The New York herald., 1877-09-07
oney was paids A. am 0ndsr that impression |;

| money was paids A. am 0ndsr that impression;
| yos, Sir.
Q, Have you anything more than an impressions
| A. Only what heard at that time
O According TO your impression. where did that
+. Fowler, who was Postmaster at tina. time paid tho
money
O win you please state to the committee upon
| usedY A. Because Mr. Briggs told me SO.
q Is that all you know aboutu? A. Yes, sir: and
| knew what he said was To be done was done.
Y What was the proposition that was made. as you
| understood II, to voorhees, and what was doncP A.
present to elect these inspectors and Mr.. Voorhees,
10 he away, and he was away as Understood he
| would be. from the meeting
O. Then you say tnat was the beginning OF this
combinationt A. That was the arst combination /
| O. Was there any other combination In that Board
| OF supervisorss A. From that time 1t all COIN.
binaslon on every subject almost that came up
NOW, As To FINANCES
z With regard, now. 10 financial matters, did you
know OF any combinations A. In what regard TO
| q In any way in which the city treasury was ever
dsfraudei Of any moneys or any money paid TO The
| Board OF Supervisors or any member Of II ior any
Mir. Tweed consulted with Mr. Townsend Tor some
time and answercd:-we had nothing to do with the
| & We'll, the county treasury A. There wore com.
| O. VINO were ihe members Of tha. financial CON-
bnationf A. That kept changing SO don't know
| that could say who they were
Q When was that combination lrst formed and who
hrs, formed that comblnatony A. Myself, John X
Briggs and Waiter Roche can't say any further for
can't recoilect who lney were 1T this time; II had
the records Of the Board OF supervisors could tell
can't tell except by that; the names Kept changing all
the time; gvo the records OF the Board iron 1851
| TO 1870. inclusive and will tell
The records son; Tor and handed TO the witness
| aud his counsel
O. Now tell 10 the first formation oil the super
visors Ringg A. That ! can't toll; think 1t was
1852 but um not certain don't know when that
law passed and that is the only data have; IL
the fall when that law was passed authorizing tho
Board OF Supervisors 10 appoint inspectors oil clecton
| think 1t passed in the winter OF 1882, and
think In the winter or spring OF 1883. January, Feb.
ruary, March, April or May 80 were Ars called upon
TO uc, and that the first formation the ring.
| O. VINO composed the ring ns first formcdy A.. All
the democratic members oil the Board OF Supervisors
and this gentleman from the r publican Ring; il
changed every year. however.
luxe year lsS9Y & a; think MI vo9shees r was &
in lS60 ne was or had boen defeated Tor -e.elcc-
| more Wiling TO act with the democrats
Q. Say 1853, who composed the ring IN lsa9f a. Ac-
cordlng to the record here Elijah T. Puriy, John X
Briggs, William G. Conner, Isaac Bell Jr, aud myself;
| that Is the first combination ever knew OF being
formed BY the Board Tor any purpose
O. Were you present a. any meeting Of these per-
sons who In this combination when the matters
oil the combination TO which you have referred
discussedy A. was present and | think every one
| was present, except Mr. Bell and Voorhees,; / never
met Voorhees, IN connection with this matter; all
know about nim is from Mr.. Briggs. but the subss
quent conduc. OF voorhees, was same as Briggs
told me II would be- and. therefore. presume IL was
as ne told me.
Q. What was tho substance Of what was said in any
OF these meetings. A. There was only one meeting
held, which held Briggs house, Fifteenth
| street; We were all very anxious about the appoint
ment OF Inspectors OF election and Dir. Briggs stated
that Tor certain amount he could secure The absence
| OF the republican Supervisor from the meeting nc
was authorized tC on aud DO II and tue money would
be forthcoming; while We were IN session Isaac +.
| Fowler drove up and said whatever arrangement was
| mado no would SEQ inat 1t was carried OUT Fowler
was then Postmaster.
was authorized to have Voornecs stay away from that
meeting; the meeting was held according to tho
statute aud Voorhees, did stay away.
q Now, with regard TO tho money ocng raised?
| A. know nothing more about that tEau what Briggs
told me aud what Fowler stated at that meeting.
q Passing that now and referring TO any combina
| lion any acts OF this Ring whereby the county
treasury - A. Tint was tho end OF the Ring, il
that was Ring
JOHN H. BRIGGS, MYSELF AND ROCHE
Q, BY Rug mean u combination OF men to accom-
pl;sh any improper thing. Now was there any other
combination of members OF The Board OF Supervisors
while you were member Of II A. There was; John
r. Briggs, myself and Roche went together for every
@ Did you three agree to do any acts whereby
money WAS improperly deiraudcd from tho treasury
OF the county? A. We did.
O. Aud received by you or any Of yous A. We did.
M ov VAS now a
glnatey a. Briggs, Roche and myself n. used 70
street; We were all members OF the various CON-
mittces by which bills wero PASSED, and We knew the
bills before the diierent committees ana we agreed
when our three votes would not carry almost any
thing.
|
were known 10 you three to be improper bills? A.
We passed bills tina, were excessive IN amount
O. DID you have any understanding. you three, or
any Of you IN the claims u2ains, tue county
! treasury? A. In some instances some did or were
presumed to have, and ID some others l did myself
| O. How were these agreements with The claimants
made? A. Generally for u percentage off the bulls.
T. Persons who had claims against the county would
present them OF you thrce aud you would agree
tor percentage 10 do wh.tY A. Agree 10 pass them.
O. Uid auy other members ot the Board OF Super
vsors besides you three know OF the existence Of this
combination? A. Not during the year 1860
Y During that year you tAree were ths only ones in
that combinalions A. Wo three were the only ones
that know OF; my counsel suggests to me that you
conlno yourself to the different years
! O. In the next year, 1861, was thero similar
combination among any OF the members OF the Board
o. SUPERVISORY A. The same combination existed IN
T. And composed OF the same throe persons A.
| Tho same three
| Q In 1862 and this combination still cxistsg A. In
| 1852 It was the same; yes, sir.
q Composed of the Same persons? A. The same
parties.
@ And o. any one elscs A. No one else; l think
there one else in 1862
| O. Please satisfy yourself regard to that A. As
| far my memory goes think not, sir.
q In 1868 ad tne combination stin existy A. The
same IN 1853 think, sir
A. composed OF the same persons aud none others as
lar recollect; Henry smith was concerned in
| 1864.
WIDENING THE HAPPY CIRCLE
q In 1864 aid inc combination stiil exist? A. Yls,
sir, with the addition of Henry Smith
q As to 1865, the same combinationy A. The same
combination, with the addi.ion oil John Fox.
| O. Mr.. smith was still IN MI a. Yes, cir
L. As TO lsGGY a. la 1865 James Hayes was added
| u Composed oil the i've already mentioned aud
James Hayes! A. Yes, sir.
! o. In 1867 how 1t then? A. In 1867 / think 1t
the same.
q IL existed in 1867 and these SIX gentlemen CON-
posed Z A. The same gentlemen; yes, sir.
! q Well, now, TO 1867 A. The same parties, I
think; don't mink tner, was any cnange in 1865.
O. The as in 1867? A. 1 think 50.
| U In 1863, nov was II IN tnat Year, A. In 1869
Andrew J. Blakely and Isaac j. Oiiver were added,
although they dll not Know VIVA. was going on,
thcy knew the percentage, but they did not know
the whole oi what was going on.
O. What do you mean by saying that they did not
know whore vi what WIS gong on A. they did
! not Know what was passed and what was not; tney
only knew they got their percentage once IA awhile
O. Could they tell any bill that was not bona fdey A
I don think they could dcntiy them.
| O. How much did they Know US tar AS you kncwY A.
They knew tney voted WIN the vi GOT paid
! for IT,
| o. Who did they get their pay from? A. Sometimes
! from myself, sometimes from Mr. Smith und some