Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-01-30
UNION AND AMERICAN.
ROSS AND POMEROY.
4 Renaissance Of Impeachment
An Unpublished Chapter or the Great
HurIy-BurIy-Secret of the Foul
Conspiracy Coming to Light.

Hurry OF the Foul
Conspiracy Coming to Light.
Ex-senator Ross, of Kansas, is editing a
paper at Co1eyville, in that State, the last
number of which gives chapter of the Sc
c1et history of the impeachment farce. We
reproduce it as follows:
We promised our readers last week that
we would, in this number of our paper.
pay our respects to that portion of Senator
Pomeroy's open letter which related to the
subject of the impeachment. With the
general history Of that subject the public is
already quite familiar; but, of the hidden
springs which moved those who were the
means of bringing on the trial, and the in
famous means that were resOrted to by a
portion Of the members OF Congress, and
Of the lobby, to secure the conviction of
Mr.. johnson, very little is known by the
public at large. How, to begin with, Mr.
Grant was to be beaten at Chicago; how
this Senator's friend was to be Secretary
Of such Department, and that Represent
Ative's friend of another; how the ap-
polntments in this Department were
to 90 to that Senator, and the ap-
pointments in that Department were
70 be controlled BY another
Representative; how, in fact, every identical
Office in this Government, from the Presi-
dency down 10 the smallest crossroads
postoffice, was farmed out TO this, that and
the other Senator and member, in consider
alton oftheir support of the cause ofthe i'm
parchment, and, the more important the Ia
6uence brought to bear, the more and better
The Offippc IN no pOptr0llpI how ha
peachment finally degenerated, long be-
fore its close, into a stupendOus and dam
nable conspiracy for the robbery and plum
der Of this Government and people; how
the doubtful Republicans, as they were
called, were directly and daily threatened
with assassination by the vicious mob that
then filed the City OF Washington, waiting
the removal Of Johnson in the hope of get
ting Office, If they finally refused to support
the impeachment-all Of this, in its details,
is yet to be written. The impeachment of
johnson was merely pretext on the part
of the conspirators. Any other road to the
desired result would have answered as well
that would have promised the same degree
Of success.
Inasmuch as Mr.. pOmeroy has seen fit to
deny our charge that he attempted to infu-
ence the result by the use OF money and
has, in addition, seen fit to cliticise our own
action in that matter, we propose now to
conflne Ourself to that portion of the history
Of the case in which he was an actor,
leaving other portions of its history for a
future chapter.
That Mr.. Pomeroy attempted to sell his
own vote for a sum Of money the country
has already been advised; but the precise
manner In which he proposed to do it is not
so well known. His first attempt appears
to have been through an application to the
then Postmaster General, Mr.. Randall, for
the appointment in the Postal Department
Of his friend, Mr.. James f. Legate. The
story runs in this wise. and there is excel
lent ground for belief in its correctness: MIR.
Jegste had been a useful friend to Pome-
roy, often furnishing him with much needed
brains, and POmerOy naturally desired to
repay him. In this letter he promised that,
If the appointment could be had, the Presi-
dent could depend upon his friendship,
seven in case Of his impeachment" This
was during the tendency Of the articles Of
Impeachment in the House. and when It
was considered doubtful whether they
would pass.
After they had passed he'HOuse, and the
case was pending in the Senate, Mr.. Pom
eroy, foreseeing that there was still doubt
about the result, and naturally (for him)
desiring to ''turn an honest penny" wrote
TO Mr.. Edmund Cooper, the Private Secre-
tary Of the President, assuring him that
'auy arrangement made with his brother
ln-law, Mr.. Gaylord, would be carried out
by him." This letter was given to Mr..
Legate, and by him to Mr.. GAYLORD, for de-
HWaru IN 70 hn Oh 70, g.
Mr.. Legate and Mr.. Gaylord went together
10 Jackson Square, Immediately in front Of
the Presidents house, where they parted,
Mr.. Gaylord going to Cooper, and Legate
remaining. Arriving at Cooper's, GalyOrH
opened negotiations. The sum finally
agreed upon was $4,000. When the money
came to be counted out, however, GAYLORD
found that a part Of it consisted of check
on IRE Of the Washington banks. This,
of curse, would not do, as it would
lead to unpleasant disclosures. Gay
lord insisted that the whole should be in
currency, and Cooper insisted on putting in
the check. On this disagreement the whole
matter fell through. Gaylord, going back to
Legste in the park, aud informing him that
"There was no use talking" tore POme-
roy's letter into bits, and dropped it on the
ground. After few minutes conversation
they parted, going out Of the Park by diff
ferent ways. No sooner, however, was
Gaylord out of sight than Legate returned
gathered up the scraps Of the letter, pasted
them neatly together on piece of card pa
per, and had them photographed. In this
shape the letter is quite complete, as quite a
number of our citizens who have seen 1t
can testify. POmerOy first bought the neg
alive of Legste, paying him a large amount
Of money therefor, thinking DOUBTLESS that
he was thus destroying all trace of the
damaging missivs, only to find that Legate
had had the foresight to have tIcO negatives
taken. PomerOy has since paid various
sums of money TO purchase Legate's 81
lence. This is Legate's story, given to rs
BY himself, with authority to use II. The
essential facts are also substantially cor
roborated by Mr.. Cooper.
Failing in his negotiations with Mr.. John
Een, PomerOy takes a 'new departure"
He suddenly becomes intensely Jealous for
conviction. So thoroughly convinced had
be become, on the failure 10 secure ready
money, that the President ought to be i'm
peached aud removed for 'fhe good of the
country, "an / having an unlimited faith in
the power Of money for the accomplish
ment OF good purposes, that he announced
his willingness to advance a large sum of
money for the vote necessary to secure that
object. Mr.. Legste was the clearer of dis
matches" In this as in other negotiations.
A Mr.. Shaeffer, friend Of the Hon. B. F.
Butler, can also tell something about this