New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-30
SMITH WEED Examined.


SMITH WEED EXAMINED.
TIE crvre HIS VERSION OF The LEASING OF THE
NEW RAILRoAD-HE MAKES OUT 1HE LEssEEs
10 BIZ PUBLIC BENEFACToRs.
IFRoy THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBUHEI
ALBANY. Jan. 29.-The investigation of the
lease OF the and Pattsburg Railroad whieh
ia owned by the State to the Chateaugay Railroad
Companv was continued today. The remarkable sight
was again presented OF the superintendent OF Prisons
who approved OF the lease, and OF the railway oc'a
who accepted It, being represented by eminent counsel
Henry Smith appeared Tor Mr.. Pisbury and Matthew
Dale for the railway company Tnis Is considered
strange safeguard Of the clam put forth that the
lease was transaction that needed defence on the
part of those who took part In IT,
Smith NJ Weed was sworn and testified "a follows
reside I'm Plattsburg / lived there forty years
am an iron manufacturer and an attorney own CON
siderable property In Platsburg and lls vicinity ai
interested in large and lumber corporation located
about forty miles west OF Plattshurg am aequaln.ea
with the facts of the building OF the en-, p one
nemora and flattsburg Railroad; an ON one
OF the owners OF the Chatcaueay, iron a i,nrs
there Is adto "a nas bepn eomplesd within the
iasi three or four weeks: not NJ AlDay az tns
time the bill was pass1d that a'h9 srcad dd NOT
the Daunemora and PatisnnT4 . ~, emo
draw toe bill; think Mr.. Moers didj suggested SOME
of ia provisions; expressed myself as being 10 IhNpr
~ t6e buildng OF the railroad at the time
was running Tor member OF the senate ny. Moers
ais" eH w. GOOD thing for The state and that II would
make Clinton Prison available anu ihat ,ne Psu ls
on
HE railroad was completed, and AZ that Tine u WAS
In ked of removing the prison. ,,,,- a.,
Assembly and Senate Committees AssemDlym I'm
Grady spoke against II; cant tel now iong IL was
did nnt consult the Governor IN relation 10 the bh;
bnd % .nxistv ms 10 his not signing a. tue discussion
nu u N restion 10 me bin was entirely upon
convict labor, etc, ana me poN. "p'npmi,
was then given III, IN T pnnd vas Commented
soon after the bill passed think the road was running
in Noycmb~r or Drcembcr ls7s alter The passage OF
l,til. the is
lea .cd I'M the following May bsi knew 81 te leas. III
March 1879; the proprietors Of The Chaieaugny Nine
made a loan or Obtained ore from President DICKSON;
am interested the lease, ben et'ehnnui ol lnS
Shatraugav Iron and Ia lroad Company talked with
Nr Ps5ury about lease AT the time u Was talhed
Of in the wlys and Means committee. ~ tar ne i ~,
bin came up for hearing, that the road would nave 20
DC leasen eventually II had map coilh sho" you
A COPY of THE Nrw-YoRK TRIBUNE containing q man
of line line was handed the witness but ne said that
was newspaper map, aud those who drew IL ala NOT
A'iV" man vas produced and the witness defined the
rnufe oi road and be sad that the oad cond nave
been hnlt bv much shorter souir ana cI'ap'i, hno
road runs rOugh private land Tho laud along the Inc
Of The road 10. worth more than 80 per acre. We
M Dickson was anxious t. get control OF toe roaa 50
Uring more onsin-Ss 70 me p'.as arc ana iins
because II would enha the te OF the property ia
dg"' pisff.6n in he lease win NJ. Dickson
and he consented To - the other way ~
which viii explain breads letter from himself 10 G. l.
IIurlnurtl Iconiiuucd those negotiations Win Inherent
=
mined ~ Guild road and 10 here several letters to
be admitted evidence all the prop9siiions 10 ne
ld tbo road and ths they refused iOaccept; We gave
in TO Mr. Dickson; the road coud have been unlt by
tho yyav of Cafrauenv for 10000; u has cost about
S2&JNoo up ~ ~ 30, ,r, abn, ne lsapd h.
asked rs 10 take read tnc nrst knew 81 the lea
ing OF tue I,,a VIZ , and Hudson Cana Cu
panv'- Railroad b. We had gone the other way we
yoild NOT have taken THE road at any pFce IA Tue
@ 81 ,,a, 4, var evident by the III ihihe vas expected
TO run tie road ana tia ne coc not 10 u WITH ne .ag
stock, and a. soon AZ he cOmmticch 10 40 ~ ihAl "
would cost SCI per day i told him what 10 90 ana
wrote for him tue manuac Juror To get eos or me
cars ana they would furnish the cAts' uhn lha' nc
satc had not made any proNslons ios me yI.h, pnt
that the state would pay Tor a. ana u aia NOT mere
would be charge ana thht ,ihcg MouIu .se
the cars back without any charee; ths On,
bert Bush * Co. agte,a I" anu an's ts ien
the stock; an approplloh wa ''' sc ''lnA
IN was ~35 900 Tile rOng-siuck was an deliVefcd ne
fore the apprOpu alton was made The lease was made
before the supply oni wa Eh.a ~ tno 1''inoi, a.
al The money expended before the pa sage oi TIE
me " no built the rOund-hOu-e fences signs,
etr.. that he did with Gilbert. Bush Go. There were
tnrtv-four miles OF fence built Tue engines were bnt
a, -crauton Penn. The iron was furnished y sullivan
Rice, Of A3ny me fraans T1 WIN Vim ~ cGh,ne1or
~, any v-oy In relation 10 the supply bill. MOI dol
lar of the appropriated went no the hands OF the
c,ateauny Railroad. TIE stockholders of the Canal
Railroad Company Andrew Williams, Th0inas Dick
.on and myself Mr. Mooers never had anything to do
known Nj M9c5s sT nG %ary Wy ye9Ts he Keep:
thirteen wears ago he ard bought piece OF property
In The village OF Plattshurg, We own u now; he never
had any interest la tne ChacanSaY tlnroad company,
the line road began 10 work the mines In 1867
Mr. Williams commenced IN 1879; II the State will take
The road now and contract 10 carry our iron for
pay for our extension and cancel The lease.
the rate that the Delaware and Hudson
Railroad charge usI aiUr we gel 10 Platisburg
ior one hundred years for thousand than
we DO now; the coal TO heat the prison alone viii cost
us 5 900 per year; this 'Xteson OF ours runs through
a forest that has been touched by man; when
took Inc road there only two engines ten tOK
ears two passenger ana two baggage cars aud two
got tbam: the prison had about 300 cells
before the Enlargement bill was passed; We IAN
train n day each way; the state had expended
s1 600 600 10 bud a prison at DannemOra II tie road
lad not been built the prison would have been aban
doned hats In the hands OF prisoner There M
O'clock are trimmed aud on Broadway Tomorrow
AT 10 o'clock road has done that, and makes it
practically as near TIC world as sin , Sias;
have resided IN Pattsburg twenty -nine years u
manufactures Of IRON own a mouse nnd 10! where
tbirty-fve fOrges altogether lie then gave the
testimony that was giyrn by me other witnesses In
,neated Mr. Weeds testimony in relation TO the nego-
tiaions regarding the road ana leases.
IL IL noteworthy that In his evidence Smith Weed said
that while he had nothing to do directly in the procur-
INC the lease, indirectly he had, his law partner
n,r Smith obtained the lease, and Mr. Williams who
as interested with him in financial operations signed
a. Referring TO his talks with Mr.. Pilsbury.
be said he gave him encouragement ITO use
rho language OF celebrated person, he constantly said
IN Mr. Pisbury " III see you later"
rbe committee adjourned until next wednesday They
intend going TO Plattsburdbeforc that time.
GENERAL LAW-MAKING.
SENATOR AsroR's TRUSTEE BILL PASSED ny THE
sESATR-A BILL REGARDING PoIsoNs 10 DE IN
TRODUCED.