Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-10-15
GENERAL.
The Credit NIobiIier.' -
COLONEL moCoMBs SUIT AGAINST IT


i come OF tno fecOIu III tle CASE. lueIe are bOune
i disputed points--one in particular raised by
| 0akes Ames-which the record ought to settle.
/ For instance, Ames says that the charges of Nc
i Comb were long since answered on oath by him
| self and the other gentlemen connected with
him in the management OF the corporation.
oAKEs AMEs TRUSTEE OF THE BRIBERY FUND.
was fortunate enough to find in Washington
a copy of the bill of the complainant. and the
| answer thereto OF the officers of the Credit Mo-
| bilier and ty goluminous extracts from both |
| have already shown that neither Ames nor any
OF his colleagues in their general answer denied
| the allegations of the complainant. On the
| contrary in their general answer the officers
| admitted that certain shares OF stock were held
| by 0ahes Ames as trustee, and only denied that
they had been given away. This was conclu-
| sive o far as it went.
But had understood on good authority that
| Oakes Ames had been summoned to answer on
oath witness certain questions to be pro-
pounded him by the plaintiffs counsel did
not exactly understand this part of the case, and
| to the elucidation of this have been directing
| my attention for some time past. found with
| out any difficulty that Ames had not been sum
| mone1 to appear before the examiner and give
his testimony as McComb had, but that long
| prior to the issuing Of rule authorizing the
| plaintiff to take testimony before an examiner,
bis counsel had drawn up with great care a num-
| ber of searching interrogatories to Ames and
| other of the defendants that these had been
i filed and a rule granted on Ames and others to
| answer. 1t was these interrogatories and the
answers thereto that was anxious to see or to
| learn the nature OF.
THE RECORD MISSING
With that object in view have made a faith
| full effort and for the last three four days,
| must saw strenuous one, to learn the exact
| state of this Oakes Ames bribery case, which is
/ exciting so much attention all over the country
| The American people will not be satisfied until
they get to the bottom Of the business, and |
am deeirous Of helping them all can. l wanted
i hnff audi oil haf
| hand some of the things they would discover
find however, that it il very difficult place to
reach. have been repeatedly at the office OF
| the Prothonotary of the supreme Court in this
city, where the record ought to be. But although
| had a right az all the public has, to see it,
| the officer in whose keeping it was or should be-
| did not exhibit to me the material and important
part of it. saw nothing but the docket entries,
| which showed that two suits had been brought
upward of four years ago-one of them by IL
| s. McComb, the other by III. G. FAINT, both
against the Credit Mobilier of America, and
Cakes Ames and divers other individuals who
appear to have been associated with him in the
| management of the Credit Mobilier and the
Union Pacific Railroad Company. They also
showed that bill of complaint had been filed
by McComb, and that the defendants had there
to answered that interrogatories to Ames and
| others had been hled, ana answers 10 some OF
these filed also.
But neither the bill of the complainant,
the answer thereto, the interrogatories ad-
dressed to the several defendants, nor their
answor to those interrugatories-all Of which
appear to have been filed of record-are now
iu the proper office. Where they are l am un-
able to say. am convinced that Col Snowdon,
the Prothonotary, has not done anything lncon-
| sistent with his duty; neither do believe that
any body concerned on either side e. ~" 80 =
| has taken away the record for the purpose
of preventing the public from getting acc 5ss tolt
or for any improper purpose. Evidence mas Seehl ~
yoluminously taken before an examiner, VINO II
not now at home, and it may be that the record
| ia in his possession and out of the pubic reacl
for that reason. The material part OF the eV-
dence has already been printed IN IHE SUN
| every word of McComb5 testimony, az leHst
There are few exhibits confirm g and corr =
borating come of his statements which were no.
published. but they are not OF vital lmportahce;
The record, especially the interrogatorles ana
| the answers thereto, do contain matter "nloh
| the public is deeply interested IN
Failing to find the record, | have endeayoret
to obtain some Trustworthy informant N abo u
| the interrogatories addressed to Ames ana M
| answers thereto under oath. Ot course SUI
| could not be brought in a court Of justice in
country where all judicial proceedings are publ
| and these proceedings be kept secret; man
nersons counsellors, clerks, officers, Judges, al
ready know all about the contents OF TINS re
cord 'the einterrogatories and the answers thereto
aa well as the evedence that has been given l
the suit, and the wonder among them Is that
accurate and full statement OF the whole pus
ness has not found its way into the newspaper
long ago.
l. AMEs ON THE sTAND-HE REFUSES TO ANSWER
After some inquiry have learned somethr
Ie about the contents of this record which al
at | able to state with positive certainty. anon
Of other things bearing directly upon the prlpe
10 question the record discloses this tact-th
Of Cakes Ames was put upon the stand anu I
le qnired to answer upon his oath certain lnterr
to gatories and was asked among other things
ct whom he distributed the stock which stands
his name as trustee, and whether they we
members of Congress or not, which question
refused to dns,oer on his oath, and still refus
to answer!
JUDGE BLACK INTERVIEWED.
Having failed to get sight of the record
tried to get an interview WITH Judge Black' [
bly, leading counsel OF the plaintiff. McComb, belle
Ier ing that he, of course, knew all about 1t, a
- that ho would have no objection TO give me
candid statement of the facts for the informant
of the public. / went to his residence at fo
Penn. but not finding him at home, ana iesl
ing | this city and found him at the Glrard hon
The But my effort to get information from him
re- az unsuccessful a. my application to the CLERK
and the court. He said that he had no comlnuhl
,er- tions to make; that this was judicial proce
of ing instituted for the sole purpose OF getting
,in- aress for private injury to his client and
didn't intend to try 1t before the pubic, OF
mix it up in any way with the pohtleal eahY'
His client he said was gentleman OF the NJ
re | est character engaged in vast business, ana
90 | tertaining political sentiments and having pc
D. | ical connections different from those OF
~ | counsel-all which made it necessary for } u
~ | Black and his colleagues to behave with {
,;o, tion and delicacy in the management OF his 5
' And this line of conduct could only be obser
l. Inv a careful abstinence from all participation
any discussion of the subject outside OF
record.
Correspondent-But l understand, indee
has been stated in the New York papers, al
s,o rently upon the authority of Col. McComb,
~. he intended to prepare, or had prepared 81
glne ment of his case for the public eye,and had
mitted it to you for revision.
wear Judge Black-He did draw up apaper for
rate purpose or with that Intention, and showed
me but did not revise it, and did not &C
al a him to publish any communication whateVer'
farm colleagues, MIR. Gowen and Mr.. Thompson
of the same opinion that am on this subJe
mn Correspondent-B But isn't Col. McComb DO
lhey and wi | he not be compelled, to repel the ass
'ures Oh himself which have been made by Ames
others2
rying Judge Black-I know of no assault wort
cloth plying to- They cannot injure him. His posi-
financially and his character personally al
liter pregnable -.
1 said Correspondent Col. McComb has
charges against men in high places who
I'm i = ~ % j, y, ~ 6aa oh arpes Q
and anu - ne p,oi n.y. p'uliO NJ 49,. Gol McCn1b :
made such charges as you speak OF. On
IlVary were m ide by O4kes Arnes in his letters,
pened Col. McUomb did not produce these letter
ch0ol til he was compelled to do it by the
which the defendants took in the cause.