New-York tribune., 1872-04-11
WASHINGTON.
THE FRENCH ARMS SALES.
Mrs. NasON AGAIN-NoRMAN WARDS rxPERI-
ENCE-GEN. DYER's THRIFTY BARGAINS.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THR TRiBUNRi

ENCH-GEN. DYER's THRIFTY BARGAINS
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THS TRlBONEi
WASHINGTON, April 10.-Norman Wizard, by
his testimony before zee Senate French Arms Committee
this morning let lin new light upon the waysct
somo Washington women and their pretended Influence
with high Government officials. About the time t1at
the President ISSUED his order suspeudng thosale OF
arms, January 2 1871, through the Introductory "f ono
Schenck. broker and auctoueeT in New-hortS Wlard
learned that McKeuze, of the French steamship nc
would purchase fror 100000 to 10000 stand of arms
provided they could be purchased at. a certain
price,. Wizard kuew that Gen. Dyer was hold
ing Springfield lnuSkets at Sl2 05,. which was
dollar moro than he desired TO pay.
(,cyr seeing Mckenzie, Ward wrote TO tie Hon. Robert
q schenck telling what his ideAs 9lout the matter
wore and asking him to the ordnance officers about
- scenck replied tht, the President had just or
ered the sales suspended he thorfbt II would r0 be
bost 10 attempt have that ordo revoked. few days
later Peck told Wizard that a ls,y had come Gu from
Washington who had great i1fucnce with the Ordnance
Bureau; that she at the Ho7uan House, AMI that II
ne would see her p,chase,ccd be arranged After
sone hesitation Wizard went pFt Peck to tho Hoffman
House. and there Mrs Mason, who has already
been referred TO. Sc said that she had seen Gems
Dy a. aud ingalls, thu ming that she had come
Il .. WASHINGTON with item and that she had soIeat
fuence with them hat She could IRON the
Ednance Fureau. Her tetls were S2OcO casn ID manu-.
isord wio is q sbrewd l,usness could Hotthnk OF
rying granger S2I01cv ithout some guarantee that ne
coud secure desired and asked her Tor some
7,roof she eouN mako the purchase Aiter con,
siderable talk sfS sTd that her friends, Sycr ana
fnrtll, were not far of, and that sho would
see ", at she ccslld do she wont away, and after
.bour two hours returned, and said that the Only
yay to secure t1e goods to pay the s2SOOO down
As-o agreement could be reached on this basis, Mrs
Me son finally said that If Wizard would got from Meken
is letter her, saying tat lie would accept about
OO0o.stanSs of arms at given prlceshe hoped t.t SIN
could be sblc 70 get the arms. Wiafu od get sus'
latter and Peck gave it TO she said that she must
cetu TO EaehY .on but that she would inform MN IN
raOara 70 the result of her efforts in few days nc
never heard from again. After the first interview
Wizard did not believe much in Mrs. Mason
prctens,ops, and doubted that she had any
innuenoo with Gen. Ingalls, the Ordnance
Rurcan. ,Ee thought that che intended to gel
his ss0 0p and that then, with that money, wouu per-
hans do hat she could get the arms Ward testified
that he had no evidence that any army or Government
officer bad ever made anything by the sale OF arms ana
tyeht That the fact euch high prices had Deen oo
tsned tended to prove that corrupt bargains had
been made All through the French war he had nouceo
that DYER got higher prices for arms than prvate nrns
cold cot for them and that the Government had got at
least vice as much the sold as could be OBJ
convinced everybody OF its truth. Mrs Mason was re-
ported to be Baltimore, to-day, and deputy Sergeant
alarms was sent there for her
Tie House Arms Committee Will finish taking testi
mopy tomorrow. Mr.. Williams of Indiana, the Chair
ma, has already begun to write his report Tho Mar
ouis dc ChanJrun Will be the last witness examined