Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-03-23

knOWle0g6 OF tlem, II was uOl pdTtOI WITNESSES
duty to audit the amount of drawback certtf-
Gates issued; all drawbacks were issued under
the direction Of the engineers division, and Mr..
Beall had charge OF the auditing OF such &C.
by the tax collector In connection with the
amount Of money paid in. ,,.,s
Q. VII! you state If within q few months
drawback certificates have been made to your
9. Did you make report on the suoject7
= @. Is this the report showing witness
4. Yes, sir; that is the report.
THE REPORT
first takes up an examination made with refer
ence to Grouse and Lamb. The board of audit
issued their certificate No. 81, ,4O1 for $29.33 in
favor Of j. L. Grouse in payment of all the old
material to- which he was entitled In front OF
lot in square 759, fronting on East Capitol
street, which certificate has been funded. Mr..
Crouse'S signature receipting to the board of
audit for SAID certificate has been erased and
the paper mutilated. In the latter part OF 1917
drawback, No. SO, was issued to him by the
special yson No 1or the same Prop
of this transaction Is of record and the state
ment prepared by Mr. ROome upon which the
issuance Of said drawback was based has been
In the case Of c. NJ. Lamb the board of audit
stated the amount due him for old material to
be as follows:
Allowed by b. p Works. .......... 2s.Os
Leaving balance of. ........-...s .s12.35,
for which the said board OF audit issued its GER
tificate No. 2l,399, receipt therefor having
been given by c. NJ. Lamb. / lind that in the
latter part of 1877 or about the same time as the
Grouse transaction, drawback mo. S33) was
issued BY the special assessment division in
favor Of the above stated property Of Mr.. Lamb
for S16S.1 which drawback was received by MIR.
Beall in payment Of special improvements on
hGr 10 faan
transfer to McGin & Wftherow, purporttng TO
have been signed by c. NJ. Lamb. The voucher
prepared by Mr.. Roome, upon which the above
certificate Of draw back was based has also been
distracted from the files, and am unable to
find any copy of it recorded
In revising the assessment of said street a
appears upon the books Of Mr.. Beali's ofice in
favor of Mf. Lamb, which sum has been paid by
drawback certificates Nos. III, 11S and 119,
issued by W. o. Roome. have compared Mr..
that on the board of audit papers, and do not
think that both signatures were written by the
same party. The charge of forgery In this case
amount found due upon revision was paid Mr..
Lamb, and not withheld as in CrOuSe'S case.
The loss to the District Of Columbia in both
There is another incident In connection with
this case which appears little singular. At
tacned to the revised assessment sheets of East
number Of streets showing in detail the items OF
old material to be credited to the several lots
fronting on the line Of the Improvements as also
board Of public works or board of audit, or If
not paid by either credit is given for the allow
ance is stated by the board Of audit. No altera-
tton OF the amoInt so allowed by said board
having been made so far as any examination
has extended excepting those two cases. In
these the items were also entered it appears
atory note on margin Of sheet in handwriting
Of Mr.. RoOme, ''full allowance heretofore made" )"
and in no other part OF the several sheets
which constitute the old material account does
his handwriting appear.
MR.. BEALL WAS RECALLED
and testified that he never knew OF any case
where money had been sent to the collectors
Office to pay special assessments and the money
retained and eight per cent. certificates issued
in lieu thereof. Witness was examined with
reference to tax bill OF 5000 which was paid by
Gen. Michler: He paid In eight per cent. certtti-
Gates instead OF cash. Witness said that when
bills were paid in eight per cent certificates
instead Of money, that it was loss to the Dis
When poor people came into the Sce to pay
their bills would tell them they could pay in
eight per cent certificates. because he thought
It was his duty to give them all the benefits of
the law. Witness said that Peter Campbell and
William Dickson had deposited with him eight
per cent. certificates. II person asked where
such certificates could be had witness would
accommodate them with such certificates de-
posted by Campbell and Dickson, and allow
them to pay their taxes with the certificates,
instead OF with the money. Witness denied
that he ever received any commission from
either Campbell or Dickson for their disposing
of their certificates and converting them into
cash.
By MI. Riddle-Witness said that when the
Commissioners found out that he had deposits
Of per cent. certificates in his Office to the
credit OF brokers to pay tax bills, that he was
directed to suspend taking such deposits, be-
cause while the commissioners did not fmpugn
witnesses integrity, they thought it had the
semblance Of collusion between witnesses Office
and the brokers, and hence the taking of such
deposits must cease.
ALLEGED ALTERATION OF BOOKS
Mr.. DOnohoo clerk in the ofice OF Auditor
Finson, was next examined. Witness was di-
rected to make an examination OF charges that
fraudulent drawback certificates had been is
sued. He made such examination, and found
that certain entries in books which had been In
his Office in 1877, but since then in the custody
OF the special assessment division, had been
erased, and made unintelligible.
At 12 O'Clock the committee adjourned until to-
morrow.