The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-15
THE KNAVY DEPARTMENT.
RObesOn's RObberies.
$50 600 Divide RObesOn One Of TbOs'
Fellows who Knows How to
Manage Things.
THE OLD "eovERNoR !" CLAIM.

by telegraph TO the N. Y. TribuneJ
WASHINGTON, March THE last act
of the House this afternoon was to or
der into custody u rec'isant witness,
who refused to answer questions put to
him by the House Committee on Naval
Affairs, who have reopened the investi-
cation Of the old Governor claim.
examined during the XIII Congress by
q special committee, OF which Austin
Blair, Of Michigan, was chairman. Mr.
Blair reported that the river steamer
Governor was chartered Of G. l.. Litch-
field in October, 1861, by Commodore
Dupont for voyages from Hampton
Roads to such ports as might be desig-
mated.
The steamer had been built in 1876,
and was therefore fifteen years old ut
the time it was thus employed. The
terms of the contract were that the party
of tho first part-the Government
should pay for the use OF the steamer
$7500 for the first month and $500 for
each subsequent month. The owners
were to keep the vessel tight, stanch
and strong, and the officers and crew
we're to be paid by the Government.
There was no agreement that she was to
be employed upon rivers alone, but, on
the contrary, she was to &C to any ports
designated. The only agreement as to
insurance Of her safety was contained in
the following extract from the charter
party:
"It Is further agreed that II the said
vessel be captured, destroyed or dam
aged by an enemy, or run ashore by
order OF the party Of the first part, or
otherwise injured in obeying any order
OF the party Of the first part, the owners
shall be indemnified for all such loss or
damage; but all other loss or damage
TO the said vessel from other causes
than those above specified, shall be
borne by the party OF the second part.
The steamer was lost in IL storm. She
was ordered to sea. Her commander
protested against going, and being "a
river steamer she was swalnped. In
other words. she was lost on just such
voyage as she was employed to make;
but the question was raised whether the
ordering to sea was the kind OF On order
she was to be indemnifled against. Mr..
Blair held that IL was not, since the or
ders named related exclusively to the
dangers of war, and not to those Of the
sea. She was lost because she was not
seaworthy, and this was the fault Of her
owners, who were to keep her SO, and
not of the Government.
After the present Secretary OF the
Navy was appointed, the law firm OF
Chipman, Hosmer IL Co., representing
q claim for the valuo Of the steamer,
which after consideration was rejected
by the Secretary of the Navy. The at
torneys wrote to their clients In Port
land, Me-, that the claim was rejected,
and that there was very little hope for
it. Soon after this, s. p. Brown, Of this
city, q favOrite contractor with the
Navy Department and friend of the
claimants in the case, happened to be
in Portland, and ut once undertook to
assist them in getting payment. He
suggested The employment Of Simeon
Johnson, as attorney, and also
advised that William M. Evarts be en-
ployed to write an opinion In the case.
Secretary Robson granted q rohearing,
and latter much consideration, as he
himself testified, was constrained to
change his first opinion. The sum al-
Chipman, Hosmer Il Co. received half
Of this sum, 5000, out OF which they
paid Mr.. Evarts. Simeon johnson, and
Mr.. s. Z. Brown. Mr.. Brown admitted
that he received 5000. After the fees
Of Chapman, Hosmer u Go. were paid,
$4,000 was still left in the hands Of
Simeon Johnson, now dead. What be-
came of this money the Blair commit
tee was unable to learn. Mr.. Blair, in
closing his report, gave 1t as his opinion
that the claim was improvidently allow
ed by the Secretary OF tho Navy.
In the course Of its investigation the
Naval Committee OF the present House
took up the investigation OF this old
at the time Of its payment bookkeeper.
Wolff was in Browns office when the
$4,000 was received and saw it taken to
O back room by Brown, accompanied by
Hosmer and ex-senator Cattell, OF New
Jersey. Soon after, he said, he saw
them come out feeling we'll, and he
thought that the money had been
divided, although he did not know it,
When the committee asked him II he
had ever taken any money from Brown
to any officer OF the Navy Department
he refused to answer. He also refused
to answer tho question whether he
knew OF the payment Of any percent
ages to officers OF the navy or the de-
partment for furthering the interests Of
s. p. Brown Il Co. The House, without
dissenting voice. ordered his arrest,
and he will probably be arraigned in
ing that Wolff informed the Sergeant
alarms, after his arrest, that he will
answer the questions in the morning.
robson ROBBERIEs.
From the New York Sunl
Secor Robson Is much more willy
scoundrel than Belknap. He is not one
Of the officials to whom Cameron's re-
mark applies, that ''those inexperienced
fellows don't know how to manage these
things" Even Simon Cameron couldn't
teach him tricks, but might, indeed,
even learn some from him. Robson s
proficiency In addition, division and ST.
fence is not 80 much due to training as
to positive genius. He has no Marshes
about to squeal on him. Some time he
stopped the gifts OF camels hair shawls
from old iron and timber men, giving
them to undergtand that he would
attend to all that sort OF business him.
self Prudence and public opinion re-
auired that there should be no display
OF gifts. Robeson Is sort OF man who
keeps his own books, and as 1t Ia said
that he doesn't eat and drink rs much
as he did, his head Is probably clear and
his eye keen to watch his tracks and see
that they are well covered.
But Secor Robson, clever as he Is at
knavery, has been In too many jobs TO
have kept them all concealed. From
almost his first appearance at the Navy
| Department until now, he has been put
ting up jobs for the benefit OF contract
ors, with divvies, OF course, TO himself
John Roach alone has been given mil.
/ Itxra for Hcin0 yrff1rIu