National Republican., 1874-05-29
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
CoEcLUSION OF TIE TESTIMONY
TAKEN ON TUESDAY.

FRANK II. SMITH, A REPORTER, ON CON
TRACTS-ENGINEER BARNEY RECALLED
TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH H. FLETCHER
GEORGE w RIGGS ON THE sTAND-ADoLF
,CLUss ONCE MORE.
TESTIMONY OF FRANK H. SMITH.
Frank H. Smith sworn;
By the Chairman: Q. Where do you reside!
a. In Washington.
O. What is your occupatioui A. am a
reporter.
o. You are the official reporter of the House
the stenographerl A. have contract fol
portion Of the House reporting.
Q. Have you had any contract with the
Board of Public Works of this cityl A. Yes
sir.
O. What contract have you hadl A. One
wear before last for some Phillips round block
pavement on NJ street and Nineteenth, think
and q contract last fall, for laying sewer IN
an alley adjoining, which my stable is, amount
ins to two or three hundred dollars.
@. What is the extent of the first contract
you hadi A. lido not remember the amount;
I should say some fifteen or twenty thousand
yards.
@. Had you ever been contractor prior to
that timer A. Not for that kind of work.
Q. For what kind of work had you been q
contractor A. For the reporting ofthe House,
and various other matters.
9. Have you ever been engaged on any sort
Of public improvement in the way OF taking
contracts! A. No, sir.
@. Now, Mr.. Smith, will you just state to
this committee everything that you know, and
withhold nothing in regard to the manner in
which you procured that contract, and the pur-
poses for which that contract was let origi-
ballyi A. returned to the city, should say,
hbout the first of September of that year; haV-
ing nothing to do, for three or four months,
until the meeting Of Congress, made some
inquiries, as have always done before, for re-
porting to employ myself. Finding nothing In
that direction, had 6 conversation, as re-
member, with Mr.. Lewis CIephane, who was
an old friend Of mine for twenty years stand
ing, asking him whether he knew anything
that / could do to employ myself until the
meeting of Congress. / have no recollection
Of the details of the conversation, but the re-
shlt Of it was that he stated that he had some
engagements, in the early part of the year, for
laying round-block pavement, that he ex-
pected to have laid q very large amount of it.;
that in that expectation he had procured a
large amount of material; that he had failed
to receive contracts to use up the material;
that he understood the Board Of Public Works
were not going to give any further con-
tracts Of that description, but that two
or three contracts had been given to
parties who, in his judgment, were not
going to do the work; that if could make an
arrangement with one of those parties, he
would be very glad TO furnish the material,
and that il | would furnish the capital and do
the work, il woaId be an advantage both TO
him and myself, stating that he had already
engaged in contracts 70 as large an extent as
he was able 10 furnish capital. think l asked
him to see the parties and see what arrange
ments lie could make, and that he made ar
Tangements with one of these parties to give
up his contract. l took the contract. It was
transferred to me and executed in my name.
I furnished the capital, gave my attention to it
while the work was going on, and drew the
proceeds, whatever they were. That is ali the
statement can make in regard to it.
Q. Who was the party from whom you got
this contract A. an not quite sure whether
remember his name or not; 1t seems to me 1t
was Patrick o. Hsus.
Q. He had the contract, had he not awarded
to hirl A. l did not know; l have stated the
information as 1t came to me.
=. Was the contract assigned to you, or was
1t q new contract issued to you after you got
control of this matteri A. Ny impression Is it
wae new contract issued to me.
G. Do you know whether Patrick o. Haus
had a contract in his own name at that time?
A. don't know.
Q. How long had you known Patrick o.
Hausl A. l never knew him before.
Q. Do you know what his business Is here!
A. don't know anything about him.
Q. Had you ever seen him about the Capt.
tol-aoout any of the committee rooms of this
Capiton A. don't think have ever met
him half dozen times before or since.
Q. Don't you know Patrick o. Heus is q
gentleman from Nebraska, and has been about
the Capitol for some times psstl A. No, sir;
don't know anything about him.
g. 600. EH-' o'1 '0u pay MI ~ a. ABOUT
Q. How long did he have this contract A.
I don't know.
2. Who negotiated between yourself and
Mr.. Hausi Did you carry on the negotiations
yourselfi A. Ny impression is that the nego-
tiation was made by Mr.. Clephane.
Q. Didyou pay him two thousand dollars
in money! a. Yes, sir; gave him check
for it.
Q. On what bsnkl A 1 think the National
Metropolitan.
Q. Had Haus done anything with this con-
tractl A. No, sir.
Q. What did you do with II after you got
iti A. employed the parties and did the
work
Q. In what wayI A. employed Mr.. Albert
Gleason to do portion of the work
Q. What portion of the work did Mr.. Albert
Gleason dol A. think he graded the street
sRd laid the pavement.
@. What did you receive out of IT as your
share oft businessl A. ! received the en-
tire amount of the contract, whatever it was;
dent remember what it was.
Q What did you pay Gleasonl AS Iremem-
Der, SO cents square yard. don't remember
the aggregate amount.
Q. For doing what A. What have stated.
g For laying the pavement A. Yes, sir.
g And the grading toof A. Yes, sir.
z. What was your profit out of that con-
tract A. Somewhere in the neighborhood Of
sS,OW. l don't remember. That was, how
ever, without computing interest for the use
of the money during the time the payments
were % allegiance, some of which were a year
or NOR.
Q. In the Governors answer it is stated you
received $42, ,T4l.T5! A. Probably.
Q. That seems to have been the cost Of the
work 70 the Board Of Public Works, according
to this report. Have you any writings be-
tween yourself and GlessonI A. Yes, Sir.
Q. Where are they nowi A. There was
contrast, l think, in writing. think he has a
copy oft, and that probably have. At least
had.
tract5 A. have no doubt can find it among
my papers.
Q. Cannot you remember what the arrange
ment was between yourself and Gleasonl A.
think have stated the arrangement in full
Q. What was Gleason 20 dol A. He was to
lay the pavement and do whatever grading was
required.
Z. Ai4 Lut COlLTdCI stlpulate IOT any grad
ingt A. 1t was designated as grading or trim
ming.
Q. Had not that street been graded before
you got the contract? A. think the heavy
grading had been done.
Q. Had Dot it all been graded except merely
the trimming just necessary 10 put the blocks
downl A. | think for portion of It the ex-
cavations were probably as much as two feet or
more
Q. Who furnished the woodi A Mr.. Cle-
phane.
Q. What did he get out of this contracts A.
He got the price Of the blocks, whatever that
was don't remember.
@. What did you furnish A. furnished
the money and supervised the work, and had
general arrangements OF the whole matter.
Q. What money vas It necessary for you to
furnishi A Money for the purchase of blocks
and money for the payment OF hands and ma
terial.
Q. Did Mr.. Clephane get his money for his
blocks at the time they were delivered, or did
he get them from the Board of Public Worksl
A. He received it from time.
@. Is not this the way II was done. That
Mr.. Clephane furnished the blocks, and then
you drew certificates or money from the Board
of Public Works, and you turned 1t over to
Mr.. Clephanel 4. No, sir.
Q. Did you give Mr.. Clephane orders Of the
Board Of Public Works for this money! A.
No, sir.