Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-13
THEeREDIT MOBILIER INVESTIGATION


| Judge Poland is chairman TO investigate thu
eredit mobilier charges resumed its session thi,
| morning, ard Hon. II. l.. Dawes of Massachu
| sets, being present 70 make his statement Wa.
sworn. The following is the
SWORN STATEMENT OF Mr.. DAWES
| have been ready at all times, whenever II
| shculd be desired by the committee, to make q
| full statement of whatever connection have
| ever had with the credit mobilier, and regret
| that have not had an earlier opportunity.
| was never the owner of any OF the stock OF that
| corporation, yet did agree to take ten share.
OF that stock, but the agreement was rescinded
| never was transferred.
At the commencement of the session in De-
| cember, 1851, had due me at the sergeant-at-
| arms Office 81 eco of nv salary that / had then
| no % casion to use. asked a colleague of min,
Mr.. Washburn, with whom was rooming at the
time, what L could best do with it, and he adj
Iowa Cedar Rapids Railroad of Mr. Cakes
| Ames, saying that he had been purchasing
| OF HIM large amount of these bonds
Tor 30 cents on the dollar for his bank, and
he thought it an excellent investment / ac-
| cordngly went to Mr. Cakes Ames aud asked
him to sell me such a bond a. he had been selling
| Mr. Washburn. He replied that he had not got
any of those bonds then, for he had sold them All
but he had something else good, and he thou chi
better. He would let me have for my 81 900 ten
shares Of credit mobilier stock. 1 said to him 1
| did not know anything about that stock, ami
asked him TO tell me about it. He replied - r.
| rs Pennsylvania corporation which had
| il is good thing, and I think il will! make
money out OF il At any rate L will guarantee
you ten per cent on your money, or if You don't
want your stock at any time I win paw YOU back
your money and ten per cent interest" I told
him would think OF il and let him know I
then inquired of Mr.. Alley about this stock and
he said il was good stock but he did not think il
was as good as Mr.. Ames thought il was. On
my telling him that Mr.. Ames offered to guatan-
tee me ten per cent. he said that 1 was safe
enough then, and | made no further iuouir-v
Amps 4 bafV
take the stock. He said he could not transfer il
To me then but that II was at his home; that the
first time he went home he would get II trans
ierred To me and let me have it, therefore paid
him over the 1000 and took his accountab |
receipt for it, he saying at the time he
gave it to me, that it at any time l got sick
of it he would take it back and nav
me back my money and ten per cent
Before he went home had occasion to 20 home
Learned, a friend and neighbor of mine, who
was then, believe, an officer in the Kansas Pa
citic railroad, came TO my Office and told me OF
suit which Duff Green had common ced or abour
to- commence in the Pennsylvania courts against
MIR. Ames and his associate, to get possession of
the credit mobiier charter, claiming that il be-
lonsea 70 him and his associates, and had been
wrongfuly taken possession of by Mr.. Ames
and those connected with him. When I re-
turned to Washington told Mr.. Ames what
Mr.. Learned had said to me- ana told him that I
did not want any such stock. He replied.
"Weil, you need not take it, l will paw YOU back
your money and 10 per cent interest if YOU pre-
iSf. Il lie tnereupOn set
tied with me in that way, allowing me interest
and paying back the money In the meantime
and before went to Pittsfield, he had paid me
dividend once; l 10 not know how much it
was, but think it was about SIS per cent
Whatever II was L allowed him in the set
cement, he paying me over the balance ONLY.
THIS was the end of the transaction. The stock
was never transferred To me at all. | have had
no other transaction with the credit mobi!ier or
the Union Pacific railroad. Neither during this
transaction nor before it, nor since IFS Close
/ entertained uriif
connection with il, nor was ANYTHING ever suu-
gested to me in that connection in any way
directly or indirectly, having reference to any
official conduct OF mine In or out of Congress.
Ner did anything in connection with il pass be-
tneCn me and Mr. Ames o. any other person
other than would naturally have passed had \
purchased of him the Iowa railroad bond L en-
deavored TO get, or had L purchased any share
OF national bank stock o. United States bond
either OF him or of any hacker outside OF Con-
gress. Before and up TO that time do not re-
member to have heard the credit mobilier mem
Toned, OF amy matter touching the Pacific
railroad since the legislation OF 1854, under
which IT was then being constructed; nor did 4
know of Mr.. Ames' dealings with any other pgr-
son III or out of Congress.
In closing this statement Of all that did occur
IN this transaction, desire to add that, although
have never desired or sought to conceal in aIIy
way anything that have done in this matter
have never made or authorized any public
statement IN reference to IL before to-day, feel
ing that L could patiently wait until your COM
nittee should call upon me for this statement
Nevertheless there did get into print, without
my authority or knowledge, n private note writ
ten by me to a friend III New York. thanking
him for voluntarily and on his own responsibility
denying the statement i'll the New York .Sua
that Mr.. Cakes Ames had, for corrupt purposes,
given me stock III the credit m0bilier. 1 desire
TO make that note a part OF this testimony. in
order that all have said, as well as all that I
have doIie in reference to this matter, may be-
come part OF his statement.
The note Is as follows:
PlTrsFIELD, Mass, sept. II, lSy2
Il NtsI ~ uncIn a
false Libel the charge If the New York SaH, far
man dead or alive, ever gave me directly or indiract
ly, penny Of the stock of the credit mobilier or
owned dollar Of any stock or any property of an
kind that did pay the full value Of, With my own
money earned WIN my own labor. Truly Ho1rs:
To the best of his memory witness s. thought AM it
was at the beginning of the December session.
1861, that he let Mr.. Ames have the 900. Th5
fhe % Was rese sGs sdek
value OF that stock. When Mr.. Ames said he
would guarantee him (witness) 10 per cent, he
thought that would make it good inv estment
THE FOLLOWING LETTERS
from w. Hastings were submitted To the COM
mittee:
WASHINGTON, January 18th, 1873
G6attsDea:-GO on will please to take notice thar 1
desire Ia offer, aud respectfully ask leave 10 aluc
the substance of the issue now ben tre 4. pSr
Your honorabe body touching the charges Of Con
msdiunl Of credit mobier and other Stock, &c
,hours, very respectfully. W. HASTINGS.
To tas Ron. Chairman oad Gsatefasa Of ths Cisdft
Mottttr incsSttKatfsg Commute.
WASHINGTON, January Is, 1873.
GehtS: propose to show and expect to prove by
compete evidence that large share holder in tn
T. railroad company, and by one who is also share
holder in the credit mobilier Of America, testified In
a Judicial proceeding land admitted aunde that Ia
hand used money and other valuable things inclui-
ing Y. +. X. GO. stock and C. NJ. stock to bribe
members OF Congress to inaugurate, influence, AMI
carry through 10y means of bribery and corrupfion
legislation by Congress in the ipterest railroad
poraiions and in order to lay the foundation for the
INTRODUCTION of such proof, and tending also D.
prove the substance of the issue ask that the rec
ords in action entitled action as follows TO wiz
In the District Court Of the 18th judicial District Of
the state of California, in and for the city and county
Of San Francisco-G. e. Elliott, plaintiff vs. Ben
Halliday ct al defendants Also, an action in the
same court, entitled action follows, TO wit:
john Nightengae, plaintiff, vs. Ben. Halliday et
al defendant, he sent for and read in evidence be-
for the COMMITTEES. suggest also that the COMMITTEE
examine as a witness IN this proceeding W II. s.
Barnes counsellor atlaw, resident Of the said CITY
and county-o Of San Francisco, law partner of Hon
Eugepe Casserly, u. s. senator for California alI
attorney for the c. p r. R., for reasons appearing i'm
acarefuly prepared address delived by him before a
large OF people in said city at the INSTANCE
and request Of high federal efficient and short ex-
tract from whose speech ask leave 10 send them ana
show TO this committee. w. HASTINGS
REPRESENTATIVE JAMEs BROOKS AND HIS SON.