Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-03-08

A. Yes sir, 1t ulu.
q. In addition TO various distinct
political grounds, was it not also urged
in favoring reconstruction that the
| LEGISLATURE intended to Tepudiate the
Brownlow liabilities
a. Yes, sir, sll the bonds Issued 20
the roads.
O. Do YOU remember anything about
the turnpike companies that received
the stock OF Ihe State IN the East IeL-
nessee and Georgia Railroad?
A. Yes, sir. There was the King
ston turnpike, the Clinton turnpike (,
the Jaeksboro' and Taze ReH turn
pixies, the Rutledge turnpike and the
Ssvierville turnpike, and there Were
others perhaps in upper East Iennes-
see. the names Of which / have Tor
gotten. L think there were several
chartered that did not avail them
selves of the aid. / think you will
find that there was some legislation
afterWard attem pied 10 give the stock
that had not been taken 10y the failure
of some companies TO those that had
survived.
Q. Can you give Us the lengt d that
each pike Is metaled
A. There is on the Kingston about
miles of stone, and il is graded and
bridged for about miles. The Gin
ton pike " SIS probably graded II miles,
macadamiZsd not more than ! OF a
mile, The TaZewe1 pike Is macada-
mixed about 8 miles and graded about
ii miles. The Rutledge pike L don't
know anything definitely about. The
Sevierville pike was graded and
macadamizad about Il miles. The
above is about the ,atus Of the pixies
leading from or into the city. {. j..
TOmgle was first president Of the
Kingston and / am his successor. l
have been one of the Board OF Direct
Ors since il was organized. L was one
of the State Directors. NJ. ID. Bear~
den, if l TeCOllect right, was t1rst
president Of the Clinton PIKE, ana all
the president it ever had. l think his
nike was chartered as the Western aud
Montgomery pike. BeTian Frazier
was the president of the JacksbOrO'
and Taz-well pike, and / think John
). Van Glider Is his successor. II ever
L knew who was the president OF the
Sevierville pike l have forgotten il. L
don't recollect any officers of the other
roads.
q. About how many miles of macad-
amIZed roads have you in East Ten
nessee, and how many including the
macaGOmized have you of graded
roads ready or substantially ready for
the metal?
y. About pa miles OF metalei pike,
and Including these metsled roads,
about oil graded ready for the metal
Q How much Stale aid or stock of
the State in tie East Tennessee and
Georgia Road did your turnpike get,
and what did you realize on il? Who
did you sell your said stock to?
y. Ny recollection is that we sod it
to G.. NJ. McGhee. and that We realized
20 or - cents on the dollar. L know
we realized $4,000 for our State aid, or
Sc 900 aud s. ,0G0 OF bona .Jide private
stock subscribed, and il has all been
paid in.
O DID You ever have occasion to
examine into Bearden's turnpike? II
so. what was discovered, if anything?
\ We tried TO get them to organ
ia 80 as to put up gate on this road,
aud thus secure some travel on oar
road, but we cOulu find 40 books con
nected with BesTdeu's company. We
could learn nothing as 10 any private
or a. TO what was dOle
with the State MD.
Q. Do you Know anything IS 20
what was done :, tn tAt ald sal'Zed
by the other turnp-f' c1wpsnie-?
A. | do not, eBy more than Whist 1
know ia regard to the TaZewell pike.
They are still working on that.
TSizQed1, JOSEPH a. COOPER.
ATHA THOMAS.
Deposition taken before the co4m.t
zee aG the Maxwell HOu-e. FEBRUARY
IO.u, 1879. Said witness be ug sworn
dep sed as follows:
QI.st. Were you member Of The
of Tennessee in 1863 20?
Ans. Was member Of the lower
house of that General Assembly.
O Please state if that Legislature
soon after it assembled raised joint |
to investigate the railroads |
aud the bonds Issued TO them?
A. Ii was doue during the first SEES !
si0n of that Assemb bly,, and il was pre-
gided for the committee TO pursue is |
during the recess.
Q. When did you adjourn for re-
,ess?
A. Some time, think, in March,
$50. After referring TO journals L |
lad We adjourned the TN Of March |
until the 2ud day OF May, 1870.
@. The committee was appointed |
before this adjournment, and the ma
uTe, scope and purpose OF lis investl- /
cation were known?
A. II was; and the duties imposed |
lpon this committee were clearly in
Heated, if not expressed in the resolu-
ion under which iC was raised.
@ Please state if, after that commit
zee was raised, and il had begun its
Investigations, a movemsnt looking to
he recJnsIructiOn OF the State through
he political agency of Congress did
not assume very formidable and active
proportions?
-. L am not positive as TO the ac-
witty and danger of the movement
lutil during the second session, and
his committee was ordered to report.
@ As matter Of fact, when this
was ready To report and
he nature and scope of its work had
become known, did not the danger of
become imminent?
a. | think ii did.
Q. As matter of fact, was it not
lrged in addition to specific political
easOns as "a ground jGstifyiUg recon-
tructiCn, that the Legislature in
ended 10 ignore and reject the
bonds, or great part of
hem
A Yes, sir, it was urged that as politN
9al measure we intended TO reject the
'r0wnlOw and Senter liabilities, and that
y as "A party movement on our part
Q Did not the danger of reconstruction
ecome so alarmi that during the first or
,cond recess, Mr.. -. B. Thomas, Speaker
q Il ,