Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-05-25
fhe "DamagiDg Testimony" OF Mr..
Adolf Ciuss.

Only the New York Sun comes to the str sight-
out, unblusning defence OF Mr.. Cluss ami his
Damaging" boomerang testimony. Soms of
the other opposition papers and correspondents
plead exteRusting circumstances In his behalf,
but they virtually concede, one and all, that his
treacherous missile aimed at his associates of
the Board OF Public Works has como hume to
bis own damage. Even as prejudiced a cores
Iondent as that Of the New York Tribase has
the candOr to say:
"Mr. Cluss sustained the cross examination
with less credit than was expected by the most
of those who listened t. his direct testimony.
The defence aimed rather to i'm peach the accu-
rscy OF the witness, and to show that he was
himself responsible for many Of the false tables
and statements he had ALREADY denounced, ,
rather than to disprove the irregularities aud
frauds TO which he testified in his direct exam
inatiOn- They succeeded, to some extent in
showing that he had been loose In m my OF his
statements The witness is a man of very ex-
cItsble temperament, and thi-, combined with
his somewhat imperfect knowledge OF the Eng
lish language, led him into errors which MT.
Mattingiy TOOK advantage of to place him in
very unpleasant position. 1t was shown that
Nr. Cluss had included in some OF his sweeping
assertions matters which he ought to have omit
ted, and, az a matter Of form or otherwise, his
signature had been appended to some of the pa
pers be had denounced. The result of TO days
work was in some degree to shake confidence in
the exact accuracy OF all the statements made
by Mr. Cluss."
The correspondent of the democratic New
York World is also fair enough to concede the
same, and says
"He was subjected TO a severe cross fire,
from which 1t must be fairly admitted he had
sworn little too far in his direct examination.
In the latter he had testified that be had not
been permitted to make the measurements of
Improvements in front OF government property.
and for which the board had called upon Con-
gress to pay, while the fact turned out to he
that the government by express act of Congress
was required to measure its own property.
Many of the false and fraudulent measure
ments which he testified to, were produc and
found to have his own approval as the chief en-
giDeer. he got out OF this by saying that he
signed them IN the mere routine of business
without examination, and still believed tn en-
TO be false. He had sworn that as a member of
the board he had never signed with the others
acquisitions on the United States Treasury, aud
YET his signature TO one for 81 900, 900 was pro-
duced."
This testimony, according to his evidence, he
has been carefully getting up for the last four
weeks, by "quetly preparing and taking notes."
20 there IL excuse for his errOrs of statement on
the ground OF being called upon unawares. He
also states that he got up his testimony at home
evenings, according to his domestic habit,
"While other people we're Spending their time in
inns and theateTs." The wicked people who
frequent inns and theaters may perhaps be con-
soled to know that the pious ami abstemious
Cluss elsewhere admits that he psrtOok of For
syth's whisky as often as invited and certainly
II has never been suspected before in this com
munity that he was an anchorite, or was ayerse
othe enjoy ment of creature comfOrts-at others
expense.