Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-02
SOME INSIDE FACTS ON BIDS
Certain Understandings With Alleged
Conspirators.
PARTIES USED AS FIGUREHEADs
Attorney Erwin to Show Pretty Much
Whole of Gs.ynor Family Mixed
Up in Affairs.

SAVANNAH. Ga, February 2-Cpon the
reconvening of the federal court this MORN
ing j. W. o. Sterley, chief clerk in the Sa-
vannah Office of United States engineers. re-
sumed the stand.
Mr.. Erwin rendered blank specifications
for the 1892 contract, explaining its rele-
Vancy In connection with the letter of Car
ter TO the secretary of state of West vir-
ginia asking for a certified copy of the char
ter of the Atlantic Contracting Company
for which Carter had paid 81 from his own
private funds ten days before the bids on
the contract were opened The bids he
said, were to have been opened August 20
but the advertisement was recalled and the
bids submitted returned unopened
subsequently there was a new advertise
ment and an opening of bids on September
IL, 1872 The conclusion he would show he
SAID, was that Carter was a partner in the
Atlantic Contracting Company, in which the
defendants were the holders of nearly all
the stock. Carter's letter to the secretary
of state of West Virginia. he said, was the
earliest known connection of the officer of
engineers with the contracting company.
MI Osborne's questioning of Mr.. Sterley
indicated that no understanding between
Carter and the defendants was required for
Sartef TO have known that the Atlantic
Contracting Company was a bidder on the
contract. The inquiry to the secretary of
state, Mr. Osborne held, was natural and
the specifications had been requested ly the
Atlantic Contracting Company but Mr.
Sterley did not bear out this view saving
that the inquiry should have been made
after the bids had been opened. No refer
ence was made by the defense to the ply
ment OF the fee of So from Carters own
funds.
Understanding With Conspirators.
Mr.. Erwin drew from the witness that
the Atlantic Contracting Company had not
written for Specifications and inferred that
there was an understanding among the al
legea conspirators that the bid of the COM
pany would be offered.
Ihr. Erwin presented checks that he
claimed connected Edward H. Gaynor- w
I. Gaynor, John F. Gaynor and B. d.
Greene with the big contract of 1892 say
ing that thereby he must have shown to the
court the relevancy of some evidence sub
mitted few days ago, and which the court
mad reserved the right to exclude unless
such relevancy might be established
Nh Erwin concluded the introduction of
the vouchers, contracts and checks relating
TO the Savannah river work and the Cum
berland sound contract was taken up
Edward Gaynor appeared as a bondsman
on TINS contract. and the defense main
tanned that it was the father of the de-
PENDANTS instead of Edward III. GaynoE
Whole Gaynor Family Involved.
I'VE will show that pretty much the
whole Gaynor family was mixed up in this
business" said Mr.. Erwin. BY Arthur S.
Cooper, an assistant engineer under Carter.
Mr. Erwin established the connection be-
tween Edward H. Gaynor and the Cum
berland contract, Gaynor having superin-
tended the work.
Asked by the court for what purpose
he was introducing checks relative to- An
son NJ. Bangs Cumberland contract Mr
Erwin said 1t was to show that Bangs
was but a figurehead, the money really
going to Greene and the Gaynors as shown
by the Endorsements of these latter upon
the checks. Furthermore, he said he
would show that the plant of the Atlantic
Contracting Company was used in doing
the work on the Bangs contract and that
Bangs name was simply Used as a blind
as were those of several others, to make
it appear at Washington that the contracts
were going to other contractors, whereas,
as matter OF fact, all save one had gone
since 1856 to Greene Gaynor. Carter
was being paid by Greene Il Gaynor all
the while up to 1892, said the district at
torney, but 1t was not until 1892 that the
alleged division into thirds between Greene
and John f. Gaynor and Carter began
Mr.. Cooper testified that on one Cumber-
land contract granted to Charles {. ELY
the work was done by the Greene & Gay
nor outfit. that John H. Gaynor, a cousin
of John F. Gaynor. superintended 1t aud
that he never once saw Ely about the
works.
Contracts in Evidence.
A contract with William H Walsh for
work at Fort Glinch was exhibited. Mr.
Cooper said Walsh was a foreman for
Greene and Gaynor. The check in pay
ment was indorsed by Walsh to the order
of John F. Gaynor Other contracts were
introduced for work at Darien and the
mouth of the Altamaha river the allega-
ton being that the work was really done
by Greene and Gaynor, and the checks
ndorsed to them. Similar exhibits were
made relative to contracts for the improve
ment of the Savannah river at Augusta,
Ga.
J. L. Gallagher, who in 1892 was pay
master and bookkeeper for the Atlantic
Contracting Company, Stated that he had
gone to Augusta in that year to pay or
with the Atlantic Contracting Companys
money the labor working under a contract
that had been let to William H. Walsh
Mr.. Erwin stated that he had introduced
all save two contracts, and that he thought
he had established the connection of the
defendants with them. He then introduced
table showing the amounts of contracts
let in the Savannah district from 1890 90
1895, and the nswepaper advertising re-
lating to them, his contention being that
far less than the usual time for such ad-
vertising to run was observed by Carter
Objections to this evidence were inter-
posed by the defense, and the court took
the matter under consideration, adtourning
until tomorrow.