The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-03-02
DISTRICT lNlQUlTIES.
What the District Of Columbia unSc..
tiEntiuE Committee Are Einsiin,.

| OOus
Especial telegram to the Chicago Times
| WASHINGTON, Feb. 2S.-From present
appearances, the committee charged with
the investigation of frauds IN the District
| OF Columbia will have more startling
facts TO present than the famous Shcp-
nerd inquiry. Fact. are being extracted
from day to day tending to criminatc not
only cabinet ministers but the president
himself in some of the digraccfill real cs-
tate rObberies which have piled the debt
OF this district mountain high. t,cforc
| the Investigation gocs much further,
| President Grant will be summoned to
testify as to his knowledge and compile
| ity with these scauddlous transactions.
Shepherd and Murtaugh. the latter
owner of the NafwR RcpuJtican, the
kitchen organ of Grant, have strivcn 10
| discourage witncssc. and have even been
| known TO threaten mcmorialisis il they
| pushed things too ObuoNiously. Certain
men have been warned that they would
be driven from town if the Investigations
were made too deep aud too dangerous.
80 soon as the District committee was
formed, fifty OF the leading operators
| IN THE REAL ESTATE roof
and ring robberics made a compact To fly
from the city for a vacation. Everything
was made ready, when the clcrl, of the
committee, one Michael. who had been
watching, served notice on the principal
cscapcrs. and blocked the game. They
plead Illness and the necessity of Calitor-
MIA for their health, and produced medi-
| cal certificates. In one case, a doctor
| giving one Of these was summoned he
| fore the committee and was Obliged TO
confess the subtcriugc. I'm other eases
| brides to the amount of 81 900 were of
fered TO the sergeant-at-arms to refrain
from serving the summons. The tpstI-
mony ELECTED j. of most extraordinary
nature. The robbcrics carried ON
by Tweed and his coordinate vii.
| lains We're not n whit more shame.
less, and by some curious fatality
Grants chici friends, socially and poit-
ically. figure always a. leading spirits in
the division OF the spoils. The eNannl.
tons are held IN secret, but some points
are leaking out. The pool consisted of a
secret combination OF Spectators. in
GLIDING Hallct kilbourn and hi, part
ncrs, James NJ. latta and John +. Ohm.
sted, who appeared Oh the record as pur-
chascrS. but, under a ross-cXaminaiion.
they admitted that they were trustees
for partie, whose names they persist
emily refused 10 disclose. Their pur-
chascs were OF large numbers OF lots in
the northwest quarter Of the city, and
were
LARGELY ENHANCED IN VALUE
BY the improvements made by the old
Shepherd board of public works. The
price paid for them aggregated over
500, 900, and as kilburn, Latta, and Ohm
sted were known TO possess no such re-
sources, the inference was that they
acted with members OF tie board and
other influential cOntcderatcs OF the dis
trict ring in u scheme 10 use the public
money and the power OF high official 20.
sitlon 10 raise the value of their prop
erty. The extreme secrecy whcrcwith
the operations were conducted, so far rs
the names OF those interested were con-
ccrned, strengthened this inference.
and the leader, OF the people of
the district were led by the fact. which
came TO their knowledge to suspect that
the pool was the means whereby leading
members OF congress were enabled TO
quietly share the profits OF the jobbcrv
and oppres which characterized the
manage Of affairs. In short, that
the real estate pool was the credit mobil.
lier Of the district ring. the profits on
lots being placed where they would do
the most good. Henry II. Cooke /.
known 10 have been connected with the
combination. and his branch of jaw
Cooke Il CO. advanced considerable mon.
ey 20 kilbourn and Laita for use In buy
iug the real estate. Il {. also KNOWN
a, telegraphed last Wednesday. that
the funds RENTED by the navy dc.
partmeut 10
JAY COOKE, MVuLLOCH co.,,
Of London. from $50 to l>73. were
largely deposited with the Washington
branch for remittance 20 London. and il
j. strongly suspected that part Of these
public funds were the sum. used by
kllbourn and Latta and appearing TO be
borrowed from Cooke d 90. When the
trustee Of the Jay Cooke estate sued XII
born al the Instance Of the creditors. for
large amount Appearing to DC advanced
10 him by the firm, IL was expected that
tho proceedings would force disclosures
Of names, but kilbourn offered to settle
at $40, 900. which was much below the
amount due. and thi. offer. 10 the sur
prise and Indignation Of the creditors
the trustee accepted. Since then the mat
ter ha' remained quiet, bnt the commit
tee lately appointed by the house have
subpoenaed kilbourn, Iatta aud Olmstcd
directing them TO produce all papers re-
lating TO the subject. They will also
have occasion TO inquire into the advance
OF public money by Robeson to enable
Jay Cooke, McCulloch q Co.. to sci up
business in London, and 10 save them
from falling in 1873.