The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-02-15
WASHINGTON.
Gredzf M0biliep.
The Senate Investigating Com
mittee.
senator Patterson's Statement.

WASHINGTON, Feb. Ex-senator Patterson of
New Hampshire was then called and made the
following statement:
In the investigation by the House Committee,
of which Mr. Poland is chairman, con flict OF
statement between Mr.. Ames and myself has
attracted such attention as to make it proper
that should now refer to it. In 1867 influence
ed, perhaps, by a previous offer of Mr.. Ames to
invest money for me which would certa iny be
productive of profit, gave him $4,000; subse-
quently, in 1869, l gave an additional $4,000 for
the same purpose; the conflict of statements to
which l have referred relates solely to the in
vestment of the first sum; the $4,000 it is ad-
mitted by both of us was invested in the stock
and securities of the Union Pacific Railroad
Company; during the Senatorial election in my
State was informed that a gentleman who
opposed my reelection to the Senate, accused
me of owning stock in the Credit Mobiler, and
had declared his purpose to use against me this
alleged ownership of the stock, and so drew
upon me some of the odium which had been
excited in the public mind against that COM
pany. AS no written memorandum passed be-
tween Mr.. Ames and myself when deposited
the $4,000 with him, l had only my memory to
determine what had been said as to the OBJ
ject of its investment. Feeling very sure that
had desired the first deposit invested, as it is
admitted the second was, in the stock and Sc
curities OF the Union Pacific road, stated to
my informant very emphatically that it was
not true that was interested in the Credit Mo-
bller. Immediately sought an interview with
Mr.. Ames and told him of the effort being
made to injure me; said to him, "As YOU
know | am not stakeholder in that company,
Iwould be glad if you would write to Mr. Rol.
Inns and SO state He replied: ''You are Ger
tainly not stakeholder, and will so write of
course. In detailing the conversations only
claim to give the substance, not the words used.
A short time after this Mr.. Ames came to nv
seat and submitted to my perusal a letter ed
dressed by him to Mr.. Rollins, which was per-
fectly satisfactory, and so 1 said to Mr., Ames
On reaching home found Mr.. Ames' letter and
urging against me my ownership of this stock
sent telegram and letter to Mr. Ames. re-
guessing him to give me whatihe had written to
MI. Rollins, and finally received the following
letters.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Jan. 8. 1872.
Dear Sir II have your telegram asking me
to give you the substance of the letter wrote
Rollins You saw the letter. | added nothing
to 1t after you saw it, and it is the only letter
have written him. The substance was that I
representing you as holder or owner of stock
In the Credit Mobiier, and that there were
wrong and improper influences in relation to
1t. wrote him that did not think YOU ever
had any OF the stock, and if you had there was
no more improperly in it, than owning bank
stock.
Yours truly, CAKES AArEs.
HoN. u. w. PATTERSON.
NORTH EAsToN, June u, 1872.
Dear Sr:-I wrote you from Washington in
reply to your telegram. have your letters of
the 8th and 18th this evening here on nv arriy-
al home from Washington. L stated in that
letter the substance of my letter to Rollins
Yon saw the letter wrote him, aud there was
nothing in that but the truth, and that Mr.
Rollins should say the Credit Mobilier of Amer
lea was fraudulent concern and that those en-
gagged in it perpetrated fraud on the country,
community or its stockholders, is simply an un-
truth. The stockholders of that company con-
tanned some of the best men of the country,
and Mr.. Rollins knows it. Such men as John
j. Cisco, Gen Dix, VIM. II. Macy, NJ Dillon,
Mccormick, James Brooks and many others Of
New York, Glidden s. Williams, Ezra Baker,
Elisha Atkin, John Duff, Samuel Hooper, j.
Gordon, Dexter Howe, jr., B. Alley, Oliver
Ames, and myself and many. Others. I am
proud to say that was a stakeholder in it, and
there is and was nothing wrong in holding the
stock any more than owning bank or railroad
stock, and Mr.. Rollins should be ashamed to
make such charges, if you had been stock
holder and manager in the company, as you
was not If Mr. Rollins can find nothing
against you worse than being stakeholder in
the Credit Mobilier, you must be the purest
man in New Hampshire or in the United States
Trusting you will not suffer because you are ac-
cused Of being stakeholder with me and not
realizing the profits,
am, truly, yours,
(Slgned,l OAKES AMEs.
Hon j. w. PATTERSON.
After lenthy comment on these letters, Mr..
Patterson quoted from his testimony before Po-
land Committee where he stated that he would
have taken the stock had he the money to do so
and continuing, said that with these free adj
missions as to my willingness to have become
a stakeholder in the Credit Moblier. When
the subject was first mentioned to me- ans
wered the enquiries of the committee, the
statements of Mr.. Ames being then before me,
to the best of my recollection and belief at the
time. Subsequent to my examination Mr..
Ames was again called to testify on January
25th, when, in the course of his testimony, he