The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-02-12

mittee was thoroughly acquainted with these
matters, having had it all in the testimony, and
if there were any inconsistencies the committee
could judge for ITSELF He thought this was
waste of time and going over what the COM
mittee already had.
The witness further testified he did not re
l men OF having got any receipt from MI
CoIax and never said so to any person. Re-
a mempeIed ne gave to Mr. Colfax the check for
Sl2oO when he made his statement in Deecm-
per to the effect that he could not remember il
ne had paid once to Mr. Colfax any dividend.
he had seen the memorandum and HE ,nano
r. was not refreshed.
Odd you mean then to tell n lie or tha
truth? WIG
Mr.. Ames-I won't answer that question. IT
is an impudent one.
In explanation of his former testimony wit
ness said he desired to make it as easy as he
could for those men and he had probably erred
on their side, bnt now they come here to make
him out liar.
After much bantering of words between Mr.
Clark, as counsel for Mr.. Ames, and Mr. Hall,
as counsel for Mr.. Colfax, Judge Poland an
nOunced that unless this was stopped the COM
mttee would be compelled to dismiss both of
them, as there was great chattering for moth
ing
Mr. Ames-I have been thinking so ever
since he began. daughter
Witness was positive he either gave or show
ed Mr.. Colfax statement showing the balance
due, ETC., and he (Colfax) gave check for the
balance. 1t is not probable that he would have
given me check for 1854 unless he knew what
It was for. He is not as green as that. Mr.;
Colfax never notified the witness that he would
give up stock. AT first witness wanted to get
all these men off as easy as possible, and rather
stated their view of the case, not relying on his
own memory.
| Sidney Ditton, clerk in the office of the ser
geant-at-arms, was recalled and testified it was
his impression he paid the $1,000 check marked
). Z. to Mr.. Cakes Ames; thought he paid him
| in two $500 bills. In talking with Mr.. Ames
during the last thirty hours, witness asked him
| II he did not pay the check to him, and Ames
| said he thought it very likely. Witness could
not swear he paid the check to Mr.. Ames.
At5 o'clock the committee took a recess till Z
| o'clock this evening.
The Poland Special COMMITTEES re-assembled
at o'clock. Vice President Colfax read the
clared to be the best Parliamentarian in the
United States
| Clerks office of the House of Representatives of
the United States, Feb. 10, 1872.
Hon. Schuyler Collar,
Dear Sir-At your request have examined
the proceedings of the House of Representa-
| tlves for the session of Congress commencing
December 1867, and ending July 1868, as re-
ported in the Congressional Globe. I have ex-
amlned all your rulings as Speaker, on every
proposition made during the entire session by
Hon. q. b. Washburne and Hon. G. G.. WASH
burne, in relation to the Union Pacific railroad
and find no ruling made by you that was not,
in my Judgment, commended and justified by
| parliamentary law.
Very respectfully,
JOHN NJ. BARCLAY,
Journal Clerk, House of Reps.
Mr. Colfax then addressed the Committee as
| follows:
of persons in public life charged with having
been bribed by gifts of stock in the Credit Mo-
| blller; from which an enormous dividend had
been received, and for which legislation had
been procured replied to these charges in
a speech at South Bend, Ind, Sept 25 1872. in
which, after showing that the most important
part of this legislation had been enacted four
years before the alleged bribery.
Responded to the personal attack as follows
which read from the Chicago Inter-Ocean of
the next day: "Never having in my life dollar
of stock of any kind that l did not pay for. ]
claim the right to purchase stock in Credit Mo.
bilier or Credit Immoblier if there is one
Nor do know of any law prohibiting it. DIX
need to add that neither Cakes Ames or any
other person offered to give me one share o.
twenty shares, or two hundred shares in the
Credit Mobilier or any other railroad stock, anC
that unfortunately have never seen or receiv
ed to the value of farthing out of the 27O pc
cent. dividends or the 800 per cent. dividend il
cash stock or bonds you have read about for thu
past month, nor 100 per cent, nor the tenth Of
one per cent / have said that if twenty shares
of it could be purchased at par without bring
ing it into prospective lawsuit it would be
good investment if it was as valuable a stock a.
represented But never having been a plaintiff
nor defendant in any court of Justice, / wan
no stock at any price with law suit on the to,
OF it." 1t will be seen from these extracts thai
publicly claimed last fall the right to purchase
stock. l avowed frankly that 1 would have
been willing to pay for twenty shares if dix
not buy into prospective law suit, but no pos
sble profits could induce me to involve myself
in litigation, having over four years before th
speech, voluntarily abandoned a contract tt
purchase at the rate had stated and on til.
very grounds had stated, and having no Ger
tficate, no ownership of the stock in it, my an
swer to the charges then made are the exac
truth and then accepted whatever odiun
might attach to the willingness to purchase ant
hold its stock as l then understood it,
I will add what 1 then said last September
that neither Cakes Ames or any other person
ever gave or offered to give me any of thi
stock has been repeatedly printed during th
session with the essential word give omitted
entirely changing its sense, Mr.. Ames havin,
sworn Dec. 18th in his original statemen be
fore the committee, which he declared (se
page q of the evidence) embodies the exac
facts that paid me any dividends now declare
initials of S. c., or bearer for S1200 but not en-
dorsed by me or any one else, was paid by hin
to me as cash dividend of the Credit Mobilier
In answer to this charge I repeat again that
have not the slighes knowledge or recollection
or belief that ever saw this check or any othe
check of Mr.. Ames till he presented it before
the committee nor that l have everIbeen paid o
preferred by him, directly or Indirectly, il
check, stock or bonds $1,000 or 800 or one dol
lar 1 further state that have not the slight
est knowledge, recollection or belief that evel
heard there was or could be any cash divi
dends on the Credit Mobilier until the discus
sion of last fall, and am as positive as 1 cal
be OF any fact in the past that Mr.. Ames neve
e.r1nIrn 49,, N.@f% L. Lot
to me or proffered to me in person, or through
any other channel any check or moner or bond
on that or any other account.
1t seems to me impossible and incredible tina
l should have received the check without TO
membering that additian to my income, ant
especially in check drawn so singularly-S
c., initals-and not containing my name on il
at all. Nor could | have talked to him wher
he failed about letting the $500 go which I hat
paid him on the dividend stock if he had pai(
me an overplus of $780,
l must add that until to-day l have never
heard of the certificate for $1,000 of Union Pa
clfc bonds, $50 interest on which Mr. Anne
says he paid me in January, 1859, and would
not have been more astonished to have beer
charged by him with the assassination of on
OF his family than have been Of the charge
that he paid me either $1,000 or $780, or any
other account whatever, on the stock that hat
| abandoned.
will add that for four years have Spoken
in my family of this transaction exactly as
described it in my testimony of January 9TH
namely, that had contracted to purchase, hat
paid about $500, had heard of threatening ant
acrimonious litigation among its principal stock
holders, and had therefore abandoned it with
out receiving any dividend or certificate but a
a loss of the money had paid upon it, and o
the fact of these conversations 1 will produce
evidence. | come now to the bank deposit o.
$1,000 in bills for June %, 1868, and theS com
mittee will remember that really invited the
examination of my bank account by stating tt
them unmasked that kept my accounts at the
LIST National Bank, where all my checks depos
| tied would be found endorsed by me, whether
payable to order or bearer Difficult as it is to
recall all the transactions of five years in q
public mans life, I will state to the committee
where all the money came from deposited from
June %, 1868, and will add that it was the
month Immediately succeeding my resignation
for the office l now hold, and the total deposit
was $196S.63, and there being no previous de
posit later than the LIST of June, it shows thai
the deposit was the accumulation of monies
paid to me during the intervening three weeks
This is also proven by the dates of the three
checks deposited; one check was for 1868, dated
June IS, signed by j. n Seymour; one for $3.50