Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-02-12

couH WhafeVer. Turner state that have not
the slightest knowledge, recollection or belief
that i ever heard there was, OF could be. any
cash dividend on the credit mobilier till the dis
eussiono OF last fall, and am as positive as can
be OF any fact in the past, that Mr.. Amcs never
spoke TO me Of this last dividend, and never paid
or preferred TO me in person or through any
other channel, any check or money or bonds ON
that or any other account. IL seems To be inn
possible and incredible that 1 should have re-
ceived the check without remembering that
addition to my income, and especially in check
drawn 80 singnlarly TO initials, and not contain
ing my name at ALI. Nor could have talked To
him when he failed, as did. about letting the
$500 go which had paid him on the dividend
stock, if he had paid me overplus of SEQ.
must add that till to-day have never heard of
the certificate for Al 800 OF Union Pacisc bonds,
SEQ interest on which Mr.. Ames says he paid me
in January, 1859, and 1 would not have been
more astounded TO have been charged by him
with the assassination of one or his own family
than have been by discharges that he paid me
either 81 200 or $50 on any account whatever on
the stock that had abandoned.
L Will add that for over four years have
spoken in my family OF this transaction exactly
as described il in my testimony OF January Z /,
namely, that had contracted to purchase, had
paid about 500. had heard OF threatened and
acrimonious litigation amongst its principal
stockholders, and had, therefore, abandoned il
without receiving any dividend or certificate,
but at loss Of the money had paid upon it.
And Of the fact of these conversations 1 will
produce evidence. i come now to the bank de-
post OF 81 200 in bills from June ~, 1863 ami
the committee will remember that ! really In
s WI the examination ah Of my banking accounts
counts at the First National Bank, where all
my checks deposited would be found indorsed
by me, whether payable to order or bearer
Difficult as IL is to recall all the transactions of
five years ago in a public mans life, will state
TO the committee where all the money came
from deposited from june -, 1868, and win
ceeding my nomination for the ONCE now hold.
The total deposit was 81 ,a6s. 63, and there being
no previous deposit later than the LIST of June. It
shows that this amount was the accumulation of
moneys paid to me during the intervening three
weeks. This Is also proven by the dates of the
checks deposited. One check was for $3.50
dated June -, signed byJ; n. Seymour, since
f. G. Cardin, and one for $500, dated June IL .
signed by I. Denny & Co., none of them having
the slightest connection with the subject Of in
vestigation before this committee OF the de-
post of bills, $780, am positive, were paid me
by my stepfather Mr.. Matthews, On account OF
a debt he owed me. In December, 1851. paid
through ". 4. Metserotf, for his daughter. the
check for which is in the bank, and agreed to
wait for the most Of Ii till the summer, when he
expected to be better able to pay me.
After my nomination In May, 1868, had
numberless appeals for contributions for pOliti-
cal expenses, professions, bands, charity, re-
lgous aid, &C., and mad promised to contrib
ute as promptly and largely as possible to the
legitimate expenses Of the canvass in my own
sharply contested state OF Indiana / therefore
asked Mr.. Matthews to pay me his Indebtedness
as soon as he could raise it to assist me in meet
ing those demands incident to my new position.
During the month of June, 1868, and, as nearly
as can fix the time, about the middle of the
month, he paid me 500 in bills, OF account;
and early the next month he paid me another
instalment, completing the whole payment be-
fore Congress adjourned, late in July. am
very confident that this 500 formed part of this
between the deposits OF June and y. About
the time OF this payment, and, as near as can
fix the date, about the middle OF the month of
june, and very soon after the payment by Mr..
Matthews, was opening my letter mail at the
breakfast table, In accordance with my usual
custom, and found an envelope within an en-
velope postmarked New York. On opening the
inner envelope ! found it contained a letter
written by George +. Nesbitt, congratulating
me most cordially and warmly on my nomi-
nation for the Vice Presidency, and saying
fdentially the remittance enclosed, to aid
vass, but wished It kept secret, as
ever know Of it unless / told them. inclosed in
bill of one thousand dollars 1t was as crafty
ing as 1t was liberal, and holding up the letter
and the bill asked the attention of all my fam
lily to 1t, and then read them the letter. The
fact Of sending so large bill by mail was com
mented on, and the magnitude of the gift was
discussed, when Mr.. Matthews remarked that IL
came in good time, either he or then referring
specially to the appeal of Mr.. Conner. chairman
OF the indiana republican committee, for money
active progress there. The bill was then passed
around from hand to hand and examined. /
am sure deposited il with the 500 had re
eslved from MIR. Matthews, and purchasing on
the same day, as the bank books show, draft
Tor the exact amount OF this remittance. and I'm
exact accordance with the donors wish and ex-
actly as discussed at my table at the time and
seent !! az Qofe 70 the chairman Of the republi-
can committee at indianapolis. Fortunately
this does not rest Oh my own testimony alone.
Living witnesses Will tell the committee that
they remember the receipt OF this bill
was inclosed, and that it was at once dis
cussed how it could be used to carry out
Mr.. Nesbitt's desire, and the draft presented and
sSoIn to by the cashier Of taesbank proves that
and RENTED out of my deposit draft for 81 900
to the chairman Of the Indiana state committee.
That draft, Endorsed by Mr.. Conner, was found
tee the next day after the bank deposit was tes-
tilted to, my counsel at the time promising to
connect 1t with my evidence. My family at the
my step-father, Mr.. Matthews, and my half,
sister, Mrs. Hollister, whose residence is in a
distant territory beyond the Rocky mountains
l said 1t was fortunate there were living witt
nesses to this besides myself, for on a thorough
examination Of the accounts and papers of Mr.
Nesbitt, made by his executor at my request
{Mr. Nesbitt having died the next year, no
trace of 1t is there found. He had carried out
exactly what he wrote, that 1t was intended to
be NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. even to his family
and II it was revealed it would have to be by me-
and he evidently sent il in bill the more surely
to accomplish the object. During the last eight
or ten years the accumulation of my letters has
been SO extraordinary that it has been my regu-
lar habit to destroy fully nine tenths of them.
Those that are not destroyed are not filed, but
kept in their envelopes until they crowd
my drawers and tables, and are then tied
up, but not chronolOgically, to be slowed
- wherever room for them can be found
Mr.. Chauncey, one of the House en-
p$0y - 1fter 1 had left that wing Of the Capitol
for eSenate wing, in 1863, happened to find a
box full of old letters thus tied up, the loss of
which had entirely overlooked. 1 have gone
three times over all the letters have preserved
and have not found this letter or any political
letters for June, 1868. The Acknowledgement of
this draft Of 81 600 sent to Indiana cannot be
found, though fortunately the bank was able to
find the draft itself. The letters ACCOMMODATING
the three checks deposited ON the 22d Of June
have also been destroyed, SO that am unable
10 produce either OF the Eve letters RELATING to
the transactions OF that day. remember dis
ttnctly that after my nomination nv mail in
creased enormously, amounting to fifty, If not
sometimes one hundred, letters Per day, and
their preservation seemed so impossible that
remember, as others do, more than once almost
alling awaste- basket with the fraRments 81 de-
stroyed letters. But, Is have said, besides
the draft, which testifes for itself, there are
living witnesses here to prove that lrecefved Ct
that time this 81 900 bill, one Of them having
made ree-thousand- mile midWinter journey
alone otell tAisconmittee her recollectien Of it