The evening world., 1893-12-08
LAYING II ON THICK.
More Whitewash for Big Tom
Brennan's Administration.
r-Chamber investigators Report
on the Horse Deal.
Witnesses Not Cross Examined and
Asked Only Leading Questions.

The result of the stdr-chamber and OK
parte investigation conducted by Com
missioner OF Accounts Wahle and owen
into 'rhc Evening Worlds charges
that exorbtant prices were paid for city
ash-cart horses purchased by big Tom"
Brennan while Street Cleaning Commits
sioner. was formally communicated to
Mayor Gilroy this afternoon.
The investiga ton was ordered last
week by Mayor Gilroy as n result OF
THE Evening Worlds" charges that
Brennan purchased 667 horses at $3.50
each, when similar horses could have
been bought by any one else for sli25o
| each.
AS was expected. the report Is another
whitewashing document, which declares
| that $3.50 head was not too much for
the horses bought by Brennan.
The sworn statements of Messrs, Fiss
u Doerr, |. II. Dahlman, and two other
leading horse dealers, are embodied In
the report.
Their examination was wholly one-sid-
| ed, and was conducted in the interests
of the street Cleaning Department with
out Cross-eXaminatiOn.
| The newspaper that brought the
| charges was not permitted to have a
| representative present to question wit
nosSeS.
| The report shows among other things
| that while one witness who 's well
qualified to judge of the value of horses
was asked what sound animals OF II
| stated age and weight were worth he
was not asked If, in his opinion, the ant
mails used as ash-cart horses by the
| city arc worth $50 each.
| Messrs. Fiss & Doerr testified at the
| star-chamber investigation that nc
horses over seven years OF age were sold
| to the city of New York.
| There are bills and vouchers on Ale
In the Comptroller's Office showing tina
horses OF eight and even nine year,
| were sold to the city at $3.50 each:
| The Investigators try to show by thei
report of testimony taken that becaus
5000 broken down street-car horses wer
recently thrown upon the market by tn
Brooklyn and Jersey City. the market
Vow stlssded Will, strong, first class ash
cart horses. which are not worth $3.50, Il
they were year ago.
Just why the market price for soun'
ash-cart horses was so seriously affecte'
by the glut OF ex-street-car horses
which, according to the requirements o
the Department, are not fiji for ash-car
horse service, is not apparent.
None of the evidence taken by the In
vestigatora shows that the market wa
Cverstocked with horses suitable 70
ash-cart hauling.
The star-chamber investigators hav
nothing to say concerning the fifty o
more lightweight. small staturcd driv
ing and express horses which were pur
chased by Brennan at the regular oil
"divvy" ash-cart rate of $3.50 each.
Nor have they in their report refcrre
to the fact that the United States Gov
eminent paid much less than $3.50
head to one OF the firms that sold horse
to Brennan for high-class, sount
draught horses for the artillery servic,
In their report the star-chamber In
| ta,,t ~
all the witnesses mentioned in "rh
Evening Worlds articles that could b
found.
As matter of fact. they did not ca
Uncle Sans purchasing agent in thi
city, nor did they call or examine ID
James Hamill. the veterinarian, VIII
served the city for seven years as vetei
mary surgeon in the STRENGTHENING De
pa rtment stables.