National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-17

came here was the only man here, and after
he came It was agreed before he assumed to
dictate to me what I should do. Ilun on my
own Judgment.
Q. I am not asking about bis assuming to
dictate anything 70 you. want TO know
whether at any time you had any influence, or
whers to procure any influence to bring you to
bear upon that subject A. Mr.. Chittenden
told me on more occasions than one, and Mr..
Mcclellan repeated 1t to me In one of the let
tiers which you have got, If Il is the letter I
think Il is-he makes reference TO It against
the instance Of Mr.. Chittenden, "that / shall
not use any influence IN the premises" and
gives mereasous more orally than written
written, believe, rather blindly-but orally
was told what the reasons were, and will tell
them to you, II you desire.
@. Just wait . minute; want to know
whether you, at or shout this time, had any
influence at your command which you were to
use, or whether you were TO acquire any in
fuence which you were TO use In connection
with business? A. intended to use all the
ingenuity and all the influence I possessed, at
every time. with everybody, to forward what l
was here for '-''. d. TO
Q, In this letter Of the 9Th Of February, 1872,
/ find these words-I shall not go back TO read
what precedes q; ] presume you are familiar
with It: "Adrisen me when you have It (in-
iueEce) so Il canbe usedP' A. Allow me to
look at Inc letter. Il1.I
9. Twill repeat the question now, "advise
me when you have ii (the inhuence) 60 y can
be used" Now, abe question put to you is,
what influence Is there referred tot A. Well upon
my word 1t does not occur to me, sir. Ii you
will let me see the letter perhaps can answer.
1t does not occur to me toSYhat he did refer; /
cannot reccollect. -.
Q. Prior to that time had there been no talk
between you and Mr.. Chittenden in regard to
any influence that you were to bring 10 bearl
A. Very frequently. - ends
mind what influenced A. What the particular
influence to which he refers is / have not any
definite idea of. '-+.
Q. Mr.. Nickerson, will read the letter that
you handed us from Mr.. Mcclellan, with refer
ence to question or two. =tE
The letter it as follows:
- May II, 1s12. 8
B. r. Nickerson, Esq: .-.--sl. :,
leave for Chicago this evening, pen these few
lines to gard you against makeing mention Of our
names in any way connected with you whatever,
you Please keep away from the Board Of Public
Works at least for tho present until we get an
award. 1 was asked to day IL you had any bust
cederable feeling, and ind 1t has operated not in
our favor. Keep still don't get out Of Patience
don't enterfoarin this matter we are doing all and
can at Present. this is expressly for your own eye
and nobody else. Nothing In this intended to
give sfenoe but NEARLY to Put you on you gard.
very much that I could mol have 'C called befor
ResP&Iy, Rom. MooLELLAsD.
Q. Had Mr.. Mcclellan been in this cityi A..
BE was here, and left the evening of that day,
apprehend. -
@. How long had he been herei A. really
L.. Ia IL al
time, perhaps week or two. .- I'd.
Q. Was there any private understanding be-
tween you and Mr.. Mcclellan in regard to pro-
curing this contract? A. Well, II you call 1t
private, we had an absolute understanding with
reference to It. Yes. -. .
Q. What sort of an understanding was that
A. apprehend as much as we could; don't
think there WIS any price named between US.
We were to get the most we could, of course.
Q. Now the agreement between you and Mr..
Mcclellan wss that II he got this contract you
were to treat the wood. He was to pay you the
royalty, and he was 10 have one half the profits
for treating the woodl A. Yes, with the ex-
ception of one word. We were to treat the
wood upon joint account, not treating it; but,
mark you, VIC were to treat It upon joint &C.
count.
Q. That made you personally interested in
getting the largest possible price for this treat
ing processl A. Undoubtedly 1t did; yes, sir.
Q. Do you know anything In regard to the
adding BY the Board of Public Works to the
cost ofthis pavement the cost of this treatmenn
A. understood the fact to be that the Board
Of Public Works-our understanding Is, that
the charge was fifty cents a yard, which in
other words is $40 thousand for the lumber.
Q. Was not part Of what was going on hero
TO get an additional price put into these con-
tracts, covering this process of treating wood
A. Undoubtedly It was.
Q. And you were laboring for that7 A. Un-
ioubtedly. ..-,.-....-.--
Q. You and Mcclellan were Iaboring for
thsti A. was laboring expressly for that,
and came here for that purpose.
Q. Was this price for this treating of the
wood added to these contracts before or after
The execution or award of the contractsi A.
Oh, before the award. They were distinctly
explained to the board on, / think, two occs-
sions, by public invitation at their office. ]
went there on two occasions. This Ohio man
went there once when we met the board pub
Iicly, and other parties, dozen contractors
here, each exhibiting his own process. We
went there to explain and exhibit the plans
and everything of that sort long before the con-
.ract was awarded.
Q. You were the patented A. owned the
patent for the District of Columbia.
Q. What was the objection to your going be-
necessary that you should keep away from
therei A. did go until Mr.. Chittenden came
10 the conclusion that he was the ADLER man of
the two, and great deal the best looking,
which he is.
Q. Mr.. Clellan, thought A. Mr.. Mcclellan
the letter written there is written at the in
stance of Mr.. Chittenden, for the purpose of
having me stay away. There is one thing
may just as well state now as at any time. It
~ Il TO-, L. -os1
Q. Who said-2 A. Mr.. Chittenden, and
Mr.. DeGolyer, and Mr.. Mcclellan undertook
TO argue to me to induce me to allow them to
run the institution to suit themselves, and for
me to keep away-that /, personally, was OBJ
noxious to the board; and If you want to know
the reason will tell you that.
Mr.. Mattingly. Let US have the whole state
mentl A. 1t was that Twas opposed to the
reelection of General Grant; that was del
egate to the Cincinnati convention and had
been there, or was going, as the case might be,
bad doctrine to teach in Washington, and par
ticylarly for Republican to teach.
Q. That would no. make q good wooden
pavement A. No, sir. Now that was what
they ss4 = Rsr privately, but the real reason
Q. What was iti A. The real reason was
that Mr. Chittenden had contracts with DeGol-
yer q Mcclellan whereby he was to haye q
large percentage on any contract, and If l was
to appear there conspiciously at all that per-
haps would have the glory and the money and
Chlttenden would not get It. Now that is the
reason, and all this humbug about politics and
good looks had nothing to do with 1t, and Nc
Clellan knew 1t when he wrote it, He only
wrote 1t to satisfy Chittenden. ---......
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. You say he wrote this
to satisfy Chittenden. Now want little ex-
PLANTATION. DeGQlyer & Mcclellan were pay
ing this money that was expended to Chitten-
den; he was expending It to get this contract
A. He would be willing enough for me to ex-
ercise any influence pleased, but there was
another reason why Chittenden made them
were magnetized-not from poll
tics or anything of that sort, but an outside
question entirely, whereby they were made to
believe that Mr.. Chittenden had peculiar power
that he could reach men that / could not
reach, or you, or anybody else, but that Chit
tenden could, and that he would, and did use
1t, and the more that we kept away the better
1t was for our interests.
@. Then your conclusion Is that Mr.. McClei-
Ian wrote this under q Misrepresentation of the
factsi A. No, sir; l think he knew the facts;
but nevertheless he believed that Chittenden's
position and his power over the parties with
whom he was operating was OF a character
that could not exercise, and that had better
keep quiet, he undoubtedly thought so, but he
would not have thought so II he had not been
told by Chittenden what kind Of a letter to write
me. He wrote that under the dictation of