The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-07-04
THE CLINTON CASE.
Fifth Day.


Fifth Day.
The crowd In the Superior District Court was
not as large Saturday morning as on preceding
days Of the trial The rain probably had some
thing to do with it, but there was enough OF the
general public in attendance to show that intesest
IN the case had not abated.
Judge Hawkins assembled the bench at shout
Has, and the case Immediately opened.
No: Frank H. WilsoQ was the first witness
was clerk in 1873. attend generally the fur
nishing of the stationery to- the Legislature. l
attended to it in 1878. I furnished paper, etc
for which acquisitions were made. The Serge mt
alarms made the requlsltlons' "a tnas session
Quinn was Sergeant-at-Arms. think that q. O.
Haley at the opening of the Legislature that
year furnished the stationery. / delivered sta
tionery, brooms. brushes, desks and the like
anything for which there wac requistion.
i never knew j. W. Armstrong. l. never saw
him that know Of. i was in attendance on the
Legislature every day, and il any other house but
ours and Haley had furnished stationery would
have known it. was raised in this city, and for
wears have been familiar with persons who had
OF ]. w. Armstrong until this investig alton.
Witness was here shown the Armstrong war
rant. He said: never saw it, before. I re-
cognize the signatures Of Mathews and Devices.
Cross-eran,ined--There was clerk who kept
the accounts of the Committee on Contingent
Expenses. I have seen the book in which these
socounts were kept in the rooms of the commit.
tee. Do not know whether or not this warrant
was entered in the book. Mr.. George was the
clerk.
Re-direa-I never had occasion to make an
examination Of the books, and never did it.
Lpshus-I was clerk OF the committee Of 1873
to examine the books of the Auditor. l worked
twelve days in the Auditors office. The vouchers
for contingent expenses were furnished me, and
copied every voucher for the regular and extra
session, and Of the session OF 1872. / took the
numbers OF the warrants, and to whom they
were issued. Witness held q book This book
contains record OF all the vouchers I copied.
l copied all that were given, and know OF no
others that were issued. rs
made the examination, think, January, 1874.
have copy OF the list OF vouchers taken from
my book. Witness presented . copy of the re-
cord in book and youched foriit.l -.
The Attorney General offered it to prove that
no voucher for the Armstrong warrant was shown
to witness.
The Committee on Contingent Expenses added
thirty per cent to the vouch4 RS for mileage and
per diem and employees OF the Legislature. l
was particular in this matter, because the Audi
tor disputed the payment Of the thirty per cent.
Witness presented another paper on the call Of
the Attorney General; also copy OF record IN
his book He said it was list OF vouchers,
whose legality was questio ed. Witness went on
to make statement in reference to it and Mr..
Semmes stopped him.
The Attorney General said that he proposed to
l0tfCQuC6 LQ0 paper TO SNOW, HIST, by bnls anu
other papers, that there never was voucher for
the Armstrong warrant, or il there was. it
was fraudulent: and second, that the Auditor
knew through the investigation Of the committee
that there were fraudulent vouchers out. MIR.
Semmes objected.
The court susta ined the objections saying that
this was an inquisition into the Auditors Of
fee, and it could be reached only by criminal
investigation. 4.
The Attorney General said that he proposed to
Iran
voucher was issued, and that the Committee on
Contingent Expenses never authorized such a
voucher or had record Of it. We have shown
the'court that book was kept and that we can
not get it.
l. The Court-The book OF committee Is not q
public record.
The Attorney General know it, and want
to show by this witness what could prove by the
book If had it and could not introduce it.
Mr. Semmes-There was aispeciic appropria-
ton. ai.1a
Col. Field-Where do you find specific appro-
priation? There was an appropriation to pay all
current expenses. 4
The Court-That is question of law.
Mr.. Semmes-Yes. That is question OF law.
Col. Field offer this list for the purpose Of
showing that. it was list furnished by the Com
mittee OF the House of Representatives upon
Contingent Expenses for the year 1873 to per.
sons to whom vouchers had been issued, and
that no such voucher as the one in contest, is
that list. SSH IA aa.a1'#aT
Objected to on the ground that the books
themselves were the best evidence. Objection
sustained. 44
Witness stated that the papers we're list of
the vouchers to be found in the Auditors Office.
Mr.. Semmes said that being the case, he would
withdraw his objections, and the exceptions were
stricken out Of the record, and the paper intro
duced. #isett-a raatf "a p'
! Witness was shown the Armstrong warrant.
He said I never saw it before there was no
voucher for it. There was no voucher as high .
that. The Committee on Contingent Expenses
refused to furnish nae with their books.
The amount paid ont for the extra session OF
1873 was $50, 1874 rs. The amount paid out for
the regular session was $l47, O64 80. got a
statement of the books of the Committee on Con-
tingent Expenses from Mr. Mathews. made
demand for the books in the name OF the COM
threatened to bring him before the House he
gave me balance sheet, Witness identified q
paper as the balances sheet spoken OF, and the At
torney General ofere d it in evidence.
The Endorsement on the voucher, ). W: Arm
strong, is dir guised, but it looks to me like the
writing of O. Nv. Lowell, Speaker OF the House.
could not be certain. but 1t looks like it.
A. Lmia-I am Ca shier of the First National
Bank. am familiar with writing. was showa
the voucher. do not think the signature OF j.
W. Matthews and the writing in the body Of the
voucher are similar. Was shown's Lowells sig-
nature and stated that there was no simllarlt
between it and the writing on the voucher. Inc
Endorsement on the voucher 10 not IN the same
handwriting as the Endorsement on the warrants.
Cross Examined - Referring to q lot OF the
Pinckney Smith warrants. The bank held the
vouchers for the warrants. Mr.. Benham came
to the bank, one day in the spring OF 1874 ana
raid he Was going to have some vouchers funded,
and I delivered him these to have funded. The
vouchers were pledged by J. Iinckney smith Tor
loans. ,o., ~,
Re-direct-we got the vouchers 10 ISL; Never eve.
.,ara renewing the loans After delivering the
Wonchers to MI. Benham, never heard Of Them
again until August, 1874, when Benham brt ugh'
the warrant. * =;
Do not know where the vouchers between pc tne,l
were Never gave Benham any authority to sign
nv name or Mr. Oglesby's. Mr.. oglesby IN
strucsed me to deliver the vouchers to Benham