1 That was q legitimate business.
II L
The Witness. owe 81, 200 on it yet.
/ Mr.. Merrick. Did you or not tell Mr.. Alex
ander, at your own house, very recently, that
you and Governor Shepherd were interested in
certain contractsi A. Not q word Of It. Ifhe
says so he tells what is false.
| Q. Did you tell him that Governor Shepherd
and others were Interested A. Never, to my
knowledge. .Le
o. Did you tell him that you had O written
agreement with William s. Huntington and
others and his associates A. ! said had an
agreement with Mr.. Huntington, under Mr..
Emery's administration, for the use of wooden
block to pave the avenues with.
Q. Did you not tell him you were interested
with Mr.. Huntington, and had written agree
ment touching contracts under this Board of
Public Works? A. I do not see how could.
have got the papers. They will tell for them
selves. ''
Mr.. Merrick. would be glad if you would
produce these papers, If they will tell for them
selyesl Mr.. Burrows and me had wooden
pavement, and as opposed MIR. Emery's cleo
ton there was not much of chance of getting
any contracts from him, and so l assigned this
pavement to Mr.. Huntington.
| O.. Who were these associates Of Mr.. Hunt
ington of whom you speak as named In that
paper that you mentioned to Mr.. Alexanderf
| A. There was no names -.E
toned iiAdh were the associates to whom you
REFEREED A. That could not say.
Q. Did you not say TO Alexander that you
could tell who they werei A. No, sir.
Q. Did you not say something to this effect,
that you could blow them all up If you wanted
tot A. / might have said great many things.
| wanted Alexander to talk, and he did good
deal of talking. He said that he was going to
break up the whole Board of Public Works.
Q. Did you not say you could do 1t, too, IL
you had mind toll A. have no recollection
of saying any such thing. He had them all
broken up, he said to me. .....7 q.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. You said something
about check Of $500 to Mr.. Shepherd, what
was It? A. found q check here: it was re-
quired that should put up check-s50O.
Q. A check for $500 deposited with the
Board of Public Works when you made the
bondl A. Yes, sir; that was tt that was on
the 4th of June, 1872. There it is, sir.
By the Chairman: Q. Have you got your
bank books with youl A. Yes, sir; have
them all.
Mr.. Merrick. If the committee would like
that note
The Witness. will see that you have it,
sir.
Mr.. Wilson. would like to have that other
paper that you referred to.
The Witness. You can have every paper that
l have, sir. ....- -. ..
Mr.. Christy. / would like to get the date of
that deposit. We have here list of all the
deposits with the collectors of the city of
Washington.
Tho Witness June 10, it was. I got the
check back from the collector; Captain Slater
gave it back TO me. 81.
By Mr.. Ohristy: Q. What yeari A. 1t was
1879 when started the B street fntercepting
sewer.
Governor Shepherd Slash Runi
= The Witness. Well, it might have been; my
memory is not good.
BY the Chairman: Q. Is thatthe memoran-
dunn about the check A. Yes, sir. l remem-.
Der distinctly getting that check back.
Q. The stub you hand me is ga. K. Brown"
A. No, sir. What mean Is down below; here,
Indicating on the book.)
Mr.. Christy. The only deposit am able to
find made by Mr.. Strong was on the I'd day of
September, 1871, Pc .-- .--.- p -.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. What were the objects
of your meeting with Mr.. Alexander; how did
it come about A. Well, sir, have known him
for q great many years. Last winter / was
were. heard there were different men there,
and wanted to see who they were.
Q. Did you go voluntarily to his place, or
were you invited You said you had several
interviews. A. 1 think that he invited me
there. think met him in front of the post
Office, and he invited me to come to his house.
disappointed him. l was to be there one
manded me, the next day when he saw me,
about NOT coming and g. .-ii "vuI1
Be there such time, and went.
Q. What was your business there? A. /
went there to see who was there and what was
going on. That was my business there.
Q. Why did you want to know who was there
and what was going on7 What excited your
curiosity on that subject A. Well, sir, have
lived here some twenty odd years, and there
has been every year here mostly some of this in
vestigation. had q trial of it whenI was here at
the capital, and wanted to see If it was about
the sane parties and found they were. 1t was
about the same parties always putting obstruc-
tons in the way of improvements. 1 have
always gone for improvements and for good
streets. You know We have had very bad
streets here before the Board Of Public Works
got in power. / wanted to see If our friend
Capt. Grant was there, and Mr.. Watson and
Mr.. Marcellus West, and the same party that
tn ey had before.
Q. Did you tell them when you got there
that was your objecti A. No, str; did not.
Q. Did you tell them what you went there
forl A. No, sir; l did not. I did not think
that was worth while.
Q. Did you tell them that you could help
them in their objects, giving them to under
stand that you were one of theml A. talked
very fayorsbly, probably. ! might and might
not. Invent to find out what they were doing. |
That was the amount of it. / had an anxiety
to find out.
@. You did not while you were there allow
them to have q suspicion that you were op-
posed to what they were doingl A. think |
they were rather suspicious the second time /
went there, and Twas not treated very cordially,
and did not go the third time.
Q. You were received better on the first in |
terview? A. Yes, sir. The second time they |
were rather cold; and the third time, believe,
the door was shut against me. They did not |
let me in. ~
Q. Was there large number of them therei
A. I sent q gentleman in, and he said there was |
Q pretty good crowd there.
Q. mean when you went in the first time. |
A. No, sir; there was not many there. There |
were three attorneys there-the three attorneys |
that are here-and Mr.. Bowen and Mr.. Alex
ander. do not recollect Of any more at that |
time.
Q. Did you say to them that you had come |
to join the partyi A. No; ] do not think I
said that. I might have said something.
don't recollect what said there, but recoilect /
their faces. They were there. II you will /
permit me, / want to say to the honorable 1
committee that there have been two witnesses
here swearing, and want to state the fact |
about that, and we have witnesses here to show |
the whole fact in regard to our streets and |
sewers. l have book here that l can show /
that this man Wilson never worked on the B |