The New York herald., 1869-03-12

|
pany. His answer was NO" he was then asked
i he haa any information on that subject derived
from ans officer or agent OF the company. lie re
piled fhat he had been told by Henry Thompson,
4 director OF the company, that Caldwell had re-
celved large sum OF money, something like
taken and that he had kept it and left the city.
Mr.. Caldwell himself. after several unsuccessful
your committee on the day preceding the commence
ment OF the present session OF the Senate In reply
60 questions whether he received any money from
any oficer OF the Erie Railway Company.
To be used in securing the passage OF the
bill he answered in the negative. A question
whether he received money from such source for
any purpose he declined to answer till he could
.'turn II over In his mind" lie also declined to
answer till he had 'tme for reectlon the questions
whether ne knew OF moneys beng paid by any per-
son. interested for or against the BILL TO any one
Tor the purpose OF securing the vote OF any senator,
and whether he received money from any person
| interested IN opposing the bill. He said he could
decide whether he would answer these questions by
| the next morning, and the committee adjourned to
the next morning 10 give him the desired oppor-
| tnnlty Tor reflection. Your committee were IN at
Ieaaance nca @ the nex day ~ TIE appointed hour and
since been before them, and on inquiry your COM
mittee have been informed that he Is spending the
season In some OF the southern States.
Mr. Russell i. Hicks, whose name appears In this
I testimony in connection with Mr.. Cadwels. was
subpgnaed, but did not attend, alleging III health Us
Mr.. Henry Thompson has since testified that he
paid Caldwell at one time $4,000 and afterwards
upward OF $4,000, which was refunded 10 him by
inc Erie Railway Company, and which was for no
specific purpose unless 70 influence public opinion
through the press. Mr.. f. Madden swears that he
was told by Mr. Gould that Caldwell had been to
him to get money, a. he pretended, for Senator and
Member OF Assembly, which he Could had peremp-
toriy refused. Mr.. Madden also testiies that Cald-
well told him. just before he left Albany that he had
seen ex-senator butcher on the Harlem Railroad the
BY senator Nicks testimony it VIII be seen that
Mr. Caldwell claimed that the money he received
from the "Erle party" was for hts services" and
tnat received from the vanderbilt party" was for
leaving Albany.
that 80 large an amount, more than men even OF
great learning and distinguished ability ordinarily
OF these parties simply for few weeks ..servicesr
Caldwell.
II these large amounts were paid to Mr.. Caldwell
Tor any lawful purpose and such purpose was
compshed. or the money used In good faith as was
intended. there would probably be hesitation
the part of those having knowledge in furnishing
proof OF the facts. II, as would seem from the
evidence, these large amounts OF money were dl-
verted from the purpose for which they were paid
and appropriated by the agent selected to his own
use, the fact that no proceedings civil or criminal ap
pear TO have been Instituted against the agent raises
strong presumption that 1t was paid for some un-
lawful purpose In that case those who alone would
be lkely TO complain OF the fraudulent diversion
might well fear that criminal prosecution would
develop too much and show too many criminals,
Wniie tne regal maxim, IN pdfb o@tctu" &c,
would prove serious obstacle TO success In civn
action.
Your committee think there can be no doubt that
so large sums must have been intended chiefly Tor
unlawful and corrupt purposes and taking this in
connection with the evidence OF Mr.. Drew and the
evidence OF the existence OF SO many rumors about
the unlawful use Of money, the convection Is forced
upon the minds OF your committee III they think 1t
must be upon those OF all who peruse this testimony
that some persons interested. both for aud against
the bill were furnishing money from some
with the intent and for the purpose OF corruptng
and unlawfully Influencing legislation.
We are next led 10 the inquiry whether such pur-
pose was actually carried out by the payment OF
money 10 and It's acceptance ny any members OF the
senate.
rhls inquiry. carried on by members of the body
whose reputation Is affected by the charge, is OF
course, one OF great decacy and difficulty. Your
comnsittee could not assume, without any
charge beng made against any Senator, that any
one had been guilty. They therefore adopted the
course OF examining. first, the editors OF various
newspapers IN which charges, more or less specific,
iiad been made, and then other persons VINO were
referred TO in the testimony otherwise as having
knowledge Or information on the subject.
Tie first editor called was Mr.. Greeley. lie had,
IN an article Ir the New York Tribune, used tais
language:-'Can senator Fo.gcr really mean 10
scout lnvestg CATION as uscesss Does he not Know
that quite number or his fellow senators have
sold their votes IN the Drew-N Nanderbit quar-
rel, some of them more than onces Can he
not lay ms hand at once the who is cur
renty reported 10 have sold his vote ana influence,
rst TO side Tor $4,000 and then To the other
100000 INSISTING that nc must have $1,000 extra for
his sony Is nc not morally cerfain that more than
slUOo9o have Deen paid 70 influence corruptly the
tion or senators IN the premises" 7"
Mr.. 6reeiey was asked to what senator he alluded
as having sold his vote and influence rsi for $4,000
and then for So, ,0G0 and he replied, senator Mat
toOn," and gave Hon. Thomas q. Fields his
thorty Tor the charge against him. lie could state
no facts IN references to any otner Senator After
detailing his conversation with Fields. Mr.. Greeley
was asked II he mad any other information In re-
gard to MIR. Mattoon. to which he replied IL do
not know that nave especially. ! have the infor--
nation which yon haye-that ne agreed with the
report side and then voted the other side.n
Mr. Fields was then called. lie gave his version
OF his conversation with MIR. Greeley and said tnat
he knew facts relating the subject OF inquiry
that he told Ar. Greeley that what he stated WAS
mere rumor and that tie did not mention Mr. Mat
toons name or speak OF any TACT as within his own
knowledge
Jha aus,ny,,ury fry,.yto contained - a..,..o
charging that senator Mattoon had received S2OOU0
from Jay Could 10 sign report his favor and
had turned squarey around and made different
report iolr committee ca,iei before them Nc.
kirkpatrick, tie editOr OF this paper, who testified
that he knew nothing OF this Transaction. and dlu
write the article, but that was written By one
4. =. siubba. then clerk Of committee In the As
scmDly. Mr.. nubOal WIS afterwards called and ex-
amined. and admitted that ne wrote the article, hat
testified Ihat he had no knowledge on the subject
and no Information except what was derived fron
some person VINO said he had got his Information
from letter published in the New York Tribune.
Mr. MatoOn himself was sworn aud examined al
ength ard testified that he had never, directly or
indirectly, received or been offered or PROMISED any
money or other valuable thing TO affect his vote or
action IA the premises.
acansl Mr.. Mattoon, examined many witnesses
with rtferenee 10 tue interviews of tnat senator
with tie parties Interested In advocating oppos-
ing tue Erie oil. lt appears that senator Matoon
made eyera visits 10 different directors OF the Erie
Ralroai Company after his appointment upon the
investigating committees. OF which senator Pierce
was Chairman. The attention Of Mir. Could General
Diyen,iM Mr. fisk, Mr. Drew ana others was called to
these ntervews, aud all the witnesses so examined
deny ans knowledge OF any payment any
oner or promise on any payment 10 him
for anv purpose. Mr.. Drew te5tiues that In an IN
| terviev with aim. berore the report OF Senator
Pierceis committee was made, Mr.. Mattoon ..inti-
mated II he would take monay n n was offered to
him. When asked TO give the language OF Senator
Nation upon which ne based this inference, he
stated that INT. MattOon said. we cannot 20 there
| and live upon what we geti and all that kind Of talk
The inference draw was that he would take money
if II was Offered TO him. Mr. Drew also said that
he had NO ground for supposng that Mr.. Matto0n
wanted money other than from the conversation that
| he had testified 10.
The testimony Of Mr. Drew was read by the steno.
grapher 20 Mr. Nattoon who gave his version Of the
conversation With Drew, and 0enied most positively
that he had In any way iniimacd that he would re.
ceiye anytningfor himself or any other person for
has action IA tn premises.
"A brief statement in chronological order OF Mr..
AaitOon's connection with the Investigation NAV
throw some light upon the question ON the 5th day
oi March, 1865, senator Pierce introduced prean-
DC aud resolution reciting that grave charges had
vOeen made la reference TO the management Of the
Erie Hallway Company; that the general manage