Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-07-30

g.
the letter in 1919, described 10y M. Edwards,
and that he gave ADVICE he stated he gave 10 MT
Stephenson, aad, aS presumpive eNihsnce tna' ma
publication aaJ THIS leer, To the Secre's-
sary that ~ should appear dat the oigi"ai, IRON
which It's copied, shouid have been always "a INC
office OF ,he HecevsT since 1879, aud Was obviously
preserved ofi III doeumeot While The others
a,e ~ Ordinary torni the affidavit al Lppincott, on
this paper is OF studied aud singular p,'aseoogy
" hat the original was found ~ b'm on the HES OF
Official letters, apre tuning 10, aud IN, the Re-
| ec,or's Office AT Edwsidsyiile; spurasevogy which
implies that the ep"neut knew that the flee vi OH
c,s letters in winch he found The original paper, al
,hoosh beloufiSg To, had been om Of, The Receivers
office fact totally destructive Of all the pTcsump-
ous arisisg from The finding Of tho paper osthc flies
ufie Official letters ia the oitLe. This paper Of The
twelfth OF October, is s.ewn by Mr.. Edwards, rs
not The ieue, book ot 1919, in which would have
been the duty Of NJ. Stephenson 10 have recorded II,
# IL had been sent 10 the Secretary of the Treasury
! But there Is something w'itien upon il by tue he
cever Tho affidavit is, this point, also, equivo-
cal. The paper was found 10y the deponcni on the
Eies Of chcis letters apperaining aud noc f, the
Receivers office at Edwardsvilie, and endorsed or
i!ed in the hand writing of the Receiver oil Public
Money, ms follows: :" Copy to The Treasury Depart.
men,, Oct. 1919. No punishment could he indicted
for this sa,ewen, false il Abe paper not endors
ed pruvide&the alternative tina, is filed is true. Ii
is filed IL the Paper was encosedin separate Gu
! vsl0pe, with the words upon II 10 the Receivers
hand writing but, il the Receivers hand writing is
not on paper ITSELF the Only presumption in its favor
from ITS besg found among papers dpps'aining
| 10, aud noic an, the sffice.
Ii is not necessary pursue this inquiry further
The Secretary Of the Treasury could have no know
ledge oil the conversation or the acts OF Nj Edwards
and MIR. Stephenson in EJwaIdsyhle III 1919,
has he expressed either belief or opinion respecting
,Aem. WiD Was officially known TO him he has
communicated. y On the correctness of tina, know
ledge only is he sobciious. Nor would This scruiiay
INTO The circumstances OF the paper dated l2,h: OF
October, 1919, he made, If Mr. Edwards had con-
iented himself with the production Of il in expsna-
ton Of his ouh al 1928, aud his Justification of that
pat OF which depended upon his own Knowledge. l,
10, however, nov produced as presunptiye evidence
that The copy oft received by the Secretary and
Mr.. Edwards sought Tor the answei in the Office of
the keceiver, AND has now sworn that he believes
the letter ofahS Secretary, of the LIST of November,
1919, tUe letter w,em after the reception OF thai
oil The eth OF October, To direct lie Receiver TO
| tnue the deposcs ia the Bank OF Edwardsviile.-
| The letter oi the LIST Of November makes no ausun
10 suoh letter il rs not direction TO continue de-
po,iles II IL The determination of the Secretary that
the course alleged IN the letter OF Lucy Stephenson
OF The 18Th Of Septe mber which letter it appears
was also the work of Mr.. Edwards, for the detention
OF ,ae public moneys in the hands of the Receives
| dad not authorize that deteu
| Sure Me. Edwards mas !,roduceus the paper pur-
porting TO be dated Oh the Eta October, 1919, it has
heen shown that il impossible thar the letter Of
! the LIST of November should have been the
| " or written ia consequence ofii. BY the mail ar
ranse"on!s of 1919, prevailing until The 10Th of No
ventcr of that year shcwn by the testimony Of Nv
Bradley before The commuee, IL rcpniTe ell twenty DAVIS
~ ransu letter from Washington to Edwat Vile
and Icing time transmit letter from Edwardyii,e
10 Washington. The original accounts Of the Post
nasser Of Edwsri-yillc, .aen from ihs Compro,iers
oiice, aud oi which an extract is before the commit
tee, show that no mali len EdwardsVile for Wash
ugIon, from Tie 9Th OF October until The 10th of that
month. More hau twenty days from tho 18Th of
October rea~hes he, oHd The An oi November Til.
eiier OF lhetisi of November was therefore written
before IL possible for The letter OF the l2h Oc,o-
Der, 1919, Ifeuch had been written al Edwardsyie
| to reach Washington. Admitting the ia,possibiy
that THIS should be Otherwise, Mr. Edwards seeks
avoid the effect Of this admission, by declaring on
oath, his belief shat the letter of tbs Is Nuvembe.
was not written sent before that of the l2,A of
October received. Either, therefore the leue,
was fraudulenily aniedaed re,ancd until the ar
tivcl OF that documsnt. 10 find coourahle preie.,
| Tor this belief, Mr.. Edwards. as the Committee will
tecolect turned 10 The original letter of the Secreta
ry OF The treasury oil the IL, of November TO tho
Cashier Of the Bank OF Edwafdsyille hrosgat by Mr
| Edwards from thar place, which enclosed a COW al
'he letter Of the date to Tie Receiver in order
10 ascertain the posi-mark upon aud succe eded in
persnnding hmsef thar there the figure 3 in ib.
| post-mayk Clerk of the Post Office, Mr. Sweeny.
was seat Tor by one Of the committee Mr. Tavor bu,
| Mr.. Edwards declined examining him. Mr. Sweeoy
however, was examined and the posi-nark vas "a
certained 10 bs The I'D OF month which could not he
distinguished This ost-mark if of Noyep,he, was
The original letter before the letter of the I5 ~
Oci. could have reached Washington On the I9;b nj
Jaue, after deliberaiion Of three days, Mr. Edwards
amended hrs own testimony, aud then declared TIA,
was possible the letter Of the 18th October mp hi
have arrived here in time be answered BIZ one of
| the lst oil November, because it might have been
carried by private conveyance 10 Louisyilla e.,
| whesce il could have been brought by anal ,v;' b;
the required time. In making this anne g,sen, n his
| former answer, MIR. Edwards appears 10 have FIR,
gotten how much he had previously said of the safely
OF the mail, and the mprobabIy thai any thing con-,
United TO it should have mscarried {; and th',t NJ
Stephenson could n0i have felt SD usch aDxir,v -,
| dispatch paper, which it had required Air hi.
wards Influence prevail on him TO write az In s.eL
unusual means OF hurrying II 90 by a mode of cuu
veyance never before after used by him FIR m,
conveyance OF his official letters 10 The Denar,men,
! hIT Edwards, however, has asserted thar Nr
Crawlords letter OF the Goth of April 1920 was ~
SIbly the answer 10 the Of The 18Th of Oc,,h.
| 1879 In making this assertion on oath Az nj
wards has not recollected the Tess he laws nam H.,
circumstance oil the deposites having been vi,Ihai
| TILL he 3ls Of December, 1919, as proof tina, he had
| advised The Receiver Withhold the denoe,es -. -
| evidence that the Receiver did write TO Mr.. ca
ford The ieiler OF the 18th of October and that Tho,
letter was answered that, in consequence of tba,
answer, the large OF S53, l9, was paid into ,h
bank In laying this stress upon The Withholding nj
the deposItes, evidence that Mr.. Stephenson was
acting 10y his advice, he had forgotten thar he know
| (haying written Lucy Sephenson's Iener of the l3,b
OF Sepieoiber, 1879 that the depositss had been
withheld Tor months before he gave The advice nj
the giving oil which that Withholding is after war,I
considered as satisfactory proof Without weighing
tue ingenious suggestions made under oath, founded
upon paper not proved 10 have been seen by tI,e
Receiver, differing from his official directions and
yet probably influencing him to do what he did no,
do withhold the deposes ~ will be sufi Gle ny an
parenI that letter OF tue 20lh of April 1870 could
not be the of dcposites made in Decen,ber
1919 aud January and February, 1920 in all which
| mQDibs, notwithstanding the advice Mr. Edwards
has sworn he gave the Receiver, deposites were
made by HAT officer, as appears by his accounts in
tie hands of the Committee, among The documents
accompanying the Secretary communication. The
letter Of the 20h of April, written, as appears on
The lace OF II, III consequences OF The deposiies Of
1 ~.