Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-08-31
THE CoNsPIRAToRs.

| mediate and more earnest attention is Tho
State ticket, for upon the preliminary OF
October struggle will depend the contest
! To this point will be directed every effor
to deceive aud divide. We already fine
| that Gen. Hartranft is the mark for ever,
venomous arrow, and, since we must beal
the shock of the battle, it is our duty a.
| good Republicans, all the more firmly tc
stand by him. l, for one, have good rea.
son to know that his personal and ollicia
| integrity is above reprOach. Late in the
| legislative session of last winter, ] was un.
willingly made acquainted with those who
are now, and were then, iii conspiracy
against him, About nine O'Clock in the
morning, received note requesting my
presence at one of the rooms OF the Lochici.
There was introduced by one of my con-
stituents, who it was subsequently shown,
was one of Evans securities, to George o.
Evans, accused of appropriating 1921 800
OF the States mOneye, to DIR. Payne, the
Attorney General Slrohau, and others.
These parties wished me to introduce to
the House a series of resolutions impeach-
ing the honesty Of lIartranft in his man.
agcment of the auditing department. and
of Mackey, the chief of the Treasury. They
went into long explanation Of their pro-
posed movement, and endeavored to pledge
me that if became its Legislative cham
pion, my name should be heralded through
out the State and nation as "model re-
iormern They spoke largely Of their pow
er and means, saying that they could con-
tro! 5000, 900, not for the purpose of pur-
chasing votes in favor of the resolutions,
but as moral support to the movement
that this amount and this support would
come through some unnamed channel of
n . .
papers that could be freely counted upon
to back the undertaking by glowing arti-
cics and such evidence as would at least
waken suspicion in the public mind.
Among these newspapers were named the
New York Tribune and Sun, the Philadel-
pha Press, aud Lancaster, Harrisburg and
Pittsburg journals Of large influence. An
introduction of the resolutions would be
Immediately followed by flaming articles
from these and other sources, and, if ne
cessary, the question could be pushed in
the Legislature by speeches, aud evidence
could be procured sufficient To inure Hart
ran!t'S chances for nomination and cleo
ton. When asked for this evidence, a
draft, note, one or two private letters,
and tn books of Yerkes 4 Co, were shown
An examination of an hour convinced me
that nothing in the least degree tangible
was produced and subsequent develop
ments have shown that every atom of testi-
nory bore only upon private and personal
transact Uns-that none Of them were in
any way connected with the Use of the
State ihnds. When the objection was urg-
ed they could not meet it, and the party
plainly showed by word and act that their
object was only to cast an improper suspi-
cion-this for purposes Of their otyn--this,
n l,pt t,ll = 1,
ans nasked kd2 % r9qSYt 9Yt tMGSE M
as confidential, | told them that Ilartranit
ought to know 1t; that as n friend would
tell him, and his after conduct would attest
his guilt or innocence. Somewhat to my
surprise, they then manifested n willing
ness that he should be Informed of what
had transpiyed, and then my suspicious
were confirmed that the whole movement
was designed to scare him of from q pro-
per prosecution. /, however, told Hart
ranft a few minutes after His reply was
These parties have. for the last twenty
four hours, been trying to get some one to
introduce their resolutions, and only last
night they offered me S5S, 600 to withdraw
the prosecution. and / refused. The low
est amount due the State may be based up
on the decision or bail fixed by Judge
Pearson, and that is 100000. The suit
shall not be withdrawn until the State gets
her due, and If these parties want investl-
CATION they can have IT. Then followed,
not the introduction of Evans Il Co., for in
common with myself every one approached
refused to touch them, but those requested
bv Uartranft, and those which lead to the
investigation, wherein llartranft was unan-
imously acquitted, and some Of tile Evans
ring was condemned.
THE NEWSPAPERS THAT WERE IN THE
CONSPIRACY.
| have shown sufficient to satisfy al rea-
souabic men that there was il conspiracy
hcrc--a conspiracy first to threaten, then
to trighten, and finally to 40 injure Hart
rauft as to lead him. in order to preserve
his chances for the Gubcrnatoria! nominal
ton ahd election, to bctray The State; and
let those who wrong it 90 free. But lie has
Welded to hone Of their threats, and has
met all of their assaults. Yet another
word in this connection; and | will show
YOU that the conspiracy had more force
than | believed-had much of its 5oasted
power Why, the very papers named by
these men as pledged to the moral support
of their movement, each and all, with SIN
gular unanimity, opposed the State ticket
rs soon as it was nOminated-and did IL
under that vague cry OF reform, which II
was calculated would be potent with me,
since was chairman of that committee In
the House, and had early in the session in
troduced bill to correct all treasury mis-
management. | would have been glad of
any evidence 20 support this measure, but
would have wofully failed if reliance had
been placed upon that produced by Mcssrs.
Evans, Payne s Co. Yet more, this evil
deuce, said TO be in the private keeping OF
these men, has since appeared in the col,
umns of the Press, Lancaster Express. and
other papers opposing the ticket. Who
supplicd itY Who else than those still
bent upon keeping within their possession
the S29l 900 reserved as commissions for
collecting the war claims of the State!
These and other facts would not be new
to YOU if YOU had full opportunity to exam
inc the entire case-to search the records
for a like explanation touching all that
could then be known was made by me be-
fore the Legislature after tile appearance in
the Sun of one of the tlaniiIig articles
threatelied by the Evans totere. Tile only
additional charge, that Hartrantt has been
engaged in specializing m the bonds of tile
sinking fund, was met by the State TIea'