Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-12

Experts Reveal the Contents Of His Books
to Councils Committee.

4 to Councils Committee.
After . somewhat lengthy interval the Bards-
ley investigating committee resumed their
work in Philadelphia yesterday afternoon and
held q lengthy session. Public interest had
been aroused to high pitch by the knowledge
| that the mayors experts were to be examined
and there was a large number present.
Much Of the matter relating to Bardsley q
loans and money transactions has never been
made public, and it was in relation to these
matters that Experts Lawrence E. Brown and
Taylor Fauncs were called upon to give their
evidence.
District Attorney George s. Graham sent q
communication to the committee, in which he
referred to a statement i'll one of the news
papers purporting to be an interview with
quoted as saying that he thought certain ev-
idence In Mr. Grahams possession should be
made public and intimating that 1t had been
suppressed.
In his letter District Attorney Graham do
MED that he had suppressed any evidence, and
said that he had only requested the committee
not TO examine the bank officials who are
alleged to have paid Bardsley interest on pub
lie money at the present. This request he now
withdrew and informed the committee that he
was perfectly willing that everything dscov
cred by the experts should be made public,
with one exception. The exception was the
correspondence which had passed between Au-
ditor General McCamm and himself, which, he
stated, he did not desire, for obvious reasons
to become public until the issue between the
city and state came to trial
After the district attorneys communication
had been read Mr.. Etting arose and denied
having made any such statements as had been
attributed to him, and the committee then pro-
ceeded with the examination of Expert Law
renee f. Brown. He testified that the entire
deficiency OF Bardsley to the city and state,
after crediting him with $3.50 000 the amount
OF the due bills In the keystone Bank, was
$55S, s35.3s. He could not, however, state what
snare OF this amount was due to tho city and
how much to the state. He was then requested
to give an account of all of Bardsley's loans and
payments OF public money to individuals,
whether the money had been paid back or not.
Expert Brown testified that all the checks
Tor these loans had been drawn on Bardsleys
personal account, which had been mainly made
up of deposits of public money.
There was considerable discussion among
members of the committee as to the Justice OF
admitting this evidence, some stating that they
feared injustice might be done to innocent
parties.
Mr.. Fitting. however, said he wanted to know
just what, and to whom, certain citizens Of
Philadelphia had borrowed money from
John Bs.rdsley after he became city treasurer,
adding that he knew that the list of those who
did so before his election to that Office was very
small.
1t was finally decided to allow Expert Brown
to give report of all transactions in which
Bardsley paid money over to others, and he be-
gan by reading the accounts of those which the
experts thought properly came under the head
OF loans. There were hundreds of these trans
actions averaging in amounts from SIS up to
S25.OOO, the latter amount being the largest
mentioned. The greater part of these loans
were advances on salaries of clerks and officials
OF the city and nearly all were repaid. The
largest loan was one Of SOS, 900, made to VIM.
VI. Slngerly on August IS, 1880, on his note,
which was paid December 81, 1890. As col
lateral for this loan five hundred shares Of the
Record Publishing Company were put up as
security, according to Bardsley's memorandum
book.
The other large transactions we're Laughlin
* McManus the bankers and brokers, and were
loans advanced on the certificates of the pub
lie building commission. There we're quite q
number of them, the largest being S23, 373.25,
and all were repaid.
Expert Brown said that by one entry they
discovered that John Bardsley had credited
Laughlin McManus with 1900 for interest.
This item, he said. he could not explain and
they thought that it should be Investigated.
At o'clock Expert Brown had only begun
his long statement, but the committee decided
to adjourn until next Monday afternoon a: 2
o'clock, when it is anticipated interesting do
velopments will occur.