The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-04-24
The New York Investigation.

New YORK, April 23.-At the open
ing, of the State Senatorial investiga
ton into the alleged corruption in con
nection with the work on the CrotoI
aqueduct, and in otter departments O.
| the city, Senator Pierce arose anC
stated that he had received a telegram
from Governor Hill, demanding tina
Rollin NJ. Squire be required fto pro-
duce the letters he swOre he had re-
ceived from the Governor.
President Spencer, of the aque-
duct commission, the first witness
said he had visited Governor
Hill and urged him to veto the bill re.
organizing the board by putting the
mayor and controller off of it. This was
only few days before the governor
signed it.
Rollin N. Squire, ex.commissioner of
public works and ex-member of the
acqueduct board, was called and pro-
d1ced q number of letters and notes
from Governor Hill and from his pri-
Vate secretary. Some of them were in
vltations for conferences with the gov
ernor. In one, Governor Hill asked
Squire to restore man named Nelson,
VINO had been discharged from the pub
lie works department. Another from
"Budge" Mullen, the governors friend,
asking that Charles Cornell be ap-
pointed to position under Squire.
Ex-Comptroller Lowe testified that he
understood the aqueduct commission re-
organization originated when j.
o. 6rien, of the contractors firm of
O'Brien & Clark, who, it has been
alleged, protited by the change and
aided Governor Hills canvass tinan-
cialIy. Witness declined to accede 10
the request of Judge Muller, that he
vote to award three sections of the
acqueduct contract to O'Brien & Clark,
and it began to be rumored that witness
was TO be removed from the commits
sion.
City Chamberlain Irvings related q
story of visit made to Governor Hill,
when he laid before HIM evidence tend
ing to show that Squire had been guilty
OF criminal oftense. The governor,
he said, did not think it furnished
basis for a criminal action,
appealed to his (Irving's) demo-
crazy, and said that scandals
were bad for the party; that it was dis
loyalty to the party to bring matter
OF this kind out, and that the party
would hold the men who did it respon-
sible. Witness told him the party
should punish its own rascals, and cited
the career of Mr.. Tilden. To that the
the governor returned that the
times and conditions had changed
and there had been too much of
that sort of thing already from
other sources. Later, witness had
learned that Governor Hill was en-
deavoring to prevent the matter from
being made public, and that he threat
ened to remove the district attorney
(now Judge Mar.ine), unless it was sup
pressed. Witness managed to bring
out the exposure.
Herman Clark, of the firm of O'Brien
& Clark, told about $4,000
note, signed by Governor Hill
and endorsed by his partner,
and himself. He said the payments OF
81 600 at time were made on it from
time to time and renewed till it was all
paid. All these sums were charged to
the individual account of Partner
O'Brien. He understood that these
were some political assessments on the
firm and other firms engaged in the
work and were for the Democratic
party, not for Governor Hill.
Ex-Assistant District Attorney Mccall
testified that after Squire was indicted.
Governor Hill sent for him several
times, and urged him to bring the case
to trial, as the people were saying that
be (RilD was having it put off.