The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-01-26
THE GRANTS AND THE GOLD RING
pAMSISG TESTIMONY OF JAY GOULD AND
JAMES FISK.
HOW MRS GRANT MAKES P1N-MoNEY
THE PRESIDENT GROWS NERVOUS,
&C., DC, &c.

The Washington correspondent of the Balti-
more Sun, writing on Sunday, sends that
paper full report of the evidence given by
.Jay Gould and james Fisk, Jr., before the
House Committee on Banking and Currency
on the previous day. This evidence, in its
main points. was published in our special telc-
grams on Monday:
GOULD AND FISK
commenced operations on the 18th of June.
1859. when President Grant was on board the
Sound steamer OF Fisk Il Gould, on his way to
the Boston Jubilee. The President attended q
dinner at which seven others were present,
and the conversation turned upon finances,
s.and it appeared" said Fisk, "t0 our astonisll-
mcnt. that Grant was studying financial mat
tiers, and that he intended TO rule them in his
administration and we were still more
surprised when we discovered that he
was on the road to specie payments.
for it struck us like dash Of cold
water" Mr. Gould at once proceeded
policy to put gold down in the fall--that, with
god at twenty, the crops would not be moved.
The policy ofSecretary McCuloch was reter-
red to as having been the true one in that par
ticular, as he always kept gold high in the
fall 10 give the West good price for Its crops.
To this the President replied: "Wel, gentle
men. we might rs we'll prick the bubble now,
for it has got to be done some time" This was
all that took place then, and the President was
not sounded again until he appeared at Long
Branch in July, when he dld not seem 10 care
to talk further ell the subject.
MAKING Up TO CORBIS.
In the meantime Mr.. Gould had become ac-
quaintcd with the Presidents brothcr-in-law,
ID NIL fbay fnn lt. tn1l l.nI
over the effect OF the decline of gold on the
business of the country. and both agreed that
no man was then making dollar in Legitimate
trade. and that it would grow worse as gold
declined. Corbn believed with Gonld that If
this theory were correctly represented 10 the
President and Secretary Boutwell,. 1t might in
tlucc change. Accordingly Mr.. Gould wrote
did not indicate what the government
would do in financial matters. This was
the last of July, and Grant was then
on his way TO Newport on board Of Fisk &
Co.'S steamer. Goul! wrote Il letter TO the
President stating that he had information that
three hundred vessels were then on the way
to Liverpool from Mediterranean ports. en-
gagged TO move the crops in Europe. Gold
WAS then 50 and 81 in New York, and in send
ing this letter t. the President 1y Mr FISK,
Gould requested The latter TO say 10 Grant
that if the COVE .nmcnt would decide not TO
sell gold, the pycc could be put up in the mar
kct. the crops could be moved by rail 10 New
York, and thence by water TO European mar
kets. and that business would thrive again.
Fisk says hc had lorg conversation with
Grant to this effect, and the result was that
the President wrote to Boutwell,; but We learn
cd subsequently that the latter lad made no
reply.
WHY BUTTERFIELD WAS APPOINTED.
The witnesses then detailed how. through
Corbin's influence, General Bureriield was
masle assistant treasurer at New York. 1t
was first intended to make Catherwood (Cor-
bins son-in-law) the assistant treasurer, but
IL was opposed on the ground Of relationship,
ard Butterield was put In. This appointment
confirmed TO Gould Corbn's influence with
Grant, and they both talked over frequently
the financial situation. Corbn said gold ought
TO be higher. and he believed it could be put
up, and money made out OF the transaction.
Having got Butterfeld In the proper office,
Corbin said he had conceived the idea of con-
trolling the government on the gold question.
Gould says that Corbin commenced ut once to
interview Grant, and that he (Gould) after
wards interviewed Corbin. The latter reported
that he could regulate Grant, and on these as
s,:rances the first transaction was made.
MRS. GRANTS PIN-MoNEY.
Gould tcstiIics that he bought two millions
and half of gold at 81 Half Il million was
for Mrs. Grant. half n million for General Por-
ter, private secretary to the President, and
the rest was divided between Corbln and
Gould. Fisk testiics that Corbin told him that
Mrs. Grants gold had been sold out and nelted
u profit OF S25,O0O, which had been remttcd to
her at Washington. This was in the beginning
OF September, and 1t appears from the evil
tlrnce that Fisk did not step into the specula-
ton until then, when Gould introduced him to
Corbin by letter, which was followed by 4
three hollrssintcrvicw. C0rbin said on this
occasion TO Fisk that everything was fixed:
that the understanding with Grant was per-
feet; that no gold wasto be sold by The govern
ment and that no uneaSincss need be felt, and
that Fisk could 20 on and buy. The latter
says he was inclined 10 doubt Corbin's state
mcnt at first. but lie was so explicit in
his details and positive of the results,
that he finally believed all he said. Corbin
repeated: Il nm right behind the throne.
Give yourself no uneasiness."
THE PRESIDENT IN THE RING.
About September 10 Corbn applied 10 Fisk
and Gould for a trustworthy, confidential man
10 take letter in great haste to the President,
who was then at Washington. PENNSYLVANIA,
and to telegraph instantly back what the Pres
ident said. w. 0. Chaplin was the man Sc
lccted. He received the letter from Corbin at
A. NJ, and started for that place, reaching
the house where Grant was staying at I a. NJ.
the next day. He sent up card, ''W. O. Cha
pin, from Mr. Corbin," and the President
came down at once and, receiving the letter,
partially read it, went out of the room, and in
about fifteen minutes returned, and said
10 Mr.. Chaplin, ''It is all right Fisk
testifes that soon thereafter they re-
ceived telegram from Chaplin saying,
Letter delivered. All right This was
the Wednesday preceding the Friday of the
panic. The next day CThursday) Coroin was
interviewed. and said TO Fisk, All is now
right. That letter has clinchcd it, Fisk and
Gould then say that on that state of facts. that
the government would not interfere, the after
noon of that Thursday they went Into Wall
street and commenced TO buy gold. When
they commenced gold was 36s, and before dark
it was II. Fisk interpoates here an account OF
of the dinner given by members OF the Union
League to Secretary Boutwell,, in New York,
on this very afternoon, ut which he says the
bears failed to get any financial information.
which caused a split in their ranks and COM
pelled them to commence TO cover their
'.shorts," thereby adding 10 the general inlu-
cnce that was sending gold upward. This was
incidentally, he adds, a part OF the combina-
tion.
BLACK FRIDAY.
On Friday morning-known as the dark Fri
day-risk icstilcs that Could and himself re-
appeared in Wall street, and that William Bel
den. Il banker, came to them and said he had
heard that gold was going still higher; that
Fisk and others were buying, and that to get
in the pool he would give Fisk letter-which
sAA |.