Morning journal and courier., 1886-09-08
A LIVELY INVESTIGATION.

sargent EnterB a FrOGe8t-N1tReSse
 to be Summoned and the Hearing t
 Proceed This Evening.
 The ng-talked-of investigation into tn ] charges made by J. B. Sargent in the publi press regarding money being used by tn t Derby railroad to control the votes of mem 7 bers of the Court of Common Council of 1SS
 was commenced in room 10 City Hall las evening.
 It will be recollected that after MT. Sar
 gents articles appeared in the. newspaper l the members of the Board of 1884 who voted
 in favor of the transfer release of certain , indebtedness due the city by the Derby rail
 road petitioned the present Court of Com.
 mon Council for an investigation into the
 charges made by MT. Sargent. Agreeable to
 the petition committee was appointed
 consisting of Aldermen Dickerman, Whit
 more and Sheridan and Councilmen Kleiner,
 Palmer, Sullivan and Hitler.
 The committee were all present last even-
 ing and ready for business.
 In that part of the room set apart for wit ! nesses were most of the members of the I Court of Common Council of 1884, who voted
 for the transfer and considered themselves
 aggrieved over the charges made by MT. Sar-
 gent. Mayor Holcomb was also present,
 also $. Harrison Wagner, M. F. Tyler, Tal- | colt H. Russell and others.
 Alderman Dickerman presided over the de-
 Alterations of the committee, and at the out
 set of the hearing called for the reading of
 the petition. This was read by Assistant
 City Clerk Loomis
 Alderman Dickerman then asked if any of l the gentlemen who signed the petition desir- ! ed to be heard themselves or by attorneys. l Ex-Alderman B. E. Brown stated that the l petitioners were then asking for full and
 thorough investigation, and they were ready l themselves to tell all they knew about the
 charges made by MT. Sargent.
 At this point MT. Sargent stated that he
 had protest to make before the investiga-
 tion proceeded, and if it was ! the pleasure of the committee he
 would submit it at that time. He was per l mitted to do so and he then handed the manuscript to the clerk, who read it as fol lows:
 l To the honorable committee: In the mat l ter of the investigation into the charges l made by the undersigned against the New Haven 6 Derby railroad company. Whereas, Said railroad company stands l charged with appropriating and paying l money for votes of members of the Court of | Common Council in 8 question pending be- 1 fore said Court of Common Council. wherein from the city of New Haven the | transfer of or release from l s15O,OO of part due and secured ! indebtedness to said city, in exchange for 1 nom1nally the same amount of preferred stock of said railroad company, but having ! no actual value whatever, contrary to and in defiance of the plainly expressed provisions of the constitution of the State of Conneeti- cut; and with attempting to cover up the said payment of money for said votes by false entries on it's books and in it's report to the railroad commissioners and the legisla- ture; the said investigation to be made by committee consisting of three members of the honorable Board of Aldermen and four mem bers of the honorable Board of Common Council.
 The undersigned hereby respectfully pro- tests, ,and hereby enters his protest against the make up and constituency of said commit tee and against the make up of the selection of those members of the honorable Board of Aldermen for the following reasons, viz: 1. Because the said aldermanic members of the committee were selected by the Mayor of the city, an official whose acts and neg lects of official duty are within the scope of the proposed investigation.
 2. Because one or more of the said alder manic members have shown by their off cial acts in the Board of Aldermen, that they are prejudiced against the undersigned in his efforts to expose and put an end to the wrongful course of the managers of the said railroad company, as exhibited in their vote in the Board of Aldermen, and deprive the undersigned of the sacred right of petition guaranteed by the constitution of the State of Connecticut in that, in the utter subserv- fence to the behests of the said railroad com
 
 one or more of the aldermanic members of the committee refuse to consider refer to committee, or allow l. the undersigned to be heard upon his respectful petition presented on the sixth day of April last to the honora- ble Board of Aldermen, touching the great interest of the city involved with and con trolled by said railroad company which has cost the people of the city over $1 1000, ,000 and the undersi 2ned protests against being heard before said charges being investi- gated by committee, any constituent mem- Der of which has been guilty of so tyranical an act-a piece of tyranny that no despotism of Europe outside of Russia, would dare be guilty of to its humblest subject.
 J. B. SARGENT.
 New Haven, Sept. 7, 1886.
 When the reading was concluded Alder man Dickerman said to Mir. Sargent that per haps he would like to say something at this time but he must confne himself to the pro- test in his remarks.
 Mir Sargent said that he thought the state ment made in his protest was correct. He thought the Mayor should not have been per mitted to appoint a committee to investi- l gate matter that was really going to inves- tigate his own acts as one who had an inter est in the Derby railroad, as Mayor of the l city, and therefore had an interest for the | city. 1
 The protest was received and ordered on | file. l
 The hearing then proceeded by ex-Alder- | man Benton making q statement as to the l reasons for the petitioners asking for this ln- l vestigation. He read an article from the | Ansonla Sentinel written by MT. Sargent, 1 in which he charged that money was paid by | the s'Litt1e Derby'' to the Court of Common | Council to influence the proposed compro- l mise between the city and the Derby road. l Mir Benton read further from a letter from | Mr. Sargent published in the Register. Mir. | Benton said that common decency seemed to | demand that MT. Sargent should, if he has | any proof, bring it before this com | mittee to substantiate the charges he has | publicly made.
 Ex-Alderman Brown followed ex-Alder- man Benten and urged that MT. Sargent sub | stantiate his charges with the proof.
 Alderman Dickerman said that the com mittee were of the opinion that the petition l CTS had submitted sufficient reasons to pro | ceed with the investigation. He then called | upon MT. Sargent to present any evidence he | had in the case.
 MT. Sargent said he appeared without | witnesses as he could not get them here without subpenas, and he therefore present l ed the following list of witnesses which he ! asked be subpoenaed: J. J. Kennedy, Charles l s. Green -, reporter on the Register; Norris G. Osborn. George F. Holcomb, H. G. Lewis, Richmond W. Armstrong, Francis E. Harrison and Charles Atwater.
 
 had stated in the papers that the members of the Board of Aldermen had been bribed, and if he knew of anything of his own knowl edge he should state it now and not try to delay the matter.
 M F. Tyler stated to the committee that he was here in the interest of the Derby road.
 Mr. Sargent was then sworn and acknowl- edged that the different articles as appeared in the Ansonia Sentinel Palladium and Reg ister were writ en by him. He said he did | not write the headings to the articles.
 Councilman Kleiner asked MT. Sargent if | any of the witnesses he had named would | come without being subpenaed.
 Mr. Sargent said that he did not know | whether all would come on his inv itation or l not. He said that MT. Tyler could perhaps | answer for the Derby railroad.
 Mr. Tyler said to the chairman that he had no doubt that any officer of the Derby rail road would be present, whenever wanted, with any books or papers that they may have in their possession relating to the matter in question.
 MT. Benton inquired of Mir, Sargent if he understood him aright when he (Sargent) |