The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-29

there should have been any. Col. Barr
took up the correspondence between Capt
| Greene and Capt. Garter, re-readiug sew
eral Of the letters. Such correspondence as
that. Col. Barr said could only have taken
place between parties whose relations were
| those of conspIrators-
Another letter read by Col. Barr was
that to Col. John f. Gaynor about the
pine lands, saying, among other things,
| that "it is too cold yet to go to work on
our project
What project" Col. Barr asked. does
the court suppose this defendant eouid
have in common with one Of the principal
! perpetual contractors In this district!
The letter in which Capt. Carter asked
! Capt. Greene if he could let him have ~
| 600, was also read. The offhand way in
| which the accused asked Capt. Greene to
| let him have 5000 Is significant, Col. Barr
| said. The idea of an officer discussing the
| form of an affidavit to be made by con-
| tractor under him, without even speaking
| OF the truth of the substance of it, Col.
| Barr said, in referring to the Curtis mat
| ter.
| The next letter. Col Barr said, clearly
| establishes a community of interests he
| tween b. d. Greene and the accused. This
was letter from Capt. Greene to Capt.
| Carter referring 20 the Utica business
| Another letter from Capt. Greene, signed
| John F. Gaynor, showed that Greene was
| already getting his tentacles about him.
| 1t 8vas from that time that the accused
| began making deceptive reports to his SUI
| perior officers.
on the Fort Clinch work, William H.
| Walsh, the successful bidder, did not write
| for specifications, neither did w. 7. Gay
| nor, the only other bidder, Did John get
| both sets of the specifications? The pre-
I'll, nd hnf he
| accused knew il, for he seems to have been
| familiar enough with him to call him John
| in writing to his mentor, B. d. Greene.
| little family competition, Col Barr called
| this, which looked well on paper.
In all the thirteen years of the use of
| that courteous phrase. Il will be glad 10
| show you over the work. it is curious,
| Col. Barr said, that it does not appear
| once to have been carried out.
Why should bids have been arranged in
| piles on the desk of the accused, Col Barr
asked If not to inform some one how many
| bids were TO be put in? Who that some
one was the court can surmise, when Il.
| D. Greene put in a bid on the work in
| question just as the clock was striking u.
| Col. Barr spent some time on the question
as to whether D. V. Howell was a failing
contractor. Col. Barr held the evidence
showed he was not
The answer to the collateral issues by the
defense has been most peculiar. The tesu-
mony by the evasive and the elusive engi-
neer, Wisner, not only sought to put the
accused on a pedestal of virtue, but he
| endeavored to go right through the case
and say that four out of five chief clerks
to engineer officers committed irregulari-
ties, and the only thing he could remember
was that he had received $15 month
more than he should have received.
Col Barr said it was evident that Mr.
Sterly's testimony was more truthful than
! that of Lieut.. Rees, who was kept here
for months to testify to the virtuous ad
minlstration of the accused and to say that
Sterly was a sycophant and a falsifier. The
court may judge, he said, whose testi-
mony is true.
Capt. C. G.. Townsend testified that he
! had advertised less than thirty days but
| even he thought sixteen days too short
| time for a 49, 600 contract, but thought
| twenty-one days would be about right He
| thought Mr. Sterly a liar, when he told
| him he was a deserter but recommended
! him to the accused as good draughts-
| man. There was no need, he said, to go
| over the testimony of the other engineer
! officers Much of it has been turned about
by questions so as to favor this accused
| Brown and Blandford were kept here as
| compiers. There was no doubt, from the
testimony Of Capt. Townsend and Mai
| Marshall. that they were not prejudiced
| against Capt. Carter
| Ii was not possible that the accused
! could have told Mr.. Duval anything diff
| ferent about the stone than what he did
| He would not dared have done so, Col
| Barr said.
Col Barr then asked with reference to
| the money which Capt. Carter has had.
| why Mr. Westcott did not come before the
| court How much clearer the information
would have been, he said. If Mr.. Westcott
himself could have given it to us!
| What must have been the tie between
| Greene and the accused TO make Greene
| appear before this court and make such an
exhibition of himself? the Judge Advocate
asked Yet there is one inconsistency to
which must call attention. He sad that
he and Gaynor divided the profits. Why
then were those two July checks both in
dorsed over to Capt Greene. Why did
| not John take the smaller one, and after
| wards get his share out of the remainder
from the larger one? Why did it go to
Greene in a lump sum? Who were there
but this accused and these two to divide
the fund? If we could have inspected the
| bank books and accounts of the trust
| companies in New York we might have
traced this money further. Col. Barr said.
But that was denied us. though it will not
be denied to the Congress of the United
| States.
The defense, Col. Barr said, had sought
10 destroy Sterly by bringing forward one
false voucher he made. He said he could
but accept the challenge to pursue the
avenue lined with false vouchers, of the
| effect of which he would let the court
| be the judge.
The brush in Tybee breakwater might
not have gone on Hilton Head. but it was
| apparent that it had gone somewhere. It
was evidently not In the jetty, he said.
II was certain that the conspirators did
not make their division by checks. Sc
curities could be purchased with cash, and
il was in evidence that Capt. Carter had
| 50 purchased securities.
There was strong reason why the testl>
mony OF the accused should not be OF
value to the court, he said. His commits
sion and his personal liberty are both in
question. His personal conduct, his bills
a. Tiffany's and at the painters were out
| of all proportion 10 his income he. said
and exempified the old adage, Lightly
| come, lightly 60"
II every allegation made against Capt
! Gillette by counsel for the defense were