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

@. did not ask you about your suggestions
do you not know what 1t was TO which Mr.
Chittenden referred toi A. have not thu
slightest idea of what he precisely referred to
was about to tell you what had supposed
he referred to.
o. You talked to Mr.. Chittenden frequently
after the receipt of your letter. A. Yes, sir
Q. You talked TO him about other thingsl
A. Yes, sir.
o. Did you ever ask Mr.. Chittenden what
influence 1t was he referred toi A. i do no
think ever did. have no recollection OF ask
! ing him, think he referred generally 10
supposed acquaintance with men and their sur
Q. In this letter Mr.. Chittenden refers Il
something definite. He says tit" Shave yot
arranged Iii" A. / see he does.
@. And he uses the word "inhuence" II
brackets. A. see he does; but have already
stated that precisely what he refers to have
no recollection now. At the time may have
had. He may have referred to some particu
lar thing that we had spoken of, but exactly
what it was do not know; do not remember
There Is nothing in the matter that l would
not cheerfully tell you without reference Il
friendship or favor, for have none In thu
premises.
o. Will you try and reaecti A. Unquestion
ably. IL l can remember from any circum
stances In the world what he referred to,
will cbeerfully come and notify you. l remem
Der of one thing that he may have referred Il
and 1t was brought about BY q name that
see there. / think 1t may have been-althougf
do not say II was-he may have referred t.
either General Dent or Judge Dent, or Dent
Page, all of whom, particularly Mr.. Page
were earnestly engaged In assisting in the pro
curement of the contract, averring that he hai
influence and acquaintance all around tn,
streets, and for which Mr.. Chittenden agreed
to pay him SIC, 900 when the CONTRACTS was OBJ
tanned. And Mr.. Page says that he did no
got the written obligations up without payini
kbim. He may have referred to that. do no
| think he did. .
Q. Why do you suppose now It may hav,
Preferred to that A. Because saw Mr.. Dent
name mentioned in that letter. ..-.
Q. Were your relations with Mr.. Dent
either of the Messrs. Dent-or with Mr.. Page
such IS would lead Mr.. Chittenden to suppos
that you controlled theml A. What he sup
posed about control is one thing. I can tel
you what It was, If you choose.
Q. Were your relations to the parties name'
such, and SO known to Mr.. Chittenden, so rep
resented by you to Mr.. Chittenden, that he, Il
writing to you, would ask you If you had it
"your influence" or "the infuence"-so ar
ranged A. am inclined to think that Mr.
Chittenden referred TO either Dent & Page, o
tHaL OF 10 DeuL, WIZ hdo buCu u
the Presidents house.
Q. What relations were yours to Dent 4
Page, or to Judge Denti A. KNEW them wei
for many years.
Q. Were you in direct intercourse with them
A. Yes, sir. = ~. : -
O. Were you using their influence to procur
this contract A. Well, do not think I wa
using their influence. They were exercising
what ability they possessed in procuring it, IN
doubleday. r..r-.. -
Q. Were they exercising It at your instance
A. Well, upon my knowledge, and Mr.. Chit
tenden's positive contract to give him $1,000
| II he got it. o. a-. .. ....
Q, asked you II they were exercising 1t a
your instance, for your accommodation A.
was frequently In communication with them Oh
the subject; and undoubtedly urged them t.
do all they could. .- r.. g..
Q. Was the part you were to play in procur
ing these contracts that you were to secur
their inAuencei A. No, sir; was playing NJ
part other than for the undersigned.
@. Very well, then; why would he, writin!
to you, ask if you had ''it"-the Influence
arranged A. 1 have already said that wha
he referred to by the term Hit" do not know
But / am of the opinion that he had referred u
either one or the other of the Dents, or Mr.
Page. think so, but that may not be.
Q. That, it strikes me, is so far-fetched tina
/ would rather have you reflect littlel A.
will remark that If it has been far-fetched,
did not fetch it..
@. Very well, somebody else did, thenf A
I go as far as to have square justice done in tn
premises, If l know what 1t is, as anybod.
about the board. If there has been anything
wrong, would like to have it out.
BY Mr.. Christy: Q. Do you know when, II
point of fact, the Board of Public Works frs
adopted the treating of wood and established {
price therefor A. Two years ago.
Q. should like you to fix It as nearly a
account that have of it.
@. am not speaking now of De Golyer 4
Mcclellan, but of any treated wood! A. Oh
do you mean the Board Of Public Worksl
Q. Yes, sir. A. That must have been tn
first that the board treated think. Pennsyl
vania avenue was laid under that old commits
sion. was here and tried to get q contrac
then
q. II was not treated woodi A. A portion
of ftwas. l tried to get the whole. 1 did no
want part could not afford 1t on accoun
of the prices of machinery.
Mr.. Christy. would like TO have the swart
first made for the treating of wood produce,
by the secretary In this connection.
The Chairman. When was that, Goyerno
Shepherd ...
Governor Shepherd. It was based upon tn
report of q commission of Generals Humphreys
Meigs and others; and think it was in tn
spring of 1872; somewhere about May,
think. p .f..-.--..... ....- =
By Mr.. Mattingly; Q. State whether tina
is letter which you addressed to the Board o
Public Works. Handing witness q letter.
A. No, sir; that Is not my writing. Here is
letter that purports to be written by me that
did not write. am examining 1t to see.
By Mr.. Harrington: O. are Dent
Pagef A. Judge Dent is dead, and Page is
lawyer, who has his Office at the corner of FIJI
tecnth street and the Avenue; and he, nov
understand, is in Cuba or some other part.
By Mr.. Stewart: @. Where2 understant
that he is in San Domingo or Cuba-one of tn
islands, learn. .. ...
@. Did you ever pay Dent & Page any none,
in regard to this contract A. No, sir; I d
not think did. / do not remember. =
Q. Did you ever pay any other person an
money to help obtain this contract A. l neve
did. ~
Q. Did you ever pay any money to any mem
Der of the Board of Public Works, either d.
No, sir. - e.
Q. Did you ever pay any money to any EN-
ployee Of the District government, eithe
directly Or indirectly, to obtain this contract
A. No, sir. g.. * e
BY Mr., Wilson: Q. You say you do not thin
you paid anything to Dent & Page; did any
body else pay them anythingf A. Mr.. Pag
told me that Mr.. Chittenden had made writ
ten contract with him, In the name of DeGolye
& Mcclellan, to Day him SIC, 900 for his infiu
ence, provided he got the contract, and tina
Mr.. Chittenden subsequently came there an
made him bslieys that honor was better thin
than tho contract, and got him to give up tn
contract, and subsequently refused to pay him
Mr.. Page told me that, and told him to go :
DeGolyer 81 Mcclellan. thought they woul
do something aboufit. He did go.
Q. Do the Board of Public Works owe 20
anything nowl A. Yes, sir. iii IL
Q. How muchl A. guess about SIS 900.
Q. In what shape Is it, A. About six thou
sand dollars is in sewer bonds, ami ten thousan
dollars or whereabouts In certificates.
Q. How long since you got those certificates
A. I got them at different times; last summer
Q. Have you been making any effort recentl
to get the money on these Certificates from th
boardl A. No, sir; 1 have not made any efor
very lately; wanted to get some money and
made application to get It, and was told coul
not get Il then, but that there would DO some
thing done directly. finally met Mr.. Magrude
and told him could use FIVE thousand dollar
of special-improvement bonds which woul
answer my purpose in the way of business. Fl
told me that he would give me s., 900 Of tn
bonds whenever could catch him In the Office
I tried to three times, and found he had larg
crowd about his door whenever the office wa
open, and finally, afler a few days, / found him
| My. Magruder said that he could not give m