National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-14
500 ID
5000 %
SI&.S3d 10

These are all the contracts nc have ever had.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. What was the char
zcter of those certificates A. l think, SIR, al
though did not charge my mind with them,
not dreaming that the, matter would ever be
called to the public attention, that the majority
Board OF Public Works.
Q. AUDITORS eertifcatesi A. Yes, sir; with
the exception Of the last two items.
Q. They were not tax certificates them a.
No, sir; oh, no.
Q. They were bills In favor Of contractorsf
A. Yes, sir; and bought them Of the con-
tractors. They get hard up and bring in lot
to raise money to pay hands.
Q. A bill certified by the auditor Of the Board
Of Public Works to be eorrecti A. Yes, sir.
Q. What did you give for those billsf A.
The largest deduction on any Of them was In
one case fifteen per cent We paid eighty-fye
cents on the dollar; then we bought in most Of
the others at ten per cent, and one lot we
paid at fraction less than ten per cent. These
last named ones we bought at niBety-three,
think, and sold them part at ninety-aye and
q part at ninety -four.
Q. Did the certificates specify when they
were payablel A. Not at all.
Q. They were payable whenever the govern
ment was In fundsi A. Whenever the board
was In funds.
Q. Then they were payablea A. Yes, sir.
Q. So that YOU did not know how long you
would have to hold theml A. No, sir.
Q. You might get the money within week
or month"; A. We never expected to get IL
within week, but we thought It possible we
might get II within sixty or ninety days.
Q. 1t was all speculation A. 1t was all
speculation as to when they were to be paid.
We did not have hint as to when they were
to be paid.
By. Mr.. Hubben: Q. Did you have any ar
rangement with the board or any member Of
the board by which your purchase should have
any preference over any othersl A. No, sir.
Emphatically, no.
By Mr. Harrington: Odd you have any.
unusual facilities for collecting theml A
None whatever that know of, sir.
| Q. State whether you did not buy some Of
these auditors certificates from John o.
Evansl A. Yes, sir; we bought some of them,
and quite q large number from him.
BY the Chairman: Q. From whoml A.
From John O.. Evans. lie has been before
you.
By Mr.. Hubbell: O. You bought from any
money.
Q. And took your chancesi A. Yes, sir; we
took our chances. We did no great things out
of them, I can tell you. We have some SO 900
or $50, 600 on hand now that we would like
very much to get cost for to-day.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. From whom did you
get the SIS, 900 or $4,000 WORTH A. / really
do not know. 1 did not attempt to keep an
account of the parties Of whom we purchased.
By the Chairman: Q. Your purchasing in
the regular course of businessl A. Yes, sir;
and there has been nothing irregular about
that bank.
BY Mr.. Christy: O. What was the relations
of John o. Evans in your bankl A. He is the
largest stakeholder in it; perfect gentleman
and thorough man of business.
Mr.. Christy. / have no doubt of It, sir.
! The Witness. He is our Vice-presiden' be
sides, and wish l had him in the baLx Is
cashier.
| Q. You are not able to state all the persons
from whom you purchased, but are able to
state that you purchased large portion from
John o. Evans! A. No; we purchased large
amount, but not large proportion. We made
one large purchase of him, and the only one
that remember. We made one large purchase
of Albert Gleason, and should not have known
that but for the fact that the bookkeeper at
tathed his name to the purchase. ! saw it to-
day in making this abstract.
| Q. You have stated from your books the
times when they were purchased A. Yes, sir.
O. Do your books show when they were re-
deemedl A. think they do, but am not GER
tain. You did not call for that.
By Mr.. Hubbell: Q. At the time you made
the purchase from Evans was there any under
standing by which you could get your money
at any definite timei A. l have already stated
that there never has been any such understand
ing, in any shape or form, to my knowledge.
Il Mr.. Christy. desire the dates of the re-
demption, and the names Of the parties who
purchased.
The Witness. We have not the names of the
parties who purchased.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. Docs this statement include
all the certificates that have been in your bank
either from purchases made or certificates
Hypothetical? A. No, sir; we have got some
there that are hypothecated.
n IT. uhak haxro Ace foa hrr
pothecatedl A. Not to any great extent, sir.
/ have q good big lot of my own.
The Chairman. / think that is going into
the affairs of the bank little too closely.
The Witness. The fact is we have got so that
we do not care to loan money OF them.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. After you received these
certificates what was your mode OF obtaining
payment A. Well, sir, used to run down to
see the treasurer pretty often.
Q. Did John o. Evans, in any instance, col
lect these certificates that he had sold youi
A. No, sir.
Q. In no instance, A. In no instance.
Q. Did he collect for you the certificates pur-
we have them yet. 1t was next to the last
purchase we made-29th of July last-S25, 900
J of Albert Gleason, and think they are in the
house now.
8. The entire s25 ,OOOl A. think so.
! Q. thought you only had some nineteen or
twenty thousand on handl A. l did not say
so.
o. understood you to say so. A. No, sir
) am not posted on that question.
BY Mr.. Christy Q. understood You to say
I; that you had nineteen or twenty thousand dol
r lars on hand unredeemed.
S The Chairman. He stated that they had some
/ twenty thousand dollars on hand. BE did not
say they had no more.
I Mr. Christy. / understand that; but GER
y tainly got the impression that they had nc
more,
{ TThe witness was directed to furnish state
ment to the committee as to the time wheI
. these certificates were redeemed.
TESTIMONY OF HENRY K. RANDALL.
: Henry K. Randall, having been duly sworu
/ testified as follows:
: By the Chairman: @. You appear here as mo-
3 having paid taxes to the amount OF 1854
: have you paid that tax7 A. i have paid be
tween three and four thousand dollars.
: Q. But have you paid this particular tax
0 A. This Is part of the assessment. havt
!, been assessed about ten or twelve THOUSAND
Q dollars that have paid.
g Q. But in this statement you are charges
with an assessment of S745.A which you hay,
b not paid. Have you paid this assessment A
e That may be one bill; it was part Of my a.
sessmeut. =,
!. By Mr.. Hubbell: Q. Have you paid that; d.
/, YOU owe anything yet on the assessment A
e Yes, sir; owe on the assessment, but havI
9 paid all that have been legally called upon 4
pay, which Is between three and four THOUSAND
q dollars.
E BY the Chairman: O. You have paid, then
r all the taxes that are due against you'll A. Ex
f cept those on + street.
Q. How much were theyi A. That would
: not pay because there was charge made 70
r steps. ] have paid all that have been legall
called upon to pay, except 2 street.
; Q. There Is q dispute then, between you an,
0 the board as TO the taxes on = street, A. Yes
: sir. -----------s
. o. Do you know how much that isi A. No
sir; ! think about thousand or fifteen hun
E dred dollars. am charged there with ston
steps
Il Mr.. Christy. The chairman viii remembe
: that Mr.. Willard, in his testimony, stated tina
he had let out contract for sweeping th'
alleys AFTER public advertisement TO the loves
: responsible bidder. / wish to show that Mr.
). Abrams madeS bid $40, 600 less than the on
4 at which It was actually let, and that he mad
: himself responsible BY rendering the prope
bond.
!. GEORGE B. ABRAMS RECALLED.
Q By Mr.. Thurman: Q. You heard Colone
Christy's statement just now to the committee
o A. I did.