Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-26
INVESTIGATING MIR. DAVENPORT.

| INVESTIGATING MIR. DAVENPORT.
Testimony Taken Before the Conversational
Committee.
John ]. Davenport. chief supervisor Of cleo.
tons in New York, was absent again from the
meeting of the special congressional committee
appointed to investigate him and his methods
held in the New York post Office yesterday
sergeant-at-arms Coakley, who has already
served two subpenas on Mr.. Davenport. said he
had heard nothing Of him since the meeting
last week. Congressman Fitch Geissenhaimer
and Deforest the three democratic members OF
the committee, were on hand early package
Of Mr.. Davenport's accounts, which had been
brought from the Treasury Department, lay on
| the table.
When Congressman Harmer (rep.) appeared
the Investigation proceeded.
Ex,United States District Attorney Walker
was the first witness. He said that during his
term OF office as United States district
attorney Mr.. Davenport had presented
some accounts to him. He looked over
the accounts enough to see that there were
some things he wished to ask about, and SO told
Mr.. Davenport. The latter urged that he act
| on the accounts. He told Mr. Davenport II he
would fiji a day in which the accounts could be
submitted to Judge Brown he would be present
and make his inquiries into the accounts in
open court. Mr.. Davenport, said the witness,
| withdrew the accounts from his Office and he
did not hear Of them again.
was Mr. Davenport not in the habit Of
/ having men arrested and held under exorbi-
| tant bail?" asked Mr.. Fitch
HE was, replied Mr.. Walker. ''In the fall
| OF 1883 remember one case in which the de-
PENDANTS bail was fixed at &c. 900. He was a
man who had been at work in the custom house
and was arrested for illegal registration. Judge
Brown later reduced the bail to $4,000 con-
sldered 1t the duty of the commissioner, which
place Mr.. Davenport held, to follow the prece-
dent fixed by Judge Brown in fixing the amount
of bail in such arrests, bat Mr. Davenport went
ahead. know of another insta nee in which a
prisoners bond was fixed at 81, 1000 in a similar
case"
WARRANTS IRRE6ULARLY ISSUED.
When asked about Mr.. Davenport's methods
Of issuing warrants Mr.. Walker said: 1T has
been the rule Of the circuit court since 1878
that all warrants for arrests should be sp-
proved by the United States distric: attorney.
/ heard Of Mr.. Davenport's warrants fying
around IN cases In which had given no ap-
proval. felt it my duty to inquire into the
matter, and found that Mr.. Davenport had had
blank warrants made out with my name
printed In one corner as signing them. l told
Mr.. Davenport that this must stop. that the
rule of court must be followed and that must
see the warrants. Mr.. Davenport replied that
the rule OF the court was of no consequence,
and that he would continue issuing the war
rants, but would in the future. leave Mr.
Walker name off. Instead Of sending the war
rants to the United States marshals Office to
have them served he deputized men himself to
serve them"
In regard to Mr.. Davenports deputy SUPER
visors Mr.. Walker said: The law requires that
they shall not be political partisans. i thought
1t my duty to have list of them. United
States Marshal Mcmahon applied to Commits
sioner Shields for list but could not get any
thing like complete list. l went to Mr..
Davenport's uptown Office and asked him for
list OF his deputies. telling him that was
entitled to it under the law. Mr.. Davenport
said that the only list Of these deputies that he
knew Of was one on his private memorandum.
He said that he would make one for me when
he got time"
''He was too busy then?' interposed Mr.
Fitch
Yes" replied the witness, "he said that he
Was too busy al that time"
Mr.. DAvENPoRr's ACCOUNTS
Mr.. A. ]. Rose. who was assistant United
States attorney under Mr.. Walker and who held
over under United States Attorney Mitchell
until November, 1890 was the next witness.
His evidence vas eagerly followed by the mem
bers OF the committee. He testified that he
had been requested by Mr.. Mitchell. when the
latter came into Office. to pass upon some OF the
accounts of Mr.. Davenport that had been pre-
sented to Mr.. Walker. He told Mr.. Mitchell
that Mr.. Walker did not think that the accounts
were altogether legal and that he would like to
be excused from having anything to do with
them. Mr.. Mitchell, said the witness, told him
that be did not want him to examine the &C
counts, but simply to be present in court. so
that Judge Brown could certify to the presence
of United States district attorney in court
when he approved the accounts The witness
did AS instructed by MIR. Mitchell. There were
present in the court at the time, besides him
self, Judge Brown a nd Mr.. Davenport. Judge
Brown remarked to the witness that he guessed
that those accounts were all correct. Witness
replied that of his own knowledge he knew
nothing about the accounts He had been in
structed by SIR. Mitchell to be present. Judge
Brown, said the witness, made some casual re-
marks about the claims being very large and
approved them. That was October IS, 1889
The accounts were for S31, 03020.
''Iou approved OF those accounts, said Mr..
Harmer in cross-examination, before Judge
Brown, when you had reason to believe that
some of them we're Illegal"
81 did not, answered the witness with the
color mounting 10 his face. II told you what
| did"
Then you did not object to Judge Brown
approving The accounts when you believed that
they were illegal?' continued Mr. Harmer.
Il have told you what said to Judge Brown
Oh liic uCCd-lOD. Stlu NlluetS.
Mr.. Rose further testified that he knew of
lSs arrests by John |. Davenport, in which
there were only three convicted.
REFUSED TO TAKE BAIL.
Mr.. Henry ID. Hotchhiss, who was attorney
for some of those who had been arrested. testi-
fed that on one occasion he offered bail to Mr.
Davenport for one of his clients which was I'M
disputed to its sutficiency. Mr.. Davenport
fatty refused to accept the baiA saying that I'M
der the law he had twenty-fOur hours in which
TO consider bond offered before accepting it,
He told Mr.. Davenport that he knew of no such
law. He saw Judge Wallace soon after this and
laid the case before him. Judge Wallace asked
Mr.. Davenport if he knew the man offered as
surety for The prisoner. Mr.. Davenport re-
piled that he knew him, and that his signature
TO the bond made ii good. but under the law he
did not have to accept any bond under period
of twenty-four hours after it was offered.
THAT is only in case where you have doubts az
to the suffciency Of the bond, said Judge Wal
lace. according to the witness, land if YOU re-
fuse to take the bond offered in this case il is
nothing more than outrage. direct you to
accept the bail Mr.. Davenport then accepted
the bail offered.
BOGUS DEPUTY MARsHALs.
United States Marshal Jacobus was next
placed on the witness stand, and after testify
ing to the same things as in his previous exami-
nation last week was asked the following aues4
tons BY Mr.. Fitch: