The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-06-04
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.
Examination Of District Attorney BeckWitl'

Examination Of DISTRICT Attorney DechNHH
Chairman Gibson having yesterday
announced that an important witness
summoned to appear before the com
mittee could not do SO before night, the
committee adjourned TO o'clock last
night. II was subsequently ascertained
that the witness alluded to was no less
than
j. Il. BrCKWlTH,
the United States District Attorney, the
result being crowded room. Mr..
! Becllwith upon being sworn. stated that
he was appointed in 1870 to succeed
Alonzo i. Long, who had committed
! suicide since his appointment. MIR.
| GtIrley has been his assistant, and also
| Mr.. Hutchinson for short period. Mr..
Gurley was in the office before witness;
he earns u salary of $1,000 Mr.. Hutch
inson was appointed special attorney at
n salary OF $25OO. TO investigate ware
! house eases. etc. the suits by him were
never tried, lie was very long getting
them at issue Mr.. Gurley attends 10
the correspondence of the office. land
cases, pleadings III certain matters. but
rarely, il ever, attends to the tilal OIL
! cases,
POsrOFFfCE FRAUDS.
| Witness states that he has some re-
mcmbrance Of the Postoi1ice frauds, but
could not positively state the amount of
the dcfalcations A certain party by the
name Of Hays seized the Postoltice: (:
! Lo,rpH. ,rho lrds inflicted rs q defdu|fer,
or somebody else. was allowed to take
! from the vault and carry away the most
/ important papers. SO that there was but
very little data left to establish the
amount of the cemhczzlement. which was
averred in the indictment to be about
| 1G.oOO: this referred particularly to the
money order department. A civil action
on the bond was instituted, does not
remember whether it reached Judge
ment but it was afterwards compromised
in Washington Messrs. Jno. W. Mad
den and Geo. f. Brott were among the
hondsmen. More money was recovered
through n compromise than could have
been collected 10y eXecutinga Judgment
| The indictment against Lowell Is still
pending the iHtGTeatttW IN the courts
! prevented these matters being pushed.
| Lowel's friends held that the compro-
mise effected guashed the indictment.
| Witness is Of different opinion.
Judgment was obtained against Post
master Taliaferro. His father compro-
missed his share of the bond Judgment
stands against the other boudsmen
| The criminal suit was not pushed, Ialia-
fcrro being dcranged in mind.
THE SUGAR CAsEs
dated before witness took charge Of his
Office. There may have been some un-
collected Judgment ON these and the
wine eases when he was inducted into
office. but he has no recollection OF the
matter.
GRANT TAEIsu CASE.
In the Grant parish case thore were
some scventy-tiye parties indicted. OF
which seven or eight were brought to
trial. The first trial was a mistrial the
second one resulted III the conviction OF
three of the accused. The jury was at
that time selected by two freeholders
selected by the court. it is now selected
by jury commissioners appointed at
each term of the court, ana drawn in
conformity with the State law for the
parish of Orleans. Witness knows OF
no secret docket. save that papers are
withheld from the public until after the
arrest of indicted party. Witness never
his assistant. IT," "affSnRddlIg afffEsnRd Jury. Mr. Gurley,
of the work. Was not before the EfHRH
Jury who investigated the Durell.
Norton matter: has heard that Durell
had information that the Grand Jury
was about to indct Norton before he
ulSCudiSeu IL. JIdS hUON u SuibilGS Aldl-
borne for years: was Clerk of the Dis
trct Court from its reorganization
during the war to the time Of his flight
was for some time clerk of both courts
he had fled the country before his defal-
cation was known. his bond was for
$1,000. and is worthless: his embezzle-
ment amounted to over S30. 900 there is
an indictment pending against him.
There is al action against Mr., J. II.
| Oglesby. who has been jury Commits
sionor since 1872, had his case reached
trial it would have been submitted to a
Jury selected by.him
Cross-exalnined on the
SUGAR FRAUDS.
Witness stated that at the time he
went into office there were some in
dietments pending against different
parties; that they were disposed of in
all sorts of ways: in the case of Clark
| don't think the indictments were
good at all events the case was Roio
proSed by order of the authorities at
Washington. Clark having given infor-
nation Of frauds in the Memphis Gus
tomhousc.
Witness never advised the compro-
mise in the Lowell ease.
In the whisky case two suits had been
disposed of by nolie proSeptj- G. w.
| WeliS. III eHe hcnueISoi tdSe, hectuSe
he did not want him acquitted and the
evidence was no stronger than in the
Fahrenback case, wherein he was found
not guilty.
After the conclusion of Mr.. Beck
with's testimony, the Committee ad-
journed to this morning.
During the day Messrs. Vance and
Woodburn. of the Coushatta Commit
tee. examined one witness from that
section. These gentlemen leave to-
night for Rod River.
A trip to the jetties was contemplated
for to-day, but the idea was subsequent
| " abandoned.
The Congressional Committee.
The committee was occupied Saturday
morning in arranging and chasing doc
umentary evidence, and will not eX-
u ~ inc Wit nnssns 1ni IL MnnlaAr ut