Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-06
rhe Alleged Fraudulent Pay Roll.
TIE TEsrIMoNY YESTERDAY.


ment. and Messrs. w. A. Cook and A. q.
Riddle for the defendant.
II. VGa, late secretary TO the Board Of
Audit, TESTIFIED that he sent letter to the
Controller Of the District, stating that the
amount due w. w. Waters was g, l2T O4.
This was done because the District Commits
sioners desired TO pay TO the laoorers of con-
tractors the amount of the Congressional an.
preparation of $4,000. This certificate was
based upon statement by the accounting
officer OF the Board OF Audit, Mr.. Watson. II
was found afterwards that this amount was
not due Waters.
FuzIiuGh C6yle, Controller of the District
stated that such papers {as the one testified
to by the former Witness came to his Office,
but he had no special recollection OF il. Root
b. Gill was clerk in the Office, and such
papers might have gone drought his hands,
but would ordinarily have gone directly to
The auditor Pay roll contain ing names of
John Hume, John Smith, s. IL. King, James
Coleman and Charles johnson was sub
mitted.J Warrants for three respective
amounts on the roll were drawn, aud were
delivered 10 Guy II. Thompson: did not de-
i lHer them I'm person; they Wee delivered by
DIS CLERK Mr.. COvtngtOn. Witness ideati-
fed The powers of attorney The Do Eers
were fled before the issuing OF the warrants
Is not sure that Gill was employed ia his
ONCE when the paper from Mr.. Vail was re-
ce1Ved; the paper would not ne cesSarily 90
through Gill'snands.
WUioHi COyi99fosl, clerk or the CONTROL er's
office, testified that the payroll came 10 the
Office from the auditor; Thompson fled tue
powers OF attorney; Robert B. Gin was the
controllers
through whose hands the payroll would 90:
GIL was discharged aboUt the 18th of No
yember; be was, however, at the Office very
frequently after that time; Thompson was
that time as claim agent, and had the conf
dence Of the controller and witness.
George 4. Myers, clerk in the District an
ditOf's office, testified that Guy III. Thomp-
son filed The payroll in question in the a1-
CitOr's office on the Goth OF December, 1874.
II. ". UdteTs testified that ne was con-
u
and others were connected with him; drew
sll the money due him about the month of
November; IL was reported to him by Mr..
Gil that balance was due him; Gill called
at his house several times, and one morning
told him that he had thirtyfour hundred
dollars to his credit at the Board of Public
Works; witness laughed at GILL and said
there must have been some mistake; Gill
then asked him if he had a payroll; told
Gill no-he had paid Off all his men. Wit
ness was shown the payroll and did not
know anything about the names of parties
alleged to have been paid on the same: the
signature attached to IN as his was forgery:
had seen the paper before at the Police Court:
never acknowledged the paper before Mr.
LaZenby as notary public; in the presence
OF Mr.. Sargent, the detective, he asked Mr..
LaZenoy If he (witness) had ever acknow-
LEGGED any paper before him, and Mr.. La
Zenby said he wv had not; knew nothingof
Inc man whose name appeared on the pay
roll. On cross examination witness said
mat he had been informed OF the amount
being due him about October 6th; never
dSbtu tDdTIeS stewart IL ne knew any men
he could represent on his payroll.
a pay roll was presented by Mr.. Cook, and
witness said the writing looked like his. but
Mas not his; was up at Lazenby's Office in
November or December; the office was at
18Th and streets, not far from the Ebbitt
House; knew the locality of the Office by
seeing his sign out; did not go from the Office
10 the tbbltt House with others TO take
drink; Thompson knew his hand writing,
but not before November or December: could
not say whether LaZenby and Luckett knew
moi hos
or three years; never knew Gill until he
called at his house.
=: w. DTaicy, time keeper under the con-
tractor in question, testified that no such
men were employed as mentioned on the
ever.
General Ba!loeh testified that he received
the drafts from the hands of THOMPSON
about 40 O'Clock in the afternoon.
Soaald y. NOyes testified that in the early
fall OF 1874 Waters came TO him and re-
quested him 10 attend TO the collecting of the
money due him by the Board of Public
WORKS, which was done; witness knew the
signature OF waters. The signature on the
pay roll was good resemblance of Waters
signature; would not swear whether it was
genuine or not
H.. J. BUHllab: Has been a collector since
lsIi; did not know any such person as j.
Hume; was then shown powers OF attorney)
Inc power OF attorney was handed him by
Mr.. Thompson, who said at the time he had
AIKEN the liberty OF drawing up the power of
attorney in his (witneaSO name, as he
tIhOmpsOnl had so many drawn up in his
name he did not like it to appear that he
bought all the pay on one roll; witness did
not object; took tie power OF attorney to the
controllers Office and Instructed the clerk to
hand the money 10 Mr.. Thompson.
j. #. n. Plant, notary public, testified that
The papers were drawn up before him lPlant)
IN his Office. Papers Were shown him, and
Identified as correct; Mr.. WilmUth occupied
an Office next TO witness in October and No
veInDer, 1874: LaZenby ard Thompson also
mad desks there; could not say whether
GeacTM WA. BiYney testified that Mr..
Thompson and friend called at his office
the day after the trial in the Police Court;
he said he had an explanation to make in
the case; that Mr.. Gill and he were in the
same business and were room mates; that
he IT. and Mr.. Gill had the pay-rolls signed
by Waters; that Waters had prepared the
rolls; three men had gone with MIN; Thomp-
SOD said he had signed the power of attorney
forC Johnson, but not the others. The power
OF attorney was shown witness, who satd he
noticed IL was made out for Charles Cole
man, and signed James Coleman; Mr..
Thompson explained this by saying il was a
mn M as II was drawn up IL hurry; Mr..
tired and conversed for about ten minutes;
he returned and said everything was right
end that Gin would endorse whatever
Thompson bad arranged to do; Mr.. Lazenby
called also afterward and complained; wit
ness told him he had made the recon- ,nenda-
tiOn-he was not TO blame; when the parties
appeared before him Thompson said there
were several men, ard thought one Of them
was a yellow man. Adjourned.
TO-DAY.
This morning the trial was resumed, and
Gen. BiTDey took the stand, and was SUBJ
iected 20 a cross-examination by Mr.. Riddle
as 20 Thompson and Lazenby calling on him,
during which both parties stated what con-
nectiOn they had with the papers. LaZenby
said that when he came To the Office from
the Treasury he found the parties awaiting
him, and took their acknowledgements.
George r. CO6ITn testified that on one of the
claims lSmith's) power OF attorney was
given to him by Thompson, and he re-
assigned IL TO Thompson. L. said his reason
for asking HIM CO. to appear as attorney,
was that the authorities might suspicion
from his (T.'s) name being on sOmany claims
that he was gougiDg the laborers.
Nr. WdteTS was recalled, and cross-eX-
smined as to having admitted that he could
not lecollect signing the payroll. He said
that he had no recollection OF any converse
ton in which he made suchsadmission, nor
OF having said to Stewart that he wished TO
get men to put on his roll. Witness never
received from Guy Thompson any money,
nor did he pay a bill OF Lansburg's in De-
eember out of such money 10 Wilmuth. Wit
ness paid the money To Wilmuth out of mo-
ney he had in his pocket, some Sis. Witness
don't recollect lending Thompson So on that
day. at L2Osburg's store or elsewhere. l.. re-