National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-25

expose their errorsl A. No, sir. Frequently
In a cordial and friendly way spoke to them
and frequently they have told me all the time,
RsI have stated here before, and repeat now,
that they thought the system, carefully intro
duced here before became O member OF the
board, should not be changed without the
gravest causes.
O. When did Won come to the conclusion
that you would go back upon themi A. have
not gone back upon themto this day.
Q. Haven't you gope back on yourselfa A.
No, sir.
o. Don't you 90 back pretty badly on the
system, as you call itI A. have never had
any regard for the system, and the same idea,
of which speak here frankly and openly,
have of.en expressed to the members of the
board.
Q. When did you come to the conclusion you
would come before this committee, or any
other committee, and denounce these people
publicity A. No, sir; l had no idea at all.
came TO answer all questions frankly and fear
lessly. had no other purpose. 1 have no
personal feeling of revenge toward anybody.
O. When cid you come to the conclusion that
you would do this7 A. When the commit
toe sent me a summons TO come here.
Q. Aud you never knew You were going TO
be witness, and never thought Of what you
were going to say, until the committee otlcially
notified yol to appear before themf A. Ofcourse
citwas very natural that / should think, when SO
many charges were mado, that Mr.. Cluss
would be called upon to make statement.
: For this purpose was quietly preparing and
taking my notes. -,
O. You thought you might be called upon3
A.-Oh, certainly; would be fool If 1 had not
thought SO.
! Q. And in anticipation that you might be
called as q witness you prepared yourself fullyl
q. Not as fully as I would like to.
Q. Still, you made whatever preparation
was necessary; evidently not as fully as you |
would like to. see you were not as well pre- |
pared as you would like to be. How long did |
It take you TO make preparation? A. do not
know, except that l do these things in
leisurely way in the evening, while other
people are spending their time in the inns and
theatres. l have my books at home, and
statements, and work quietly, and so l could |
not say when l commenced.
Q. How iongl A. For several weeks, 1t |
might be.
Q. Two or three moDths' A. No: 50 long.
Q. Two months! A No, sir.
Q. Six weeksl A. No, sir.
Q. -Four! A. Perhaps four weeks.
Q. After you got fully prepared to specify
the wiclicdness that had been perpetrated in
the Board of Public Works, you volunteered
yourself as q witness, didn't yOul A. didn't.
am not fully prepared now; otherwise
would be able to show another array of facts
O. How did anybody come to think of sub
pBnaing you, # you didn't volunteer A.
We'll, the gentlemen of the committee might
have thought that It was well to have me.
sponsible person, was It not very natural for
the committee to think the same and sum-
mon me herel
Q. That is all natural enough; bat If they
thought that the engineer was not only man
having heavy responsibility, but a man of
great integrity, they would not expect to call
him here and expect him to make statements
that would convict him and his associatesl A.
do not understand you fully. How do you
meant
n VIM .ov .ba o,oi,aar r-os ,nan ,rho hoa
heavy responsibilities A. Yes, sir; you said
so.
Q. And knew, of course, the secrets of the
board-the inside workings Of the bodya A.
Secrets! hope in public transactions there
hre no secrets.
Q. mean to say he knew the inside work
fngs Of the board better than any outsider
could know them. A. would be glad to tell
them to anybody. |.
Q. And you think It was natural for them to
call you for that reasonl A. Yes, sir.
Q. Why wouldn't they think 1t Just as nat
ural TO call one of the other members of the
board-anybody who was anxious to prosecute
this Board of Public Works and expose them7
A. If the truth is exposure.
Q. Believing that the engineer was q man of |
Integrity and always performed his duty, then
would they be likely to call him for the pur-
pose of proving the contraryi A. / do not like (
to think for the members Of the committee. /
supposed they are competent TO think for them
selves. |;
Q. want to know, if you are willing to tell
Il do not care about pressing 1t very much, |
though-what was the motive-po that I
brought you here as willing witness to testify
against your associates and yourself; in other [
words, to turn States evidenced A. will not
be deferred by such language. l know my 7
duty.
Judge Black. Oh, certainly not; don't be de-
TERED by anything.
Mr. Christy: Allow me to make a question /,
with the chairman of the committee. Judge {
Black, in his question, assumes that this is the
only member of the Board of Public Works ,
who has been called, whereas, in fact, every i
member of the Board of Public Works, with
out an exception, has been upon the stand and
Intercepted as witness. |,
Mr.. Hamilton. And also the assistant engi- I
neers. The board are conversant with all these
facts; not only the Board of Public Works-all
the other members-but think all the engi-
neers, except Mr.. Cluss.
Q. Now, Mr.. Cluss is here, and want to ask I
him question. 1t is the same question asked {
q long time ago, when a certain character ap- l
peared and was asked why he was there. II is {
the first chapter Of Job that refer to. You
recollect it, don't you'll G
The Witness: ! do not know much of the
Bible, am soprS to say. know more about {
mathematics, that is my branch. Il
Q. You did not offer your eTidencei A. No,
Sir. I
@. You did not volunteer, in any sense of the l
wordi A. should have been glad to stay I
away from this place If possible, but since for I
the last two or three weeks the newspapers of
the country have trumpeted it abroad that If
there is anything wrong the members of the I
board are simon pure, for 1t is the engineers I
who are at fault altogether. felt it duty to
my associates in the engineer board, able, COM {
potent, and honest, men Of integrity. II
Q. Mr.. Forsyth and Mr.. Oertlyi A. spoke |
of Mr. nd NF "a
hover and Mr.. Franklin. 1 speak especially
of those men under nv special care, and who c
have a right to expect from me that ! should |
yindicate their integrity, so that they are not /
70 be blackened for life because employed in !
Washington city in making these Government
measurements. 1t lie duty owe to these men. ,
Q. II is for the purpose of protecting the in
nocent men charged with this offence that you ,
want to throw the guilt where 1t belongsi A.
Yes, sir; If there is any. They could not re- ,
spect me If I were to allow them to be heralded
as imbeciles.
Q. This is the reason you volunteered A. l
did not volunteer. /,
Q. Did you not furnish gentlemen on the
other side with list of questions to be asked
YOU, and tell them how you were going to
answer theml A. wish to say that this is an
unmitigated falsehood, and say that have not
spoken to one of the memorialists. / do not
know them personally; do not know counsel,
even, TO speak to them; / do not know the
leaOlIg man OF lneIn, i 10 not Lnluh IuaI
have ever spoken TO any Of them during the
whole investigation, except four or five days
ago, when Mr.. Wright Rives came to the
Board Of Public Works Office and wanted to
compare his tables with those of Mr.. Oertly.
] saw him then. knew he was an engineer
when he came there, and twas glad to talk
with him ana clear his doubts.
Mr.. Christy. will say, so far as I am con-
.cerned, that / have not ever had the pleasure
of an acquaintance with Mr.. Cluss, and have
treated him throughout as the client of the
gentlemen who are here to-day assailing him.
1t was q matter Of surprise to me that, as a
member of the District government and repre-
senting it. that that relation had ceased.
Judge Black. We will get you on the stand
directly, whenever you choose to volunteer.
Mr.. Christy. want to testify; have right
when imputation is cast upon counsel.
Judge Black. Not at all; no imputation.
The Chairman No imputation has been cast,
as / understand IT.
Judge Black 1t is as bad 70 take offence IN
1.A