OCR Text |
Show Falrchllii Co mew Buck on Tonusfud. New York, 28. Attorney Geu:ral Pairchild, in his report lo Governor liobiuHon upon the ring suits, endorses en-dorses the report from Peckham & Nash, counsel for the people in the action against Peter B. Sweeney, which says the case against Sweeney dilicred from that against any other of the prosecuted ringiles in that he was not a member of the board of audit or an officer charged with any duty jin respect to claims fraudulently paid. Except the evidence of Iuger-uull Iuger-uull thcra was no testimony to snow him to be parly to the conspiracy tor tho audit and payment ot these traudulent claims. He proceeds at some length to defend hia action in the case, especially regarding the eettlement3lioviiig that Sweeney's entire en-tire property was, when the case began, be-gan, not worth over a quarter of a million dollars, anil itn snip wsm rnn. fidered impolitic. Replying to Townsend's Iste nccusjtions, Fair-child Fair-child put quite a diflerent viow ou the Tweed transaction and negotiations. Regarding the written statement, he says when Tweed was examined his testimony showed that he would be ol substantial value iu the Sweeney ; action and the action in which the city was defendant in. regard to the latter. However, Tweed iu his written writ-ten statement made an assertion which rendered hU testimony nearly valueless. This assertion he contradicted contra-dicted when examined by tho corporation corpora-tion counsel. "There was then in my judgment a fatal variance between his deliberate written statement and ins verbal statement. Tweed, after careful examination, scemcu uneies as a wuuess m any action, especially as Townsend, who j was urging the release of Tweed, had nimselt accepted a retainer from Sweeney in the case where Tweed was expocttd to give testimony. One practical suggestion was, however, madfi by Tweed's counsel, that Tweed's old checks should bo privately takon to those whose names were upon them, and the checks be oflered to them upon payment of their face. Towns-end Towns-end thought many of these persons would be glad to save themselves Irom the mortification of having the iact made public of their having had Tweed's checks, and that others might he made afraid. This was to hn Hnno with nil t Iip chirks nn mattfir to what purpose they had i een given. Townsend urged me to do this and collect the money." |