Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-06-08
The Instigators Investigated.
The Democratic Speaker Of the
House OF Representatives in
Trouble.

Trouble.
From Washington Republican May 80.
There was most extraordinary scene yes
terday in the Committee-room on Expendi
lures in the War Department Besides tn
committee there were Messrs. Morrison, Kerr
Springer, Scott, Lord, R. Z. Elliott and th'
witness, Lawrence Haney. The COMMITTEES
met at 10 o'clock, and the room filled almos
Immediately. 1t was q question whether o.
or not the stories were true in regard to thu
alleged payments to speaker Kerr OF som'
$500 to 5000 for the appointment of mar
by the name of Augustus P. Green to a frs
lieutenancy in the army.
1t appears substantially from the testimony
that about six weeks ago Speaker Kerr got an
anonymous letter, which he gave or sent te
his attorney in New York. Mr.. Sidney Web
ster, a lawyer and son-in-law of Secretary
Fish, No 80 Nassau street. 1t purported to
come from somebody connected with the
Custom house, and Mr. Webster selected Mr..
]. Moore, an employee of the New York Gus
tom-house, and an editor of the New York
World, to 60 and see where the thing origin
ated. Mr.. Moore took a copy of the letter to
Mr.. Harney, who was assistant appraiser, or
something of that sort in the appraisers Office,
under Hon. William. A. Darling. The letter
was regarded by Mr.. Kerr as a sort of black
mailing affair, because it is said that the
writer, Mr.. Green, had no desire to go before
the committee of investigation.
Mr.. Kerr's first impulse was to leave the
chair and go upon the floor and ask thorough
investigation of the affair, but was prevailed
friends to take the course he has adopted.
According to Harney's testimony he (Harney)
was met in 1856 by man named Green, who
wanted an appointment as lieutenant in the
army. Harney solicited the influence of sew
eral members of Congress, but learned some
how or other that there was only one vacancy
in the appointment of such officers, and that
that appointment was controlled by Mr.. Kerr,
then Democratic member of Congress on the
minority side. He went to Mr.. Kerr three
times at his residence on Missouri avenue and
saw Mr.. Kerr, and called three or four times
at the Capitol and asked him for Green's ap-
pointment.
He says Green came to see him, and he did
not seek Green, but that Green seemed to un-
derstand, upon Harneys advice, that he would
be obliged to pay for the appointment, and
handed Hsrney $500; but before he went
away he told Harney that he had ten dollars
more that he could pay for the appointment,
outside of the amount necessary to get him
home, and Harney says he himself put $40
more to it, which made up $45Q Harvey
says nat Kerr told him that the appointment,
if worth anything, was worth $500, and that
he handed him $3.50 in roll of bills This,
Harney says, was given to Kerr some time
after the bargain was made, and was pursuant
to regular bargain; that il was large roll of
bills, amounting to $3.50, which were, to his
recollection, about five, ten and twenty dol
lars each in amount.
He says that Mr.. Moore came to him some
time ago with letter, which he represented
to be copy of an anonymous letter to Mr..
Kerr, and that he (witness) then disclaimed
and now disclsims utter ignorance of it. Wit
ness said he had not the least idea who wrote
the letter, and that so far from coming here as
q volunteer witness, tried his very best to
keep away; that the very agitation of the
subject had made him sick and confined to his
house. He would not have come, only that
he feared arrest, and that he avoided every
body who wanted to question him in the mat
ter. The only way the matter had ever got
out through him was, that the newspapers of
New York had abused him because he was a |
friend of Mr.. Darling, the appraiser, and be-
Avenue Savings Bank and the Third avenue |
railroad, had been prosecuted as Republican
IN positions of trust.
He said the newspapers of New York had |
aiken strong stand against him (witness) be- /
cause he was a Republican, and that he
ielt it his duty to offset the persecution the
Democrats seemed to have inaugurated against |
every Republican office-holder by telling what |
le knew about Mr.. Kerr in this transaction. |
The witness was quite emphatic in everything
he said, especially as regarded the main facts
n the matter, and interspersed his evidence
With melo-dranatic remarks that created q
sensation here, there and everywhere among
he crowd in the room. He is an Irishman,
md full of the native wit of his mother coun-
country, but he swore that this was the first
ime he had ever been on the witness stand,
md got in number of his answers good
leal more meat than his questioners wanted
o bring out.
1t was evident that Harney wanted to .ay
s little as possible, and for time it was
loubted whether he would be valuable wit.
less. But Mr.. Kerr, when the witness falter-
d, told him not to halt on account of any
PERSONAL friendship that might exist between
hem. Then Harney said he would tell the
whole truth, and made scene of great in
crest.
Mr. Elliott asked him if he did not takethe
money and put it in his own pocket.
Witness said he did, and then gave it to Mr..
Kerr, who put it in his pocket.
He was finally put to the close test on this
,oint, and asked whether he did not take the
money and keep it, and not give it to Mr..
Kerr.
Witness rose to his feet, and, with his right
land uplifted, said: Gas God is my judge,
lave told the truth, as have sworn before
We will have no more of this here, for paid
he money to Mr.. Kerr, and he knows it."
Witness looked Mr.. Kerr straight in the face
IS he said this.
Nobody wondered that Mr.. Kerr was there,
Or that he had his friend Colonel Morrison
with him as an adviser, or that he had Mr..