The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-06-18
GARFIELD aud DE GOIyer.

"a That our lueTs hny na'0 M '"S'ts"' INV
Inc true inwg-dness of the De Golyer matter
with which General Garfield was mixed up,
ue publsh the testim ny below of B. r.
|1Nickerson before the congressional inyesti-
N cation committee
III WASHINGTON, Feb n, 1877.
<reniamin II. Nickerson sworn and examined.
n By the Chairman: Q. Where do you re-
Nside? A. My home is in San Francisco,
|ECsl.; am residing here temporarily.
III @. What is your occupation? A. am a
\ eontr ctor here.
III o. You have spent some years here? A.
Hes, sir; l have been here chiefly for i've
or six years. engaged in that business.
"a o. | asked Governor Shepherd when he
wss under examination here few days ago,
y IN relation to the award of the contract 10
In Golyer 81 McClelland, whether there
hadn't been one hundred and fifty thousand
'13ouare wards awarded to them and fifty
/. Thousand more conditioned upon an appro-
pri ,tion by congress, and he said his impress
ZION was that there was no condition as to an
appropriation. Are you sble to testify any
& tbing upon that subject? A. Yes, sir; l
know all about it, and Governor Shepherd
B "A entirely mistaken. After he tilted here
81 went TO him and showed him, without the
book, that he was mistaken, and he said ne
would come back and correct himself. l
\ have here the award, and will read it. |
read from page / 4l9, vol. 8. of the proceed
v 'jngs of the Joint committee on affairs in the
District of Columbia. / read first this letter
eof notification:
S# "WLsHlNGToN, June u, ls'2
De Golyer & McClelland.
ia GENTLEMEN-The board have this day
awarded you a contract to lay 10000 yards
+ of wood pavement, of pattern known as De
Golyer No. 2, to be treated by the Samuels
process, on such streets as may be deslg-
hated, the whole to be completed within i've
months from date. An additional amount OF
+ %, 900 square yards will be awarded you as
A soon as the board are reimbursed by the gen.
\ eral government on account of expenditures
/. about public buildings and grounds, or you
+ will be allowed to lay it this season II you
Z Mil wait anti an appropriation is made tor
his purpose, at So 80 per square yard"
IA Now will read an extract from the award
X Itself which l have seen in the minutes:
"uJune rs, 1872,-Chief engineer was d.
rected to prepare contract De Golyer y
Nc lelland, of Chicago, for laying 10000
8Aquare yards of De Golyer pavement No. Z,
( treated by the Samuels process, and to DO
laid on such streets as may be designated by
\ the DO, I'd, and to be completed in tive
1 months, and an additional $4,000 square
wards as soon as the board are reimbursed by
the general government on account OF eX-,
penditures around public buildings and
grounds, or they will be allowed to lay it this
season if they will wait for an appropriation
4 81 So 80 per square yard"
# THE APPROPRIATIONS.
s @. Do you know what appropriation is re-
n ferred to there? Is it an appropriation by
congress? A. Yes, sir; l know that fact and
\ there was afterwards an appropriation. Here
Is statement made by Magrander. the
treasurer, of his payments to De Golyer "
X McClellAnd upon this contract. 1t has been
stated in my hearing, and perhaps by Gov
ernor Shepherd, that the contract with De
Solver & McCIelland was in no sense
q dependent upon the subsequent action OF
congress. Now, $4,000 was issued to DE
Y Golyer e. McCelland, in certificates of in
debtedness, all of which, and some $4,000
more, amounting in the aggregate to $751;
600 so, was issued to them in certificates,
Win the exception of $4,000, which WAS
paid them in cash. With the exception OF
That $4,000 the balance was issued them
IN certificates, which went into the market,
and which have been since converted into
u 365 bonds, for which congress has made an
appropriation to pay the interest. and will
\ probably pay the principal, as you all under
HAND. AT any rate, they are an outstanding
Obligation for which congress subsequently
made an appropriation. This amount, S297,-
4 300, includes what De Golyer Il McClelland
& made, and also their successors, Ray y
Whitney.
@ @ State anything further that you may
~ know in reference to this transaction. A.
know all about the matter in all its phases
* through Chittenden and Parsons. know Of
4 The employment of Garfield and what he WA
N Employed for; was in their confidence;
was part Of the tr nsaction; was interested
IN the contract itself.
s @. State the facts, then, as concisely a:
n You can. A. In the progress of the affair
n Chittenden employed MIR. Parsons with tie
understanding that Parsons would g. before
4 The board and make an argument l regard
y cd him at the time as a kind of curbstone At
torney; didn't take much stock in him; bu
/ was informed by McClellsnd, and by Chit
tenden as near rs he ever gets to telling =
man anything, why they employed him
Chittenden said that he had employed MIR
Parsons 10 ''reach the man. or that he wa
shble to reach" the man, who was perfectly
+ md entirely powerful in obtaining for hin
he contract. This was after Huntington
y Death. First, he employed Huntington, snt
Il afterward he employed Parsons, assuring m,
HAT Mr.. Parsons could "reach the man."
B didnt ask who the man was; knew per
B fectly who he referred to.
Q. Do l understand you to say that yol
we're partner ia that transaction? \.
n was the owner Of the iroAizing process. Tut
Sa Dc Golyer pavement No. . uses the Samuel
Process and is not Il pavement without it, an(
a nv interest was to get a contract for them 81
* Mat nv process should be used. had NJ
3 Interest VIII ,tever in laying the pavement
but was to ironize it and have a royalty
q my interest in it was worth $50 600 or $1,000
II least, and Mr.. Parsons was employed will
the assurance to me by Chittenden that b
vas able to reach the man who could secur
the contract.
Mr.. Smith-Mr. Chairman, | think tn
Witness should co.,fne himself to his per
sonal knowledge, and not testify to whs
Chittenden said.
The Chairman-Un Chit nden was
pArtRer.
The Witness-Mr. Chittenden was part
ner Mr.. Chittenden wrote to his partners
De Golyer & McClelland, with whom VIZ
Interested, that he had secured Mr.. Garfield
who "held the purse-strlDgs of the nation,