New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-10
MOONEY LOSES HIS TEMPER.
Ar WISHES TO SEE GEN. TRACY OUTSIDE.

com - sCRAP-BooK THAT WAS MADE on FRI
D.y-oIIGINAL MEMORANDA NOT FORTHCoM-
ING.
The Senate Committee on Cities, now engaged III
Investigating the Department of Public "orhs'
had another session yesterday IN the CIty nan
There were a number of the employees Oh inc uo-
lie Works Department present TO assist MI aS n''
tbe counsel for Commissioner Thompson. There
were also present Richard A. Cunningham MlAe
Norton, Supervisor Costigan, OF Inc C'y hecoFd'
Excise Commissioner Mitchell, ex-Coroner Wotman
and large number of Commissioner thompson
political friends and contractors.
At previous session James j. Mooney Supe1in-
tendent of Streets, had been subppnaed to produce
The books showing all the original entries relating
20 material furnished to his bureau on which pay
nents were made to John Barry and William Nc
Donald. Mr.. Mooney came in with a lot of books
which. on examination, did not tell anything about
supplies being furnished to his bureau by Barry
and Mcdonald. He was then sent to get
the Tscrap-b book in which he said the
original certificates were kept. On his
return with scrap-book containing large number
of certificates he said the book had been made up
In his bureau beginning several years ago. lie was
shown that alleged certificates for 1881 pasted
over those for 1883, and that nearly all the papers
were marked duplicates" He identified some of
the papers as having been pasted in the book by
bus direction, and said that Emil Bottger,
clerk had made up the book, but he could
not tell when. The committee sent out
subpoena for Mr. BOttger who admitted
that the preparation of the scrap-book was only
begun on Friday afternoon, and that nearly all the
papers in it were freshly written and marked
duplicates" Mr.. Bottger testified that no person
directed him TO make up the book ana that nelther
Colonel Mooney nor any one else had ever spoken
to him in regard TO it, He said that on reading the
newspapers he saw that such book would ne
needed and he gathered up such papers as ne cOuId
find in drawers and old chests bearing on the sub
ject and pasted them in. lie could not sa!
tOry explain many OF the pecuilarltleS III ~! nc
book, and he would not tell anything about the
original papers from which the alleged duplicates
IN the book were made ,,- ,.-o,-
Further examination of Colonel Mooney deYel-
pped the fact that series of returns from his lore
men for 1881, 1882 and 1883, which he produced,
had all been furnished to him within day or two
and were freshly written. lie could nos
had been recently prepared. Mr.. Mooney, after
persistent questioning by General Tracy, admitted
that far as he could yet find there were no orig
inal memoranda in existence showing the qeHVcty
of material by Barry and Mcdonald. lie also tcs-
titled that he made out all the certlhcates on
which they were paid from his own personal meas
ureInents, and the original memoranda OF uhoSe
measurements lie thought had been destroyed
When General Tracy asked Colonel Mooney IL ne
wished the committee to believe that he lMOoneyl
was present and saw delivered and measured every
one of the many thousands of loads OF material
furnished each year by Mcdonald and Barry, the
witness got angry and said that he did not care
whether the committee believed ii or not but II
General Tracy, would say Outside" that he dld not
believe him, he Mooney would make General
Tracy retlact it. This intimaton of Moneys
pugilistic abilities caused sensation.
George +. BabcOck, an engineer under Mooney,
gave some positive evidence, which, however, was
shown TO have no particular bearing on the ques-
tion of material furnished by Barry and Mcdonald.
Mcdonald was put on the stand for only few mo
ments but long enough to show that he also had no
records and bad memory.