New-York tribune., 1871-09-23
MURPHY,S "DEFENSE.n

NURPHYS "DEFENSE"
Collector Murphy puts forward his best de-
fense. 1t is an abuse of the plaintiffs attor-
ney. Col. Olcott is a very bad man, actuated
by very bad motives. He has prob
ably sold the damning afidavits. At
any rate he has not brought them for
ward at the right time. He should have
given them to the Senate to be considered in
secret session and passed upon by parti-
san majority, secured by the addition
of the Democratic Senators whom his
partners, Tweed. Sweeny, and Connolly,
could influence. They were investi-
gated exactly as the Colonel Gays with pre-
cisely the result the Colonel states; and
therefore tho Colonel has been monstrously
malignant, in giving to the public the afidavits
80 mysteriously and 30 innocently abstracted
from tho War Department.
This is drivel. Mr.. Collector Murphy should
understand that the case is not one for hard
words or for initiating the childish policy OF
his friends Of the Tammany Ring, in
imputing interested motives for the
exposure of shameful outrages. We
produce tho evidence that was kept out OF the
way for him before the Senate, and bis only
answer is to get very angry and explode in foul
words. But foul words do not affect the damn
ing evidence. There are the reports OF the Com
mittees, composed of business men OF known
and approved standing. There are the afi-
davits, signed by men whose words are not
disputed, and whose position in the business
community is established. There are
the facts under which the case was
forced to hasty trial before Com
mission first headed by Mr.. Murphy's personal
and political backer, and containing as MEM
Der one of his old business associates, with
imperfect preparation BY the prosecution, tam
pering with witnesses by the defense, disap-
pearanee of others under payment of money
to keep out OF the way, and such earnest
exertions as Mr.. E. D. Webster long after
ward described as constituting the hardest
struggle of his life-the effort to keep Mr..
Murphy from Fort Lafayette. There is no effort
to impugn the authenticity of document now
presented, or the absolute veracity of wit
ness Yet these show that Mr.. Murphy was
guilty of the grossest frauds in the delivery OF
shoddy hats and caps to the Government; that
the frauds were under his personal direction /;
that they were 30 gross as to draw from the
Quartermaster-G General the official written dec
laration that they could only have been per-
mitted through the cOllusion or the incompe-
tency of the inspector; that such means as
presents of fine carriages and the Like
had been found for influencing official favor;
that the amount of the frauds sworn to by
the witnesses reached, according to the testi-
mOny of the best experts among them, $112,-
600; and that yet other and immeasurably
worse charges against Mr.. Murphy were on
file in the War Department, and only failed
to be investigated through the political in
fluence shown in this case, and the apparent reck-
less use of money in getting rid of testimony.
All this is in the uncOntradicted at6davits.
Mr.. Murphy is welcome to try to disprove
them; but he cannot escape by merely abusing
their publisher:
"Till thou canst rail the seal from of my bond,
Thou but ofrend'st thy lungs to speak so loud
Repair thy w.t. good youth, or 1t will fall
To cureless ruin.
"A point or two in Mr.. Murphy's angry
talk may nevertheless be worth moments
notice. His insinuatiOn that Col. Olcott
tried to make money out of these afi-
davits is, 80 far as we know, utterly una
true. We never paid, nor promised to pay,
nor gave the remotest intimation direct or in
direct that we would pay one penny for them.
But suppose we hadf Or, suppose the Colonel
had put them up at auction, and sold them
for double the large sum we know
interested parties once offered, how
does that affect the crushing weight
of the testimony Does that convert into
good, honest hats the fimsy compounds Of
ground shoddy and shellao through which
employees of the Quartermaster punched their
fingers; or improve the character for
covering the heads of soldiers, Of the
boxes of shavings he sold for hats and was
able to get inspectors to pass for hats
1t is not true that John Sedgwick
was retained as Col. Olcott's counsel; or
that he had ample leisure and opportunity
for b fair trial. We have not yet held that
the Court, friendly to Mr.. Murphy as some or
its members were, should, under the imperfect
presentment of the case. in the absence
of leading witnesses, after the now proved
tampering with others, and in the face of the
carefully prepared arguments of the best ad-
vocate at the New-York bar, have given
different decision. What we do now say is, that
the uncontradicted facts noW laid before that
impartial tribunal, the Public, prove Mr..
Murphy guilty, and demand his expulsion from
any place Of honor or trust under the Govern
ment he has 20 grossly defrauded.
We have not yet done with him. But the
opportunity seems now to belong to his late
friends and confdants. Once more, ex-Mar-
shal Murray come 10 tho front.
The illustrated literary journals Of this country do
so much good work that we cannot help regretting
to them do any bad. 1t is subject OF congratu-