Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-05-26

STAR"
How The Sunday Gas cite and New Ern
Were Purchased.
Bowen's Opinion q Major Rieh.r,,s
what He ThreateneA 20 do 20 sgh,or
Richards.
the BSEen ring Propose In Garry the
kAection by FSal Means.
1t win berenembered that M syor Bowen find
ing that his campaign handful was doing him
great damage BY its Infamous character, especi-
ally in high quarters, where he wished to stand
well, made a sort Of disclaimer OF having any.
thing to do with it. 1t was denied in his be-
Ealf, Per advertisement in THK STAR, that he
had furnished any money to sustain it; and the
attempt was made at the same tine to relieve
Corporation Attorney Cook from any share of
the odium inseparable from connection with it,
The absurd assertion was made, also, that the
scurrilous sheet was a self-sustaining affair and
was supported its sales and advertising patron
age. Probably no individual In the community
was deceived By these ridiculous assertions as
the fact was too notorious that the Bowen ring
were, one and all, implicated in the publication
and circulation of the disgraceful sheet.
The following sworn statement, from one who
seems to have had good facilities for informing
himself, throws considerable light upon the nat
ural history of this wriggling nest of vipers.
The Chronicle hints that this curious informa
ton was pqreh asedIb by The STAR at enormous
ON the Scripture doctrine, that IL is better IN
give than to receive But probably the Chron
tefe dses not believe in that doctrine. Probably
i ins unrIhe,s cannot see how paper can pub
But, obtained at whatever outlay of pains or
expense, here tn document
To the Pablic.
WASHINGTON, May, 1870.
Owing 70 the fact that 1 was for nearly one
month connected with an electioneering sheet.
printed every evening in the interest of the
present municipal administration better known
as tne corrupt City Hall ring" am, perhaps
any other outsider. sense of public iustice
induces me to write the following at this time:
put before 1 enter into the details of one OF
neSs one most a,a extensive frauds, allow me to
S1h win the aforesaid electfoneering sheet
MY services on the Chronicle were inadea uatelv
to Sa aoi - INA, IL was almost impossible for me
70 Keep out OF debt and appear in a manner be-
coming representative of a large mornino
paper: Laboring under financial difiicnItvs
4 applied for a position on the electioneerine
,neet, proposing TO furnish the paper with the
local news OF the morning, in consideration of a
small weekly salary which, however small. would
somewhat help my pecuniary condition. When
was told to apply to Mayor Bowen. as nobodv
could be employed without mis- observation-disclosures
ono 20; and. without making any promises, OBJ
being an attache Of the CAronieIe bejno sna;
'lent guarantee to Bowen that was i'm favor of
us party-a most decided mistake, as, with the
Exception OF two gentlemen, there Is not an edj.
or, reporter, agent, compositor or Other em-
,loye OF the chrenicts that would again support
,owen under any circumstances. Having the
ndorsemenf on Sayles y Bowen L received my
osltion on the sheet in question. 1 fulfilled
ny contract faithfully, but was soon approached |
y WIN. >. Morse, ST. ckholder in the concern, |
mo desired me to be I,t..: more abusire ia my
n Ss Is oncs mind the tis, Dc CnxtIlngly.
lh the dirty work, and became slack in my |
,aSlre labors. / received my paw in fin for /
ne nrst week; but when refusing to do any
ithheld, whereupon quit work. Thus INV
1nnectiOn with the sheet stands explained.
Willie being regarded as some of them OBJ
lined considerable information as to the none
NY affairs Of the sheet. and divers jobs of
owen, Cook & 10. when it Nas thought neces-
NY by the liking to start sheet in their a: gar;
lessrs Heron, Stiles s English had not five |
ants between them to purchase the necessary
Ter, in the foilowins manner: Mr.. VIM. A.
COX, CORPORATION Attorney, pai,. doTS -..@n for
e purchase OF the material ar. endo, sed two
'". 80 each, payable within 80 days, one
which Is now paid. The paper was thus crea-
d, and in its nrst issue two columns of corpor-
ton Establishments appeared. at 81 per
luare- The sheet was issued every evening Of
TAT week and its receipts until Saturday
mounted 70 SIS, from the sale Of the paper and
advertisements, other than corporation WORK.
= expenses were found to be as follows: SlT5,
imposition bill; $50, editorial and reportorial
,ryices; SIS, paper bill, and SIS incidentals,
.aking a total Of SOS. On that Saturday Mr..
I'm. A. Cook, Corporation Attorney, paid to
go. ii. Heron, business agent of tha sheet,
he sum OF 5000, and the paper was to be con-
nue.. Thus Cook, being the money man Of the
oncern, as Bowens agent, controlled tne sheet.
tiles, the editor Of ae sheet, he was Superseded
y COOK .lmself, aud the editorial rooms moved |
D Cooks Office. From that hour Cook has edit
d the paper, with the assistance Of B. d. Peck,
lott, q man named Pierce, one named Needs, |
nd w. 8. Morse. Also, they had the assistance |
4 a man named Baker, formerly connected |
With TIE STAR. All Of the abusive articles, |
NJ Crosby 81 Emery william J. M I,.
en- by WA. A. Cook personally, Peck furnishing
Information as to the Repa6lican Office and Ba-
xer as to THE STAB once. Most Of the abusive
articles on Capt. A. Grant were written by
Pierce The know nothing humbug was gotten
up by Cook. and the villainous poetry that ap-
peared twice came from the pen OF VIM. 5.
Morse. The local affairs were conducted partly
by myself, partly by j. Marshall Hanna. With
the exception of myself, the above named per-
.ons continue to do the work above credited to
them. ... s>l.r.
When at the expiration OF another week Cook
became unwilling to pay for the thing all him
elf, the following measures were enacted
Bowen gave his Official checks TO Heron for the
corporation advertisements, at the time about
80 per week, which checks were cashed by
brokers, and he ordered that every street COM
missioner take 200 copies OF the sheet, at the rate
Of 50 cents per hundred. Members of the City
Councils in some instances became security for
this small amount, viz: Mr. knight for Akin
son Of the Fifth Ward. Then Morse hit upon
the idea Of taxing every corporation officer
certain pro rata per week for the support of the
sheet; but e. this created great dissatisfaction,
II was never executed. Morse then paid for the
thing himself for two weeks, during which time
he printers once struck for their money. Find
ing il impossible to continue the paper any other
way, Mr.. Bowen paid for the advertisements at
enormous rates In checks, and once or twice
Owed into his private pockets to save surplus
aid. Tins IL cannot be denied that for the last
four weeks the Taxpayers OF Washington have
paid for this electi0neering sheet Of Bowen
Cook & Co.; If not wholly, nearly so.
But Mr.. Bowen desired to reach another class
Of readers than were reached by his sheet, and
he made o proposition TO Sells Martin, which
was accepted, and the Nec Era edited in Bowen's
favor. proposition was also made to Tom
Flor ence, OF the Sxaday Gasette, and happened
10 be once in the Mayors ONCE when some nego-
tiations were carried on with the man Of
tie Gdrstte. The result Of the negotiations were
that Florence received the Bullock price OF 20
cents line for "the Biographical sketch of
Ssyles j. Bowen" the Corpora alton advertising,
and a certain bonus unknown to me. Thus
Bowen obtained the Era and Gazette In con-
clusion, allow me to state that ON the day of the
late nominating conventions 1 happened to be