National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-02
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
A. 3. KIRrLAND,s TESTIMONY
SECRET SESSION.


ARoTrr THr NoTEs-WHAT HE SAID AND
nm yoT say TO COL. MooRE-CoL.
ln6Rx HAD NO INTEREST TIE FRO
oEEDs-ALL ABOUT THE HARDWOOD
rsTarE-REy.w W. &c. BROWN GETS OFF
WITR TEN THOUSAND DoLLARs.
,. rHIRTE-FTTH DAY., r.. ., ~
, t91 FRIDAY, Mar 1, 1874
,.The committee met pursuInt to sdjourn-
Hisat- - ~ "a, $50 $ r-s-,- - s,ss,
The iournslof yesterdays proceedings was
read and approved. 5-z ,rssllIa17-r o. s1is-.7
1.-Two sessions Of the JOINT Investigating Com
ultsee were held yesterday one open and, the
oshsr secret AT the open session 3. B. Town'
ss1d. osupsrintendent of property under the
Board Of Public Works, and Mr.. Lewis Cle-
;p6sns wsfe examined, but we withhold their
tessimony until Monday in Older to present the
evidence Of Mr.. Kirkland, who was examined In
secret session. Subsequently Mr.. Wilcox was
rocaIIad ard examined In secret, as was also
MFdHESds Of Alabama, GmAfl contractor, from
vtbose testimony the injunction of secrecy has
nat vet been removed. Kirtland's testimony is
"a f6lloWs-ED. lyser.s "a! adj = sr-ls. .s.5r
- TESTIMONY or ksB.KIRTLASD, 7r-sa-
By the Chairman: Q. Your nsme, sir, has
been familiar 70 the committee for some days
ID connection with what's known as the DeGoi-
yer & Mcclellan contract with the Board Of
Public Works Of this District wish you
would State to the committee all that you know
IN regard TO that subject. Tell all the facts.
A. Well, Mr.. Chairman, I came here without
counsel at all; put myself right in your hands:
Isuppose your are as much my counsel as any
body. have no statement to make, and no
In afr Of
I shall be frank AMI brief. hope that you
WI get all there is about the sTe, 600 out of
me In . few minutes-thAt Is, all know about
It. Ihaye no statement to make whatever 1
have not prepared any statement. If you will
tell me Just what you want, will try and be
brief and answer you frankly. r.-rz- III -...
o. Were you in the city of Washington in the
winter of 1S7l-'f2l A. Yes, sir think I
came here in December, 1871. .-.. a. =.a--... :
Q. When did you first become acquainted
with Mr.. George R. Chittendenl A, became
acquainted with him at the Arlington Hotel;
but what the time was / do not know. met
him ct the table. -..,- 49, Aus. 80. D
%. What arrangement did you enter into
with him, having reference TO the procuring Of
contracts from the Board OF Public Worksi A.
He told me he had margin of SO cents from
his principals to give to any person who would
be influential in getting them contract, and
went TO WOfk on That DdsfS.
@. On the basis OF 80 cents! a. he said that
Ras what the margin was. .z.t.. -.'
q. Were you 20 receive SO cents per square
Yard A. He was to pay so cents. got az
the rate Of about Sat- 81, | think. asked
him no questions as to what he did with the
balance. -.. 'N--.e- Is.
Q. Why did you make that arrangement
with Mr.. Chitteniien; had, you any means of
procuring contractsl A. Only to work at them.
a Q. How, sIri A. Only to work at them. B,
o. How did you work. "A Well, / do not
think that has anything to do with the matter
that You have before you. worked In good
many different ways. lee ...-s .z..s ..=.
Gf. Stewart. That is the very:thing we want
% knoR-how you did it; how you worked,
and who you worked with. g.. ..r- "a.
!, By the Chairman: Q. We want to know
what you didl a. Well, didn't work with any
member Of the board, nor anybody connected
with It. .- o.. 10. ~. ~. a.. ..-
Q. With whom did you work. A. do not
know as worked with anybody. 49, -
Q. You Dever spoke 70 anybody on the sub
jectl A. Why, yes; have spoken to several
on the subject. =. -. -.
q. Wen. 70 whoni A. Wen. to thousands,
perhaps. -
@. BID you ever speak to Governor shep-
hord' A. Never, in relation to contract.
Q. Nor to Governor Gookef A. Never.
Q. Nor TO any member Of the boardi A.
. 2. Did you ever appear before the boardi A.
: Q. DID you have any conference or interview
with any gentlemen that. you expected would
appear before the board with reference to itl
"A. Never. 't s-itre.'', -lara. ..-
Q. Did you have any interview with any one
that you expected would speak TO any member
of the board upon this subject A. Yes;
think did. 10 ~ -ai z-e- .rr--.r. rE=It@
O. Who'll A. William @. Moore. - -8s-r,
Q. Who Is hei A. William G.. Moore test
fed here before you, believe; 1 presume he IS
apartner now Of Mr.. Shepherd; at that time
he WAS not .s7-- r.-- s.s.-f.rrr ..r..-
o. You spoke to him., A. Yes, sir. p. 10
Q. When did you speak 20 hiini A ] spoke
TO him about the time that commenced work
: upon the contract. - -.r = s.. ,.r19 -. :.
Q. Did you speak to him before you had con-
cluded your arrangement with Chittenden' A.
No, sir. -, - Il. .-.-.-s 40 49, 81.
q. You had made your bargain with Chit
Q. Then you spoke to Mr.. Moore9 A. Yes,
sir.
Q. What did you expect him to dot A. Well,
did not expect him to do much, except to ask
Mr.. Shepherd how that eoutract-what the
{ board had done from time TO time and TO keep
. me posted. .- ~
: Q. To Keep you advised A. Yes, sir; 50 that
> could report to Mr.. Chittenden. =a'. sf.-
G Q, He promised to do that A. don't
know as be promised to. He said he would do
, all that he could through the clerks, perhaps,
In the ofiec-the secretary. Dies 49,.
|. o. He promised to help you in that way, did
hsi A. No. he didn't promise anything OF the
kind. he said, as friend, he would do what
I he could. ra-....-.- -r.r.
Q. DID hs7 A. don't know. have no
knowledge of IL. .. O. ----. ... .1z
Q. Did you ever speak to him afterWarill Is
that the only interview you had with himi A.
o. was in there several times, He was an old
acquaintance and particular friend, e
Q. You spoke TO him though again about II,
Old you no0 You had more than one inter
Wv with him on this subject before the con-
tract was lett A. ] think Lid. Yes, sir; be-
fore the award was made. -.- -,..-.-
Q. Did be not report to you from time TO
:. dmei A. Never until went for him. f..
Q. How, sirl A. He did not report to me, ex-
cept that went 10 the store. =. .'I
Q. or course I understand that; you went TO
the store TO find out how matters were getting
on, and be would tell youl A. He would tell
me II he knew anything; 1t was very seldom
that be knew anything.
Q. Then you would report to chittenden, A.
Yes, sir.
Q. What would you tell him' A. would
tell Lin that things were progressing as fast as
they could. ..-.
q. Mr.. Chittenden makes the same state
meut; he says that Is what you reported to him.
Did you have any conversation with any body
else, except Mr.. MooreI A. Not In regard to
this contract.
@. Nobody elsel A. No, sir.
q. At no time before the award A. At no
time; nobody connected with the board or In
Washington.
O. am not speaking Of that; am speaking
Of any gentleman who helped you In any way |,
whether Ia Washington or out OF IL. A. No, sir;
nobody helped me al all. do not know that
Colonel Moore did. bar .E-4ta.r --
Q. You had no other one that you spoke to
on the subject A. No, sir; have spoken to
Thousands, and written to them-my friends.
Q. DO not mean In that sense; mean in
the sense that you expected either to acquire
Information from them, or influence With the
board. A. have inquired of clerks up in the
Once there whether the award had been made,
from time to time, a e.. r,-,I.,.-7-, !
Q. You went into the Office of the Board Of
PgOlic Works occasionally A. Invent there
oncs or twice, TO the contract office, 10 see II
that contract had been on fle, or something Of
that kind.
@. But you spoke TO nobody except Colonel
Moore on the subject, with view to secure in
fuence with the boardl A. Well. did not
suppose he had any influence; in friendly
way be would ask Mr.. Shepherd, suppose,
what prospects there were, or something OF
that kind