Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-03-30
The McGarrahan Investigation.

=; nts .oudy iOr continuation OF the hear
ing In the McIarrahan case.
MI. =. z. lngersoll, one of McGarrahan's
counsel was Frustrated with sudden attack
0ddd 0i pneumonia !n but the hearing was not post
senator Oglesby, chairman of the committee,
aGsed IN nus oiflc1al capacity to-day for the first
tlme tn .I since the McGarrahan case has been be-
lore the committee.
HENRY D. COOKE WITNESS.
henIy ID. Cooke. of Washington, testified
mat IN lSi61 he went to Monterey, Cal, and
knew Vicinte Gomez: he was the reputed
owner OF rancho in the San Juan regions !;
don't recollect positively the name Of the
rancne Icne Gomez me was reputed to own.
S.and 81, James d. MARI clerk in the Office of
tne y. .. supreme Court. He brought with
Hlm the records of the Supreme Court in the
Gomez case.
NOTION FOR PosTPONEMENT ovERRULED.
Ex senator Carpenter stated that it was de-
siIed luIther to crOSS-examine McGarrahan,
aDle to be present is the chief examiner on
the part of McGarrahan, he requested the
committee to adjourn until some other day
sop %en of MI tbs lhgersoll @ can be present Mr. viii
penIers motion: Senator OgleSby said that
while it would be far better for the case to
proceed IN regular order, yet as there is only
one day IN the week for the committee to
meet, he deemed 1t better for the hearing to
go on.
THE SUPREME COURT RECORD.
The witness identified the record of the
evidence: Mr.. Wilson read from the record rec
TO TO SHOW that no appeal had been taken from
Lne d1Strlctt To the supreme court of California.
Objection was made to the introduction of the
manuscript record, on the ground that the
record has been already published. The OBJ
celVed by the committee. with the under
standing that it was not to be printed a second
time.
DOCUMENTARY
n 10 n Strinf ,rt e ~
southern district court of California, on man
damuS OF the U. S. Supreme Court to show
eau cause sew why y an appeal should not be taken in
ine case OF Gomez were put in evidence. Mr..
Shaw offered, in evidence, a number of papers
from the records OF the Supreme Court which
ne DeleVed OF advantage to McGarrahan.
oyer W an hour was occupied in the introduction
or various certified papers bearing on the
DECISIONS OF the courts on the case A quantity
OF letters heretofore published in executive
documents OF the Senate from 1860 to 1868, were
introduced. These letters were taken from
the fles OF the offices of the Attorney General
and Secretary of the Interior, and had
bearing on the progress of McGarrahan's case
States.
At the conclusion of the indentfcation
OF court paper by the witness the committee
took recess until 80 p. m.
LETTER FROM JUDGE BLACK.
Mr: Shaw, of McGarrahan'S counsel. has Sc
cured letter, of which the following is copy,
which he intends to present TO the committee
The tallegO grant referred to is the celebrated
fHSble rancho case. the contest over which is
SAID to have been similar to the McGarrahan
contest:
:. ATTORNEY GENERALS OFFICE, Dec. H.
ls0.-My Dear SIR: have examined the case
OF NaleJO'S second grant. The parties who
are interested in its confirmation have pressed
me in different ways very strongly to dismiss
the appeal and let it stand on the decree they
got In the district court. ! looked at it care
fully and am perfectly satisfied that it ought
II Rtit iSs
low down on the list that it cannot be reached
In my time. My successor will be piled to the
utmost with persuaSiOns to dismiss it, unless
some care is taken to prevent it. There seems
to be a great number of lawyers employed for
the claimants.
l am willing to accept the retainer of the
settlers and to give them my services after |
go out Of office. A prospective relation of that
kind will be entirely consistent with my pres
ent duties to the government and with my
conVietions 1V Of right and Justice at all times
such bargain with him as may seem good in
your eyes. If the case should come up, con-
trary TO my expectations, before the 4th of
March, will do my duty as Attorney Gene
raj, and will accept nothing for il. Our con-
tract must be made on the basis that am 10
De PAID only in case my services shall be
needed after become private citizen. The
United States proposes to pay me for all do
in that time now, and though the pay is poor
DO not conceive myself justified in taking
more, even when it is offered by persons
whose interests are Identical with those of the
government.
You say the compensation is to be contin
gent. Let it be so; but in that event it ought
to be liberal, for the parties Interested are nu-
merOuS. the lands valuable, and the labor on
the case will be heavy. But 1 authorize you
10 make such contract as you and the parties
may consider right. l will stand by anything
you agree to.
am, very respectfully, &c,
Jas. F. Shank, esq, San Francisco, Cal.
AT LAO p. IN. the committee reaSSembled.
and MIR. Shaw presented to the committee let
ters OF Attorney General Black to the Secre-
tary OF the Interior, fOrbiddng the SURVEYS of
the PanOche Grande ranch.
MGARRAHAN ON THE STAND.
AT O'Clock VIM. McGarrahan was called TO
the witness stand, and recited at length the
circumstances leading to the decree of the
California court, which in 1857 set aside con-
hrmatl0n to his (WitneSS) title to the PanOche
Grande. Letters were previously read going
to show that the confirmation was set aside by
direction of the Attorney General, Judge
Black.
The examination of the witness was in pro-
gresS when our report closed.
THE LATE SECRETARY OF THE NAvY-Sec
retary Thompson has forwarded to the naval
committee of the House list of contracts
made by his immediate predecessor just prior
TO MS leaving his office on March 4th, 1877.
upwards OF four million dollars. The letter,
while it does not make any charge against the
late secretary, is accompanied by schedule
OF contracts paid, which shows that Secretary
R0beSon used the funds of his department,
not Tor the specified objects for which the
money was appropriated, but i'm manner
WHICH suited his own inclination. AS far as
the investigation of the Navy department has
proceeded, 1T confirms to large extent the
nndlngs OF the naval committee of the last
congress, which went so far as to recommend
eXtraYagant manner in which he administered
the affairs of the Navy department.
The HOUSE PACIFIC RAILROAD COMMITTEE
have agreed upon bill with reference to the
pro-rate question. They determined that
there shall be three commissions to fix the
rates, the first set to be named in the bill. The
details OF the bill are to be perfected by a sub
committee, consisting of MeSSrS Rice, ChaI-
mers, and Hewitt of New York.
EX-SECRETARY FISH has published letter
in relation to the selection of Mr.. Delfosse as
the third commissioner in the fishery arbitra.
t0n, and confirms the statement of Mr.
Blaine, that when the appointment was pro-
posed to MIR. Fish in 1873, he objected and the
subject was dropped
THE CONFESSION OF LEE, THE MORMON
ASSASSIN. - A number of gentlemen here
from Salt Lake, all agree with that portion of
HOwards statement, concerning Lees con-
LESSON published in the STAR, in which he
says That the confession published at the time
OF Lees execution was cooked up document
1hey deny, however, that portion of the state
ment M that Lee made no confession, and assert