The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-07-30
AUDITOR M'CAMANT SUP
POSED TO HAVE FIN
GERED SOME OF
THE FUNDS.
THE NEWSPAPERS ARE IN 1T.
They Pay Forty Per Cent Rebate to tn
Big BOOdler on Advertising Contracts
A Very Pretty Aggregation
of Piebiters.


committee of the council that is in
quiring into City Treasurer John
Bardsleys malfeasance in the Office,
and officers of the wrecked Keystone
National bank, met this afternoon. A
lumber of witnesses have been sub
p9naed, including editors and pub
| fishers of papers that are alleged to
have paid 40 per cent rebate TO Bards
ley on public advertising and Auditor
General Camant, who is alleged to
have received a share of the rebate.
VIM. H. Kimball and VIM. l.. Ell
kins, traction railway magnates, testi
| fed as to their connection with Bards-
| ley in certain transactions in stock.
They showed that they had loaned
Bardsley money with which to buy
Philadelphia and Chicago traction
shares, and that he had closed the deal
at profit. AS far as they knew he
had not used any public money in the
transaction. This McCamant auditor
general of the state, who with Bards
ley had control of the letting of the adj
vertising of the mercantile appraisers
list to be published in four newspa-
pers of Philadelphia, also testified.
Reports OF experts who examined
Bardsley's books, recently showed
that check had apparently been sent
to Mr.. McCamant for $l,444.49, being
one half OF the rebate of 40 per cent on
over $40, 900 worth of advertising, paid
| by the four newspapers in 1890
McCamant denied emphatically that
he ever received directly or Indirectly
one penny of this money. He also
| denied that various sums credited on
the stubs OF Bardsley's check book to
'Mc" had ever been received by him.
| He stated thai the advertising bust
ness had been transacted through Capt.
| II. w. Griffin, who had for a number
of years been employed in the audi
tor generals department and who
had charge of such matters. Witness
had reason TO believe that rebate
was paid for the reason that Capt
Griffin had intimated to him that Ger
tain political debts had to be paid and
that they were settled in this way
He also understood that newspapers
that did not get advertising were taken
care of by those that did get it. Capt
Griffin died in 1890 and McCamant ex-
pressed his sorrow that he was not
alive now so that he could himself ex
plain his connection with the unpleas.
ant business.
After McCamant had left the stand
and room Committeeman Etting stated
that notwithstanding the auditor
| generals denial it had been his ct
ting's) intention to examine him upon
| certain documentary evidence in his
| possession, but upon advice from the
district attorney that it would be I'M
| wise to make public disclosure of the
contents of the documents at this time,
he had refrained from questioning
witness.
Clayton McMichael of the North
American, Robert j. Cook of the
Press, William p. McCully of the Bull
letin, Edward Morwitz of the German
Democrat, proprietors or managers of
papers alleged to have paid the re-
bates on the mercantile appraisers
list OF advertising, were sworn last.
Their testimony was to the effect that
they would not get advertising with
out paying a commission of 10 per
cent to the person bringing it to them,
and as they could print the matter and
make profit after paving the
commission, they did so as q matter
of business. None of them had any
knowledge that the commission was
to go either to Bardsley or the audit
ing general. Cook admitted that
Capt. Griffin was the man to whom he
paid the commission. When asked
who got the commission in 1891, Capt
Griffin having died in 1890, Mr.. Cook
declined to reveal the name, saying
that the person was not public Off
cial, and it would be unfair to make
his name public. McCully also ac-
knowledged that Capt. Griffin was the
man to whom he paid the commission.
The committee then adjourned.