A. No, sir. Mr. Devlin made a report that date.

Q. For whom was the report made, for what committee?

A. I don't remember exactly — I think it was the committee to examine the accounts at Deer Island. That is the subject of the report, anyway. I don't know when it was made.

Q. Do you know what order that report was based on?

A. I don't know whether it was based on a communication or not. I couldn't tell without going back over the book, but the substance of the report brings to my mind that it was a report following either a communication or a discussion in the Board relating to the method of keeping accounts at Deer Island.

Q. Isn't that a report in reference to the furnishing of convict labor to the contractors?

A. Yes, the labor furnished the Nation Construction Company. Q. And cannot you find the reference of that matter to Mr. Devlin and Dr. Newell?

A. I suppose I can if it is here (examining). It does not seem

to be here.

Q. Where is that report on the convict labor and the accounts at Deer Island?

A. There it is.

"Voted, That

Q. Will you read the vote of November 13? A. In relation to what? There are two votes a committee be appointed to ascertain from the superintendents of institutions their methods of keeping the accounts of labor and material furnished to any person or persons doing work on Deer, Long, and Rainsford islands, and by what authority such material and labor have been furnished, the committee to report to the Commission. Messrs. Devlin and Newell were appointed.”

Q. (By the CHAIRMAN.) Will General Donohoe please read that once more? I could not hear it.

A. (Reading the vote again.)

Q. (By Mr. REED.) Now, will you read the report to which you have referred that portion relating to the contract labor

on November 16?

A. The third paragraph of the report says:

The committee recommend that the superintendent of Deer Island be directed to inform the Commissioners why the books are not kept up so far as labor is concerned that has been and is being furnished the several parties who have employed them; that in the future the roll of men detailed for work shall be called morning, noon, and night, by an officer detailed for that purpose, who shall take charge of the men to and from the work, and that the list shall be returned to the clerk, who shall make an entry daily of the men so employed; that until otherwise ordered no further work be done on the line of the sewer except such as is paid for by the contractor. The committee found on Long Island a bricklayer and a hod-carrier at work on the hospital who were taken from the men from Deer Island; the superintendent said he had no authority from any one to allow this and did so on his own responsibility, thinking he had the right to do the same as the superintendent at Deer Island; we found that the superintendent was furnishing coal, milk, and labor to the contractor who is building the hospital, charging the same to him. We recommend that the superintendent of Home for Paupers be directed that no men detailed from the House of Industry to do the work on Long Island shall be diverted from the purposes for which they were detailed, without an order from the Commissioners.

Q. What became of that report? What disposition was made of that report?

A. The report was accepted and the recommendations were adopted.

Q. Do you find on that same date the reference of the matter of a messenger?

A. Yes, sir; I read that a few moments ago.

Q. That is the record which you have read. Do you find on the 4th of January following any matter referred to Dr. Newell? 4. Monday, January 4, 92, the complaint of Charles Davies, an inmate of the House of Correction, was referred to Dr. Newell.

Q. Do you find anything on the 9th of that month?

A. January 9, '92:

Voted, That the complaints of certain prisoners against Miss Jennie Baker, a matron at Deer Island, be referred to Messrs. Newell and Devlin for investigation and report, and that the superintendent be directed to suspend the matron pending the investigation.

Q. On the 28th of July, '91, who was acting chairman of the Board?

A. Tuesday, July 28, '91, absent, Dr. Jenks. Dr. Newell chairman pro tem.

Q. And how is it on the following day?
A. Dr. Newell presided.

Dr. Jenks was absent.

Q. And on the day succeeding that?

A. The same. Dr. Jenks was absent on the 28th, 29th, and 30th..

Ald. LEE. Well, what was done on those days, if he was chairman? How was it a stand-off with Mr. Devlin against I would like to know.

him?

on.

Mr. RILEY.

So far Dr. Newell seems to have run the Board. Ald. LEE. It seems so, and I wanted to find out how he got

Q. What was the business as shown by the minutes?

A.

"Tuesday, July 28, '91, absent, Dr. Jenks. Dr. Newell chairman pro tem. The records of the previous meeting were read and approved. Circular No. 59, Mayor's office, was placed on file. Permits to be at liberty were granted to Cornelius Sullivan from the House of Industry; Marks Tillhusky from Truant School; Martin Halloran from House of Reformation. "Wednesday, the 29th," absent, Dr. Jenks. Records of previous meeting were read and approved. Permit to be at liberty was granted to John McDonald from House of Reformation. "Thursday, July 30," absent, Dr. Jenks. Records of previous meeting were read and approved. The use of steamer" Bradlee" was granted August 7 to the Boston Bar Association on request of His Honor the Mayor. A communication from L. M. Haskins & Co., about loss of package of fish, was referred to the superintendent of Home for Paupers for investigation and report."

Q. (By Mr. REED.) Now, January 19, '92?

A.

Tuesday, January 19, '92, absent, Dr. Jenks. Dr. Newell presided. Record of the previous meeting read and approved."

Q. Now, general, how was it on the following day? Who was the president?

A. Absent, Dr. Jenks. Dr. Newell presided.

Q. Now, the next business.

A. January 21.

Q. Who presided that day?
A. Dr. Newell.

Q. What is the next date?
A. The 22d.

Q. Who presided that day?
A. Dr. Newell.

Q. What is the next day?

A. The 23d, Saturday. Dr. Newell presided.

A. The records of previous meeting were read and approved. A communication from superintendent of the House of industry reporting changes of employees was referred back to superintendent for fuller information. A communication from the City Architect relating to the furnishing of coal to the contractor at Long Island was placed on file, and it was:

Voted, That the superintendent of Home for Paupers be directed to furnish the contractor at the new hospital at Long Island with coal required; to keep a correct account of coal delivered and to make monthly bills at the cost price for same.

Q. Dr. Jenks was absent that day and Dr. Newell presided, I understand you?

A. Yes, sir.

Q. What is the next date, general?

A. The 29th.

Q. Who presided that day?

A. Dr. Newell.

Q. What is the next date?

1. The 30th.

Q. Who presided that day?

A. Dr. Newell.

Q. What is done with the requisitions, generally, that are sent

to the office from the different institutions?

A. They are pasted in a book, filed that way.

Q. They are not destroyed, are they?

A. They are.

Q. Do you remember in 1891 of the transfer of a balance of your appropriation to the new hospital at Long Island?

A. There was a transfer made at or about the close of the year '91 there were three transfers, I think, made to the new hospital, amounting to $35,000. There was $25,000 from the appropriation for public institutions, $5,000 from an appropriation made some time previous to the purchase of a steam-launch, and $5,000 that had been appropriated that year or the year previously for a telephone connection, I think. think. I won't be sure about the last, but there was $35,000 transferred in that year, I should say in December some time.

Q. Now, that was a transfer to the new hospital at Long Island and not to the sinking-fund?

A. It was a transfer yes, sir. There would be no transfer to the sinking-fund.

Q. It didn't go into the sinking-fund, then?

A. No.

Q. I want to konw where it went?

A. This $35,000 went to the new hospital on Long Island. Those transfers are usually made, if there is any transfer to be made, as soon as it can be found out that we have any money to transfer, and that would be somewhere in the neighborhood of the first or second week in December.

Q. Now, who supplies the offices that the Commission occupy? A. Supplies what?

Q. The furniture-desks, and so on?

A. The superintendent of Public Buildings.

Q. Who provides the waiting-room?

4. The superintendent of Public Buildings provides everything in the way of chairs, desks, furniture, and conveniences, soap and towels.

Q. Well, you have been connected with that office a good many years, haven't you?— how many deaths did you ever know to occur in that waiting-room since you have been there?

A. But one.

Q. Did Dr. Newell ever make a suggestion to you that your records were incorrect and show you wherein they were incorrect when you have refused to make them correct?

A. Never. Neither one nor the other.

aaked me I certainly didn't refuse bim.

I don't think he ever

Q. Did Dr. Jenks, when going away, leave passes with you signed in blank to be used during his absence?

4. I think not.

Q. Did you have the power to sign passes yourself?

A. I did.

Q. What does your Board have to do with making the contracts for new buildings?

A. As a Board nothing about making the contracts.

Q. Who makes those contracts?

4. The City Architect.

CROSS-EXAMINATION.

Q. (By Mr. BRANDEIS.) General Donohoe, what books do you keep for the Commissioners?

A. I keep the books, the records of their meetings, and the letter book is in my posssession, too.

Q. What other duties have you to perform for the Commissioners besides the keeping of these books -- which I suppose fil's a very small part of your time?

A. Well, I do the duties that any secretary would do for any such Board. When directed to send a communication to anybody for any purpose I write the letters, transmit the orders, sometimes verbally, and sometimes by letter, to the different superintendents and to people with whom they have business in anyway.

Q. Who has charge of the book-keeping in your office?

A. At that time Mr. Francis W. Knowles had charge. now deceased.

Q. You mean in 1891?

4. Yes, sir.

Q. Well, who has had during the other years?

He is

A. Up to, I think, September 1, Mr. Knowles was the clerk of books and accounts.

Q. '94?

A. And before. He was there when I went there.

Q. Well, who knows about the receipts and expenditures in your office?

A. Well, anybody can find out. The books are there.

Q. Well, can you find out?

A. Oh, yes, sir.

Q. You know about the work that has been done at Rainsford and Long Islands in pursuance of the recommendations made by the Board of Visitors to correct the absence of fire appliances, don't you?

A. Well, I couldn't recall what they were.

Q. Well, but you know that there were things done, upon recommendations of Chief Egan, which the visitors embodied in their report of February 16, '94 you remember those, don't you? A. I remember that there were recommendations. What they were exactly I don't know.

Q. And that there were such recommendations both as to Long Island and as to Rainsford Island, don't you?

A. I think so.

Q. And you know that in pursuance of those recommendations considerable changes were made and appliances provided for Rainsford and Long Island so as to obviate the dangers from fire which Chief Egan and the Board of Visitors through him pointed out?

A. I know there were changes made, but whether they were made altogether upon the recommendations of Chief Egan or anybody else I am not ready to say.

Q. Well, they were made this year?

A. Oh, yes.