Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-02-05


suffered enough already because of this
unfortunate affair he did not see any
necessity for attempting to humiliate he
hoped the amendment would be voted
down.
Mr.. Blythe: I wish to ask the Senator
from Craven question. Did Mr.. Rob
bins make his confession to the committee
before any steps were taken to bring Mr..
| Stephens before the committee wit
ness?
Mr.. Sweet On Saturday I ascertained
the name of Mr.. Stephens On Monday
there wos no meeting Of the committee,
and Mr.. Robbins made his confession at
the next meeting of the committee.
have no reason to believe that Mr.. Rob
bins knew that I knew anything of the
| matter for he had asked me If I had heard
any rumor concerning him and [ told him
| had not.
Mr.. Blythe: What did Mr.. Robbins say
to you
MIR. Sweet: One night after the commit
tee Lad adjourned about midnight, while
passing out of the Capitol, Mr. Robbins
asked me that question. [ think Mr.. Rob
bins said, 'There is u rnmor about me,
and it IS false"
Mr.. Blythe:I desire to ask Mr.. Stephens
few questions. Mr. Stephens, had you
! anv private conversation with AIr. hob
| bins in relation TO this matter before yOu
| gave in YOUR evidence before the commit
! tee?
| MIR. Stephens here asked the President
whether he was bonnd to relate private
conversation The Chair held that he
was.
| Mr.. Stephens On the Saturday before
| I gave my evidence before the commit
! tee conversation occurred between
Mr.. Robbins and myself. Mr.. Wis
wall and myself were leaving the
Capitol when We met Mr.. Robblns
who told me he wished to have some
private conversation With me- I walked
with him to one side I cannot recall the
exact words that he used, but III it lie said
| that he had understood that rumors of the
| transaction were afoat and he wished me TO
deny the whole matter, that he had made
up his mind to do so that if the facts were
made public he and [ would be eternaly
damned. / told him that did not consid
er myself implicated and did not feel dis
posed to deny anything. He said he had
gone over the whole matter, and did not in
his heart feel himself guilty Of any wrong,
as he had offered to pay the money back.
[ refused to take the money back or to
/ deny the affair
! MI Robbins In the private conversa-
| ton you speak Of, did | not say that we
should deny the fact of bribery?
Mr.. Stephens That is what you said.
Mr. Robbins Did / not say that made
the transaction at the time innocantly, and
that was perplexed about it because some
men would misconstrue it
! Mr.. Stephens You said SO.
| Mr.. Robbins Did / not say that rehec-
! ton had satisfied me there was no inten-
| tional error in the matter, and that [ repu-
dated it in my heart, and wished it to be
as it never had been
Mr.. Stephens You said you did not
wish the transaction to be known and
wanted me to deny it.
! Mr.. Robbins Was it not the arrong IN
tehatiOn ! desired to deny, and the fact of
! bribery
Mr.. Stephens 1t may have been that
way, did not so understand it.
! Mr.. Robbins Did not say then that
had forgotten the matter till since this in
vestigation was begun, [ had resolved to
undo it, and return you that fee ?
Mr.. Stephens: You did.
| Mr.. Robbins [ ask you if i'll the last
conversation had with you Oh this matter,
if you did not say to me that if L would
! hold off further efforts in prosecuting the
investigation into bribery and corruption,
you would manage SO that this charge on
me should die out and nothing further
should be done in regard to it
! Mr.. Stephens [ said it would be better
| for you not to stir the matter any further,
I and all would be right.
Mr. Robbins Did not ask you to go
! to Mr. Forkner and tell him there was no
intention to commit bribery between you
and =?
| Mr.. Stephens I did not so understand
you. If l had / should have done so, be-
cause I had no intention of bribing you,
and think there was nointention of bribery
on your part.
Mr.. Wynne spoke at length. We have nc
space to give his remarks in full, he held
| that the man who offered the money was as
guilty or more SO than he who received it.
| If Mr.. r. is to receive any punishment and
he Mr.. W. did not desire it, Mr.. Stephens
should not escape. He did not believe the
Senator from Rowan could have thought
of wrong in this matter. If that Senator
had been corrupt man, no doubt he could
have had twenty thousand dollars for his
influence in favor of measures here.
MIR. Welker said he knew all about this
| transaction before the end of the Summer
session. He had never thought of mention
ing it himself, lie would have felt bound tc
reveal it and have had it investigated long
!
ruption in it, and moved to lay the whole
matter on the table, but Withdrew the mo-
ton in favor of Mr.. Osborne.
Mr.. Osborne said:
Mr.. President Il am under obligations
to the Senator from Guilford, that he has
withdrawn the motion to lay this subject
on the table, that I may have an opportu
nifty to say few words in regard to it.
First, Sir, in reply to the Senator from
Wake, I cannot perceive wherein the Sena
tor from Craven is in anything culpable il
regard to this Investigation. Not imputine
fraud OF corruption to the member from
Craven, (Mr. Stevens,) and passing by the
discussion of that subject, we must place
ourselves in the situation of the Senator
from Craven, and regarding the facts as he
understood them, we can have but one
opinion in regard to the good faith and in
tegrity of the Senator's motives in pursuing
the investigation.
Senators have referred to some intern
perate remarks of the Senator from Ora
ven, in previous discussions en- this sub
iect, and these have been grounds on which
! he has beeni assailed. But such obser7a
tions are SO much owing to natural tenn
permanent and to the surrounding circum
4 =. l.