The Evening critic., 1882-07-03
TAR-HEEL TROUBLES.
The Circus n Collector IL Having
with n senate Committee.

Rich developments In tho Mott invostiga-
Vance Committee. After several witnesses
were put on the stand with but little result,
Mr.. W. II. Kestler, formerly deupty collector
After being duly sworn sworn he was was "I examined % By
Senator Vance. Dr.. Mott was present. Kost-
lor testified that he was employed one month
sioo per PER- month. AZ % the EXPIRATION at ON Of I'll that at
time his services wero dispensed with. This
was during tho campaign OF 1872. Senator
Vance handed witness two vouchers
that he had taken of the nles OF tho internal
revenue ofllco In the Treasury, both bearing
witness name, and asked Kestler II he served
only one month how was 1t that he had signed
two vouchers for two separate months. Witness
acknowledged that the signatures on tho two
vouchers were I'm his handwriting, and OK
planned that after he had left the employ OF
Mott no had received letter from Mr.. Joseph
Clark, Motifs clerk, informing him that no
Clark had lost tho voucher signed by him
tKestlcr) and asking that he sign inclosed
voucher and return II. This he did. This testl-
mony showed that the Government was charged
500 for services never performed. But the
sensational and damaging part was yet
TO come. Quite unexpectedly TO Witness Sena-
tor Vance handed him i've other vouchers,
signed by him and approved by Mott, taken
from tho same files In tho Treasury. Mott was
thunderstruck, and with bated breath leaned
forward to catch the reply of the witness. Mr..
Kestler, after examining tho signatures, and
with quito precision pronounced the sigma.
lures OF his name bold and Indifferent forger-
les. Mott was horrifed and turned pale and
blue by turns. He squirmed In his chair, and
the stiffness of the moment must have felt to
him like an hour. His eyes were rlvoted on
the floor, and It was some time before ho re-
covered from the embarrassment that tho wilt
ness disclosures placed him In. At
last he put upon the stand his clerk,
Mr.. Joseph Clark, who, like
all good clerks, said that these vouchers were
made out by him without Motifs knowledge,
and that he, not Mott, was to blanc. Things
went on this way for somo time and tho wilt
ness had succeeded in painting himself quite
black and Mott looked much relieved Mt the
way things were shaping themselves, when
keen move by the Senator threw him In n state
of trepidation again. II Mott was nurried
when kcstler said his name had boon forged,
he was thunderstruck whom Clark was forced
to admit that Motifs name to Kestler's vouch-
ers was genuine. The scene In tho committee
room when this admission by Clark was made
was sensational In tho extreme, and those
who witnessed 1t, II they ever doubted that
there was something rotten In Denmark, wero
convinced by the actions OF Mott and Clark.
The latter recognized the fix he had placed
| both Mott and himself In, having only a few
minutes previously taken the whole blame on
| himself and now unwittlngIy inculpated his
| chief. 1t was a sad day for the leader of the
great Independent Reform movement In the
| Tar.Heel State. With fallen crest Mott left the
| room and to-day was at the office OF Commits
sioner Raum complaining that certain Sena-
tors had access to the files OF his oflce which
| he was not quite certain was proper With Gov
| ernment papers supposed TO be sacred and
available TO Republican officials only" Pick
| m" Washington Cor. charlotte, ". o., ObSerUer