The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-03-20
FROM THE DISTRICT CAPITOL.
Items Of Interest from the Commission.
erst nUl.a.

erty OF land owners within the park, re-
Gently prepared by the subcommittee,
consisting Of Engineer Commissioner Rob-
ert, Captain Rossell and Mr.. Ross Perry,
will be submitted to the commission for
their action. 1t is expected that a.great
deal of the business Of the commission
will be finished at this meeting.
THE GRIP AMONG THE DISTRICT OFFICIALS
Commissioner Douglass Is still detained
secretary to the Board Of Commissioners,
is suffering from q heavy cold and was
not at the District Building to-day.
THEY SyMPATHIzE wrrn "RRD Bull
"Red Bill' and his gang have long been
notorious in the city Of Georgetown by
reason of their lawless deeds. "Red Bill"
whose name Is John Jackson, despite his
desperate character, has succeeded In gum
ing the sympathy of some Of the respecta
BILE citizens of Georgetown.
DR.. Robert Reyburn has written to the
Commissioners stating that upon the evil
dence of Mr.. Henry 5. Sewall he enters
complaint against Officers Bloom aud
Edwards of the police force for brutal
treatment of Jackson and another pris-
oner. On March 10 last 1t appears that
RED Bill' and his companion, "Piney
Active" were arrested for assault and bat
terry by the officers named and taken to
the Georgetown station. On the way
thither RED BIZ pulled out knife and
attempted to stab Officer Bloom, where
upon Officer Edwards dubbed him into
have been an eyewitness of the affair,
thought that "Red BIZ and "Piney"
were going along in quiet and submits
sIve manner and saw no reason for the
punishment which was received ut the
hands of the officer.
Several persons who witnessed the
struggle have written to the Commits
sioners stating the real facts in the mat
ter. One says in describing the ARRAY:
II heard him use terrible language to the
officers, and those people passing could
hear it.. ] also saw him throw a brick
toward Mr.. Edwards
e"Red Bill" and his friend were con-
victed in the Police Court the next morn
ing for assault and battery and both sent
to Jail for three months. Major Moore
and Lieutenant Hollingberger of the
Seventh precinct, both concur in the state
ment Of the officers, and 1t Is their general
opinion that the sympathy OF Mr.. Duvail
and DR.. Reyburn has been misplaced.
AUDITOR PETTY REpoRTs.-A few days
ago the Commissioners received letter
from the First Auditor Of the Treasury
Department relating to the purchase of a
school site IN square 6l5 by the District
The Auditor refused the claim on the
ground that an alley belonging to the
District was already included IN the site,
and in concluding said that there must be
something radically wrong in the system
of tax assessment, as the site was assessed
for 81 500 and sold for slI 600. The case
was referred to Auditor Petty of the Dis
trict, who to-day submitted his reply to
the Commissioners. II IL as follows:
OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR,
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
WASHINGTON, March 20, 1891.
GENTLEMEN: have the honor to submit
the following statement in reply to the
letter of the Honorable First Auditor of
March II, 1891, returning for explanation
claim No. l0970 for 81 900 for the pur-
chase of lots ~, ID, II, Is and 1G, square
Gl5, as a site for school building in the
Eighth division:
The objection of the First Auditor is
based upon the opinion of Charles A.
| Walter, examiner, who says under date of
January 20, 1887, on page 4, abstract of
| title. Sixteen feet ten inches OF lot II,
and all of lots Is and l6, find vested in
the United States.' If the abstract ended
here 1t would furnish ground for the OBJ
| lection, but 1t does not for Immediately
following as the next link in the chain of
title, is the opinion of William X. Wood
ward, veteran examiner of acknowl-
edged ability, who says under date of
April 20, 1887, referring to the above: An
| order was passed by the Commissioners of
the District of Columbia approving the
| subdivision of square GIG. as recorded in
| liber w. i. NJ, folio SO, on April 49, 1887,
vision, which releases the above lobjec'
| ton"
| To my mind the conclusion seems in
| evitable that the First Auditor over
| looked or ignored the certificate of Mr..
| Woodward or that he failed to appreciate
its significance and importance from a
| possible lack of acquaintance with the
which governed Mr.. Woodward in his
| The Commissioners, as stated by Mr..
| Woodward, passed an order in compliance
with this law April 49,, 1887, approving
the subdivision under which the purchase
was made by the District, and clearly
yesting in l.. j. Bryant, from whom A. ID.
Hazen, the grantor to the District bought,
the title to part Of lot u and all of lots u
of an alley, had been vested in the United
States.
In awaiting this claim had before me-
in addition to the above, the following:
| ~ certify that the title is good in and
unencumbered in Abraham ID. Hazen.
| u. WALTER CoOKsEY,
Attorney -at-Law."
II a. M, October %, 1850.
Abstract Of title approved this Both day
geo. C. HAzELroN,
Attorney for ID. c."
'.rhis is TO certify that lots IL, Is, IA, 10
and 16 IN square 6l5 contain 10000 square
feet. as shown by the books OF this Office
(Signed) MATHEW TRIMBLE,
Assessor, ID. G.
"Nov. /, 1890"
The certificate OF the Assessor is baset
upon the books Of his Office, which ar,
made up from certified transcripts fur
nished by the Recorder of Deeds ant
official data supplied by the Surveyor o.
the District. The First Auditor criticize'
elusive of the alley" but doubt I
such a qualification is ever inserted IN ,
certificate as 1t is entirely superfluous
there being no more reason for sayin.
exclusive of the alley" than there would
be for saying exclusive of the footway.'
In consideration of the foregoing, IL il
clear that the inference of the First An
ditor, that the site purchased from Mr.
Hazen embraced ground" the title Il
which at the time of purchase wa
vested in the United States" was un
warranted and erroneous.
The concluding paragraph of the Firsl
Auditors letter which calls attention /,
the inequalities of the tax-assessment sys
tenn is best answered by the recent chang
in the law which was made by Congress
at the earnest solicitation of the Commits
sioners to remedy what the First Auditor
in common with all other good citizens
considers radically wrong"
Very respectfully, :,
Auditor, ID. Z.
The Commissioners Of Tie District Of Coiao'
bid.
Horn RANDALL GETS A LIcENsE.-Afte
the hearing Of the liquor dealers yesteI
day the license of John II. 1rego, Hote
Randall, ut Fifteenth street and Pennsyl
vania avenue, heretofore rejected, wa
granted.
BUILDING PTRMITs.-A building PERM
to erect q $4,000 three-storied house a
| 1Sl7 WVOmiuU avpnua has bapn grant IA