Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-04

WILLIAM p. WOOD, late Chief of
Secret Service Division Of the Treasury
Department at Washington, has made
in pamphlet form and offers to prove
a series of very damaging charges
against Mr.. %Impeaeher boutwell,.
From the letter to him the following
is an extract:
You are acquainted with a resi-
dent of Washington known as Rev.
w. i. Matchett. Mr.. Matchett has
informed me that he served you faith
fully while you were upon the I'M
parchment Committee, at the trial OF
President Johnson. Mr.. hiatchett had
reason to believe that l possessed in
formation which the impeachment
Committee was DESTROYS of obtaining.
He called upon me and stated that a
member OF the Committee had au-
thorized him to say that he would pay
me 50, 000 for the information referred
to. Mr.. Matchett did not at that time
give the name of the member making
the offer, but proposed an interview
between US, which / declined TO have.
He stated that he must be very pru-
dent in the matter, lest Andrew john
son or the cOpperheads should get
hold of it. Mr.. Boutwell,, neither An
drew Johnson, 0 the copperheads,
nor, prior to the commencement of
this communication, any living per-
son, was made familiar with these
facts. Nj. Matchett subsequently in
formed me what member of the I'm
parchment Committee made this Of
fer, AND GEORGE 5. boutwell,, SEC
RETARY OF THE TREASURY, "THOU
ART THE Man"
Andrew johnson, the late President
of the United States, desired to see
me on a certain occasion, about the
time the evidence was being prepared
by the Impeachment Committee. Ac-
companied by a friend, l called on
him, and, after some conversation,
the friend made some aliusion to Hon.
Edwin NJ. Stanton, the late Secretary
of War. Mr.. Johnson appeared to
desire to hear me on the subject. |
remarked, "Mr. President, / am a
Republican; Mr.. Stanton is my per-
sOnal friend; ! entertain the highest
respect for him. know him only to
be an honest, faithful and humane
gentleman, and / would rather be
guilty of WTOnging II OF my Chill
dren than to utter one word against
my friend Mr.. Stanton" Thus the
matter ended. In your effort to OBJ
tain information, through your agent,
against Andrew johnson, how differ
ent was your course of procedure
holding out inducements by the offer
of a reward of $4,000 for the possess
sion of what you desired, (no matter
how Obtained) to cOnsummate the
impeachment Of a President Of
the United StateS-a gentleman
with whom / did not agree as
to some of his YetOes, nor did !
like the political antscedents of many
of those who prOfessedtO be his friends
after his disagreement with Congress;
yet, Andrew Johnson is as far your
superior in veracity, integrity and
honesty as the mondays sun is supe-
rior in briliancy to the dim Kicker
ing of a two cent candle.
You have lately written a, mani
festO intended for the reconstructed
citizens of Tennessee, advising them
as to how they should vote at the late
~gubernatOrial election. You have
heard the thunder tones from that
State in response, and you understand
how your adVice has been appreciated.
If President Grant is to Keep such
characters as yourself as one of his
official advisers, write out more Of
such letters, and such responses as
came from Tennessee will bury you
III that Oblivion which such political
demagOgues as yourself merit.
Yours, etc, WM. p. WOOD.