The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1870-04-21
The Bribery of John Bancroft Davis.

ar a.o
The Bribery oil John Bancroft Davis
According TO the sworn testimony Of Mr..
JOHN s. ELDRIDGE before Committee OF
the Massachusetts, Legislature, the managers
Of tho Boston, Hartford and Erie Company
did not set about the scheme of bribery, In
tho course Of which Mr. JOHN BANCROFT
DAVIS received a bride of sixty thousand dol
lars, until they had tried in vain to entrap
the Erie Company by other means. Mr..
ELDRiDeE himself expresses II in his evil
dence in the following words:
- say, ron early IN t1e wlnter OF ls6I down 70
july or Auaustt thlmk, hhu oeen Wyhs 70 carry
which they had promised me should be made
Falling to do that IN ,he mouth o. Sep.em !s 4
cam, 70 me ooncns'01 70 90 20 ootk ana see " ne
could no. curry ne contracts oWse!reS. Ihat was
le view whHl TOOK o. " IN s"iag INTO the Ere
Railroad. That effort was seconded by onr S0he,
aud upon the krte election we put In people who
were Interested IN the Boston, Hartford and Erie
such persons as Mr. farwcll, MI jordan, Gen.
whitney. aud some o'her Boston gentlemen, and
~
uei''oA WV ''''
WINS sn"P'y o,iOy % ~
ge' ni'ise' eie''eu ,iesiuen' Vi INC h1.''
ohp""'' ""N " NV WIZ N'A'' ANaI ".
i''sn' "'u l'i 'Ie . "''oe - '"0 -
a'o NM" =, Jus " Ao''0", -u "", -1i''
UO"N'' ~ '.o" " r"., IN
'hei pi''i " mo ''''A nv '""s VI
'f''e' ~ ''0'iN4' - '"'
s 'oin p',u'H1''o 'ouoAI0 y. p,'o'' "'''
tshOhVHtI, MI 'OhN pNNNhVri D3N'i'' nv"
e''a"' 'oy VI 80 "ppea'9 go, " n"''
o p',N "'
N1 'fN"
~, P ~ 49,, .,.,,. 49,, :.
sttting the contracts hxrd with tie Erie Railroad,
nsre Mas toOUo gaia 10 Mr. DAvisr ..,.,,
NJ ~, va va suins W ie ann s Win To-
srS,so. ant ne ~. h.,,rc wnicn w.. vad lin
~ su asL W. n,I ~ W., , W p"u mn ~.
We pAl. ior 81 nlle NC wa Hustee ~ aSF
log !, ustee Of tue road: we e, paid MN 50 much
5ls,sn naaa 80 " n mrar ,D.r,r.-. r,h.
.-,r ., unust ule Dkapk.L mor'aaee l'he
-, 'lv ~ ~ ia, , anu ,v ~
mi, hLLhs-hoW nluch Wa apPIoPriA'eu ioi MS
''VTs W use ~" ; ~" SOu t, H., cs,,, no,
and the whole amount,
These fifty bonds paid to DAVIS were
-, -. - = 49,, ~,
worth one thousahu doIsrs each' anu Win
the $40 600 which he received as trustee of
,be poston Hartford and Erie mortoace
made nm tho ann of eco ooO which be rs.
ceived fran the Boston Hartford and Erie
snecnlators os a bribe for botrovinc 70 them
the intercsts of the Erie Company whose
s,ocLboldsrs snorosire, hin, IN be an bonos,
,,.n bo5 oonfdoJ 90 hin, .lo oe,,o o,d ,l,o
,o,vor of a Dr.c,or
The e,x,v ,bons,rd do,,or ,r;ho ro,d %
n,v,s :. E,np,pop s,veors ",o 5rc,, M
.on,ro.,, ons ~ o;5 ana :, .orr,,no ,b,r,
,l,o,,,, - ,v.s I,r M ,oes,. all IN. ,nors>
..o,. g., ,,,slor,, ~, ,ho, ooo,s,o,, Ano.bo,
ror,,or, 81 T., n,,,nor,s toati,norv s,.ds some
iicb, -, mic sr,io,. 7, ro0ds "a follo,v..
o.-I.ce an item here. Erie Railroad. l.rnl ex.
nsnsos for mAking contracts, $3.50 u; What
connected viii helping carry the election and for
o"Who nV hg gi'1 1Iatt A-D!nercnt parties. Mr.
lane had oo..ioa, sad the pndea who furnished
0-ihat SIS, Is ofthe money of,he H,r,'ord and
III Eva NJ pt te lime %hsa Soa sn we're
PIesidSpts A.-fes, sir.
DO a IA 70 eytenti A'-11uIre Ire
V WHOSE diIe9 iHc A.YnS; hgi nn IN
Boston, Hart ord and Erie Railroad.
Whether DAVIS also had any part of this
SUM Of Tj5,i12 paid as brihes for The votes
ard proxies by which ELoMDcE became
President Of the EdC Company docs not sp
pear by this testimony; bat the amount o.
DAvIaf bHb1 docs not matter much. Whcthcl
1t cos' EipElDGE moro or less 70 bribo s
saintly Director Of the Es'c Company is U
u.l oo,.,. NJ, ,,,., ,l, n, ,,.,, ~
'tIo "cc""h" ilc 'ac'S tHAt bANls WA
uribe1 10 bctray liy trust .hat tie nroun
oil the Lrbc was sixty thousand dollars, put
t.......-- ~. : 49,. = 4 - - ... -,
INIuuI's HpFS bh"V nc VcI4"rhuu lIc It"'Ie
- f,r yv1i,', .bo 1,rfLo woo w IL . ,lpt IL,
:! '"' 80 49, ''~ 4''N ''' '''
ruatun, Hartford anil Eric eDcculQ,ors rot
,
WIN MS nc, the control OF the ERE ulrrc
,;,, elm, Il q, g.. ..i,- az, ,,.oro ,,,1
''"'' ''"' '''' 'i'' ''n''"''S WV" '"'N"-
as LLDRIDGE Gays DAVIS was clluluyud [,
- 80 - - 49,
'''V'' "''' '''',' we i've !" i'0's y
u"'''' "''' su"''''''' III was il proved y!
Wv '''a'N'' uio'i oN'" - '''"'"'""E n'n'
H"" "'''"'' ''''' ''' "iy ''i''u u
'o'''' "]a P~' '' WIN u ''"''"u'1
O., !"'.'
'' ''''''' 49, ""''''.