, 1888-04-24
The Acoueduct Invest1gatIon.

New YORK, April 23.-At the open
ing of the state senatorial investigation
into the alleged corruption in connection
with the work on the Croton acdueduct
and in other departments of the city,
Senator Pierce arose and stated that he
had received a telegram from Governor
Hill demanding hat Rollin NJ. Squire be
required to produce the letters which he
swore he had received from the governor.
President Spencer of the acqueduct
commission was the first witness. He
said he had visited Governor Hill and
urged him to veto the bill recognizing
the board, by putting the mayor and
controller off of it. This was only a few
days before the governor signed it.
Rollin NJ. Squire, ex-commissioner OF
public works and ex member OF the ac-
queduct board was called, and produced a
number Of letters and notes from Govern
or Hill and from his private secretary.
Some of them were invitations for confer
ences with the governor. In one Gov
ernor Hill asked Squire to restore a man
named Nelson, who had been discharged
from the public works department. An
other asking that Charles Cornell be APP
pointed to a position under Squire.
Ex-Comptroller Lane testified that he
understood that the aqueduct committee
reorganization originated with John
OBrien of the contractors firm of O'Brien
Il Clark, who, it had been alleged, pro-
fitted by the change and aided Governor
Hills canvass financially. Witness de-
clined to acceed to the request of Judge
Muller that he voted to award three sec
tons of the aqueduct contract to O'Brien
l. Clark and 1t began to be rumored that
witness was to be removed from the com
mission.
City Chamberlain Irving stated the
story of a visit he made to Governor Hill
when he laid before him evidence tending
to show that Squire had been guilty of
criminal %otfense. The governor, he said,
did not think it furnished a basis for
criminal action and appealed to his (Irv-
ing's) Democracy and said that scandals
were bad for the party; that it was dis
loyalty to the party to bring a matter of
that kind out and that the party would
hold the man who did responsible.
Witness told him it should furnish its
own rascals and cited the career of Mr..
Tilden. To that the governor returned
that times and conditions had changed
and there had been too much of that
thing already from other sources. Later
witness had learned that Governor Hill
was endeavOring to prevent the matter
from being made public and that he
threatened to remove District Attorney
(now Judge) MARITIME unless it was sup
pressed. Witness managed to bring
about an exposure. He remembered that
Clark, Of the firm of O'Brien & Clark,
told of a $4,000 note signed by Governor
Hill and endorsed by his partner and him
self. He said that payments of 81, 900
were made on it from time to time and re-
newed till it was all paid. All these sums
were charged to the individual account of
his partner O'Brien.
He understood that this same political
assessment on his firm and other firms
engaged in thu work we're made for the
Democratic party, not for Governor Hill.
Elk Assistant District Attorney Nicoll
testified that after Squire was indicted
Governor Hill sent for him several times
and urged him to bring the case to trial
as people we're saying that he (the gov
ernor) was having IL mt off