National Republican., 1874-05-20

hem promptly and wellf A. Yes, sir; i stated
hat, --
Q. And were not the contracts awarded TO-
,ou on that basfs1 A. Yes, SIR.
@. Was not the statemens made TO you at the
lime that most of the contractors here were
oadsd down with more than they could carry,
md we wanted men with capital and means TO
10 the work. A. Yes, sir; Ibelieve you stated
hat to me. ~ - r-
Q. That was the basis upsn which you got
he contracts2 A. Yes, SIR
BY Mr.. Wilson: Q. Did you rspreseut You
had the meansi A. Yes, sir; / represented
expected to be furnished with means. was
promised the means for this work.
Q. Who was to furnish, Jou the meansi A.
Senator Dorsey.
By Governor Shepherd: @. In regard to
building this sewer. The reason this contract
was not signed and the thing completed, was
from the fact that there was dispute as to
the right of way through the ground. That
was In litigation. We were enjoined ffom
going on with It. It was finally compromised.
That accounts for the delay In the signing OF
the contract for the building OF this sewer.
merely state that by way of information. !.
By the Chairman: @. You say you expected
Senator Dorsey to furnish you the meansf A.
He owed me q large amount Of money, for
Q. He owed you, and you expected to get
your payl A. Yes, sir. At the time ] got
this claim said to him weuld have to have
some money that he owed me.
@. There was no arrangement or under
that he was to have any interest N
this work? A. None whatever.
The Chairman: ask that In justice to
Senator Dorsey.
= The Witness. None whatever.
TESTIMONY OF CHARLES 8. JOHNSON.
Charles s. johnson sworn.
By the Chairman: Q. notice In this record
that In many instances the beginning Is, "The
board met at the usual hour," /" without stating
who were present. How were these minutes
made out in those casesa A. They were all
made up In the same way.
o. Who furnished you with the memoranda
by which youmade up these minutes7 A. 1
always made them up myself from the trans
actions Of the board. .....
Q. Do you mean to say that the board was
in session as q board, and that you kept o
record of the proceedings Of the boafd, or that
minutes were furnished TO you, and you made
the entries according to the minutes furnished
to youl A. No, sir; always prepared the
minutes myself from the transactions OF the
board.
Q. Who were present at these meetings
where there is nobody named 70 be present;
were all the members present. A. ! cannot
tell now; there was always majority pres
ent.
o. So that, then, all of these board meet
ings contain q record of the proceedings that
were had by the board, when there was q
majority of the board present. A. Yes, sir.
Q. Who were the. parties usually present.
A. The vice president and two other members
of the board.
Q. Who were the other two members of the
board? A. Since DR.. Blake has been appointed
he has been there nearly always; Colonel Ma
eruder, or if not, Mr.. Cluss. Mr.. Shepherd
has not been there often since he was appointed
Governor.
The committee here took recess until Q
o'clock.
AFTERNOON SESSION. =
TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM H. ADAMS.
p VIM. H. Adams sworn and examined.
By the Chairman: Q. Are you q contractor
under the Board of Public works2 A. Yes,
sir.
Q. What contracts have you had7 All have
had several contracts.
Q. Had you a contract on south B street,
A. had one there; yes, sir.
@. What did that embraeei A. Grading,
paving and sewering. 80. ~
B street, A. Yes, sir.
Q. A brick pavement A. The sidewalks
were brick; yes, sir.
Q. Did you take up the brick that were al
ready therel A. did, sir.
Q. What did you do with themi A. A large
portion of them we put back on the Govern
ment side; on the property side we bought q
great many Of them from the property owners.
By Mr.; Wilson: Q. You mean the side next
10 the private pnnperty1 A. mean the side
next to the private property. ..
By the Chairman: Q. What did you do with
brick that you took from the Government prop
erty and did not relay therei A. We took in
the neighborhood Of thirty thousand brick on F
street. had F street contract at that time:
paving brick were very hard to get at that
time; wanted to finish that contract, and we
about thirty thousand brick, from
twenty-five thousand to thirty thousand, as
near as can get at II, on street.
Q. Were they paid for by you, or deducted
from your account A. They have been: YES,
sir, It has been deducted from my account;
they were taken at that time, and the property
clerk wanted to know where / was taking the
brick; told him that had to take them, and
Would return them, which did; took them
and returned them, and they were charged to
mt aeconut.
Q. These workingmen who have been en-
ployed by you have made some complaint to
this committee with reference to your conduct
toward them; have you any explanation to
make about that; we have had some testimony
before US in regard to the treatment OF your
whom you owel A. What COM
plants have they madel
Q. That you did not pay them. A. That
originates from the B street contract, as well
Is 4 sweeping contract that had from the
board, which has never been fulfilled accord
ing to the Contract made with the board. Had
the payments been made sceording to the
terms Of the sweeping. s9pHast which The
majority Of the claims Of these men eomp mprlsed
there would have been sufficient money 10
have paid the men. The board not having the
money, they bad no money to pay me, but paid
me In Certificates and acceptanees, which they
could hot Bay. 4acs- erev~
Q. Is the Board Of Public Works still In debt
to youl A. Yes, sir.
6, How mTchl A. cannot tell you until
refar 70 my books.
o. Do you know about how muchi A.
cannot tell you, sir; there is q great deal Of
work that still remains unmeasured applying
to this one contract that refer to, which would
have been sufficient and ample to have paid all
these men: 1t was a contract that was taken
under percentage. which was to have been
paid in cash, monthly, at the net cost of the
work, with Is per cent. added over and above
that.
Q. That was the original contract A. That
was the contract made with the board, for
which they paid me with auditors certificates,
acceptsnees. frealized the best
could out of them, and paid the men as far as
the money went. -- rHr> ---,.
Q. Have you purchased any property in this
cityl A. Not myself; purchased q piece Of
properly from Mr.. Shepherd for my wife.
Q. How did you pay for It'll A. paid for 1t
In certificates. -..
Q. Arising from this work. A. No, sir; that
is money that used OF hers. 1 paid in certif-
Gates.
Q. Paid her back in certifcatesi A. Yes,
sir.
Q. And out of the proceeds she purchased
this housei A. Yes, sir. ..-......
Q. Have you received any money from the
Board of Public Works recentlyl A. No, sir.
@. Or any eertifcatesi A. No, sir.
Q. What Is the date of the last certificate
you received from the Board Of Public Worksi
A. Well, 1 am unable to tell you that now,
without referring to the books.
@. State about the date; have you received
any csrtincates from the Board Of Public Works
sihse Sot gave this order to the workingmen !
A. No, sir.
@. No certihcatesl A. None whatever.
@. And no moneyi A. No money.
q. Have you been paid the amount of that
order, or 10 1t still subsistIng against the boardi
A. have hot been paid that Amount.
@. II Is stiil thdIe TO the credit Of the work
ingmen II they 90 desire it. You gave an order
TO those workinemen amounting to about
. naNn a ~ - 80 n - n