The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-01-25

meneed, gold was s6s, ana before dark il
was al. Fisk gives here an account of the
dinner given by members of tho Union
League to Secretary Boutwell, in New York
on this very afternoon, OF which the bears
failed to get any financial information,
which caused q split in their ranks, and
compelled them to commence to cover their
Shorts" thereby adding to the general
influence that was sending gold upward.
Ihls was incidentally, he adds, part of
| the combination.
On Friday morning--known as the dark
Friday-Fisk tes.ifes that Gould and him
self reappearcd in Wall street, and that
William Beldcn, banker, came to them
and said that he had heard that gold was
going still higher; that Fisk and others
| were buying, and that to get in tho pool he
| would give Fisk letter-which was read
to the committee-authorizine him to buy
and sell, and that he would stand the profit
and loss. One Albert Spsyer, who has been
examined, was Belden's broker. Speyer
was at once sent to the gold room to buy,
and found gold had risen to 43. lie filled
his orders and came back, and said he be-
lieved he would "buy some on his own
hook" Fisk says he told him that the
thing was beginning to look scarce, and
If he wanted some of it the quicker
he got some of it the better! (There
was great laughter in the committee
room at the manner in which the witness
related this.) When Speycr got back to
the gold room he found great excitement,
and participating in it himself, he bought
all the way to l60, being one of those kind
of men, said Fisk, that he believed if gold
rose to l60 in three minutes that it would
60 to 800 in an hour. While this was going
on in New York the witnesses state that
they learned that Secretary Boutwell, was
closctcd with President Grant in Washing
ton at 1890 \. NJ, and about 1880 over
came an order from the Secretary to Gene
raj Butterfeld to sell four millions of Co.
| vernmcnt gold. The first they knew of
this was when this man Speyer came into
the! back Office of Heath & Co., hatless and
with his shirt torn off, shouting in q
phrcnzy of excitement, "Mein Colt, mein
Colt, the whole thing is played out. Bout
we'll has sold four millions, and gots fifty
millions at co.."
The witnesses detailed how they left the
street by the back door, fearing violence
in the excitement, and got up town, where
Fisk at once saw Corbin for IN explanation
of this sudden action of the Government,
addressing him thus : " This is ID pretty
job you have set up"
"What situation are you I'M? inquired
Corbin.
Fisk answered: "We can't tell yet. We
may all be ruined; we don't know"
Mr.. Corbin answered: "There must be
some mistake. Our arrangements were
explicit, and Boutwell, must have sold gold
contrary to Grants orders.''
Later in the evening of the same day, at
another interview, Corbin said he and his
wife would 60 at once to Washington and
have the sale Of gold withdrawn. Mrs. Cor
bin said she had received letter from Mrs.
Grant saying that she wished "the specu-
lation was over, as it made her husband
nervous"
This was the last that Gould and Fisk
saw Of Corbin. Jay Gould testified that
Assistant Treasurer Buttcrfcld was in the
speculation, and that lie (Gould) was car
rying gold for him at the time.
At the close of Fisk's statement the
chairman OF the committee said 4: " Are
you able to state, of your own knowledge,
| if any Government official was engaged in
| this transaction 20 Fisk answered C.
I'm under oath, and I have stated exactly
10 tic committee what connection any Go
vernment official had with it. have stated
to You the precise Offices in which Grant
figured, as understood it on the informa-
ton derived from Mr.. and Mrs. Corbin.'
In concluding, Mr.. Fisk asked the COM
mittcc to summon Corbin, Mrs. Corbin, and
Mrs. Grant and submitted that the Erie
railroad, New York Central, and Atlantic
and Great Western, were doing a very poor
business owing to the fall in prices caused
by the decline in gold-facts, they main
tain, that justify their position last spring
on this financial question. ZETA.