Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-09
The Pacific Mail Inariry.
TESTIMONY BEFORE THE COMMITTEES

DAY.
The Pacific Mail inquiry was resumed this
morning by Tie Committee of WAYS and
Means.
ER. ALERT WAS RECALLED
and requested permission 10 have time TO go
tO Baltimore and consult with Hon RayerIy
johnson, whom he thought he could infiu-
ence TO change his previous opinion in a
manner which would admit OF his giving teS-
timOny without restraint Under the opinion
as IL now stands his friends thought his
mouth WAS sealed. He stated. however. that
il the COMMITTEES would secure an order from
the House directing him TO answer, he would
disclose the names of those 10 whom ne dis
trlbuted money upon the order OF Irwin in
Washington.
MR.. DAWES EXPLAINED
that the only course the committee cOuld
take would be- To report him as in contempt,
and then the House would take such action
as il saw ut.
BY Mr.. Dawes: Mr.. Albert. you have speci-
fed that you have received IN this city from
Richard B. Irwin the sum of $4,000, OF this
sum you deposited to his credit SIS, 500; the
balance you disburSed to his order and rep
dercd him an account of your payments; that
you received "A list of persons to whom YOU
paid 100000 Oh his order, and also that you
deposited TO your own credit about $1,000.
Now will you give us the names of the per
sons TO whom you made payments out of the
slO6.JOO accounting TO the direction Of Mr..
Irwin?
A. We now arrive al that point at which
/ previously declined tO make anSwel. and
as AT present ADVISED. 4 sun decline. unless
the House orders me to disclose the names.
q. Give us the names OF the persons who
introduced you to the persons 10 whom You
made disbursement.
a. 1t comes under the other question. and
AZ at present advised decline to answer.
The committee stated TO witness that if he
desired he might come in and give his an
SWerS TO the questions on Monday morning,
otherwise the committee would report him
to the House as in cont empt for such action
as they might see I'll TO take.
HON. J. q. sCHUMAKER WAS RECALLED.
He said since yesterday he had received
permission from some OF his clients % dis
close some matters which he had yesterday
declined To do. He then read statement To
the effect that on the 2>th OF May. 1S14. Irwin
gave him a check for SSJ.C-J on the Ameri-
can Exchange, in New York, signed by him
self. He was directed by his clients 10 break
IL up in small checks; this he did. He left
his office, No. IL, William street. New York,
alone, went TO the Office Of the Brooklyn
Trust company alone, and gave directions
how the check should be broken up accord
ing TO the instructions Of his clients, and he
did not see Colonel King while at the t.uSt
cOmpany's office He did not get the check
broken up at the American Exchange bank.
because he could not get 1t certified thee,
the assistant cashier declining 10 take the
responsibility la the absence Of the caShiei.
The check was broken up in three checks OF
S50O 600 each, which he gave directions should
be returned TO the Pacific Mail Steamship
company: OF the SZi5,C3O received 10y him
rom Irwin
NR. SCHUMAKER ACCOUNTS FOR 1T IN THIS
WISE.
Three checks amounting to $1,000 were
returned TO the Pacific Mail Steamship com
pany. BY mistake the Brooklyn Trust CON
pany passed to his credit SI25,0bD. Tai,
amount was broken up in additiO lal smaller
checks, and returned TO the company, with
the exception of about S11,0)0, which he re
tanned for his expenses and Zee as attorney.
Fifty thousand dollars of the amount wit
ness explained i'm this wise: When the sub
Sidy passed Congress, Irwin, who had been
WASHINGTON
left for San Francisco, leaving no agent i'm
this city. AS a consequence the home office
IN New 1ork was oesleged by appllcants Tor
money for services which Irwin had en-
ployed. One day one OF the officers of the Pa
cif1c Mail Steamship company came TO his
office in New York and represented TO him
that the Washington clients were hunting
down the New York office. Handing him a
check for S5O.0OO. which was one of those re-
turned by the Brooklyn Trust company to
the Pacific Mail Steamship company, he di-
rected him To pay it as one Lyman Fillmore "A
pTacticing attorney in New York city, should
direct. Witness reluctantly accepted this
service. He called at EllmOTe's Office in New
York city, and aScertained that he was in
Washington. He took the train and came
TO this city, and found Gilmore at an Office
he had established OH r street, near 18th. He
handed him the check, and Gilmore said, Il
can't get il caShed; l mUst have the money"
Whereupon witness called on JIG. c. Kennedy
toidentify him, and he got the check caShed
at Riggs Co.'S bank in large bank note
bills. He returned 10 EllmOre's office, where
Gilmore directed him To pay the money 10
one General Smith, which he did. He took
no receipt, as he was instructed not TO do so.
Witness said he could not describe Smith.
He thought when Gilmore INTRODUCED the
man by that name il was fictitious. He did
not know Giles \. Smith or General Morgan
l.. Smith, deceased. The man Smith was n
gOOd-lOOking mai, not stout nor slender. He
could not remember whether he had a beard
or not. or its color, but he thought he had a
muStache. With reference to the other checks.
they were destroyed at the office of the Pa
cltlc Mail steamship company i'm February,
1873. Witness did not know why, but since
think because Of the investigation which was
ordered by Congress i'm that month and year.
He is sorry he destroyed them. The checks
which were paid at Jay Cooke & Co.'S in this
city he never saw since the day he had the
whole amount of the S275.OO0 broken up; and
that all the broken checks were drawn TO his
(witness) order and were endorsed by him be-
fore the bank returned them TO the Pacific
Mail steamship company.
The witness was still being examined when
our report clOSee.