Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-04-18
A CORRUPT RING.
The Charges Against Supervising Arehi-
tect Hill, of the Treasury Depart
ment, Made Public.
Alleged Fraud and Extravaganza in the
Administration of His Office
The Witnesses.

WAsHISGToN, April 1.-THE sessions oi
the commitiFe 10 Investigate the charges
sgsinst Supervising Arcait,ct Hill, Cf the
Treasury Deparimen', will be held with
open doors. N ~zpaprT men and other IN
terssted parties are ingiled TO attend. The
charges will be read tomorrow, snd the in
vestigstion proper will begin Monday.
The chsrges, preferred by * Representa-
tive Murcb, were made public to-day. The
papers sre drawn up in legal form and are
quite voluminou'. Tne charges are classed
nader FIVE different heads, substantially as
follows:
exrtvagance against rngin the ar- hitect's Office,
Composed OF Assitsnt Secretary FIeneh, Arch ltset
VIM II. Powers. Q. f. Little, Cannon Church, JOr-
dan Bartel, Robbins d co. and Others
Second Charge -Tnat till coTuptly administered
the patro1nye OF his Office against the interests OF
Third Chqrge.-That contractors known to be
guilty OF t0aud are especial y favored by the su-
perv sing architect. having been Largely overpsid
by many thousands Of dollars. anu Otherwise cor
Fourth charge. That unskilled snd incompetent
persons are regularly employed in the architects
ONCE and paid IAes due the competent p rs ms
paid who hold sineeures and DO other work for
which they are paid.
Fifth Chdrge-That contracts have been let in
viola lou OF law 10 persons not the lowest bidders,
and that prices have been paid for abor and ma
terial known TO have been txtortiOnste and ex-
ceSSlNes LlhL NOuGu rs n-Yb Been pald Tor lADOf
and material never furnished, aud vouchers and
contractors bid- un'awfully aud CORFU pity altered
TO the advantage d benefit Of the contractors.
Among tbs contractors alleged to have
been improperly favored are the following:
Cape Aun Grari'e Company, DIX IslsDd
Granite Company, Botw4ll Grauite Compa-
ny, Hurricane Islaad Graniie Company,
Old Dominion Granate Company, West
Same Granite Company, Solid Granite
Company and Bartlett, Robbins & 20. One
OF the spec ficstions alleges that the persons
named are in the riug, and that their, sssuri-
shares, etc, from The contractors. Another
specification is th At employees in Office have
used ths goverum sns's linls and material ia
the Ge-igGs aud construction OF private d sell
ings. Among witnesses nsnied are Secretary
FOlger, Senatlr d ives, 4 B. Mullelt w G.
= - ~ u. 0Iksholt, J. NJ. Wilbur,
Joseph Worms, J.W Barton Michael Gsbb.
L. l.. james and L II. Iyf,..-}.
The charg preferred by Whit9II, La,ur,
& Co, Of PnIlsdei phIa, relate 10 The oontrsct
for furnishing iron shuiters for the clr,tom-
house at Cincinnati. This contract, they
allege, wss awarded by the supervising arch
itect to the B0s on Fire Proof Shutter Com
pany, at the price OF S21 900 10 excess Of the
lowest bid made, AMI ueder circumstances
which indicated improper motives.
The charges preferred agaiust Mr..
Hill by A. B. Muliett, former supervising
architec', have also beea referred -pecial
com mitiee. These charges allege general
mismauagement on he part of Mr.. Hill in
connection with the postofice at Philadel-
phia and the cu.t1mhnnse at Chicago.