St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-02-21

in bills on account. and early the next
month he paid me another installment
completing the payment before Con-
gress adjourned. late in July. | am
very confident that this $500 formed
part of this 5000 deposit, being part OF
my cash between the deposits of June
/ | and June -.
About the time of this payment, and.
a> near rs can fix the date. about the
middle of the month of June and very
soon after the payment of Mr.. Mathews.
| was opening my letter mail at the
breakfast table. in accordance with my
usual custom. and found an envelope
within an envelope. post marked New
York. On opening the inner envelope.
| found it contained il letter written by
George /. Neshitt, congratulating me
most cordially and warmly on my nom
nation for the Vice Presidency. and
saving that the writer desired to send
me contilcntially the remittance en-
closed To aid me in the heavy expenses
in the canvass. but wished it kept Sc
cret. as neither his family nor any one
would ever know it unless told them.
Enclosed il this was il grcenback or Il
national bank note for $1,000. 1t was
as gratifying as it was liberal. and
holding up the letter and the bill. |
asked the attention of all my family to
it. and then read them the letter.
The fact of sending So large bill by
mail was commented on. and the mag
nitudr of the gift was discussed when
Mr.. Matthews remarked that it came iii
good time. either he or then referring
especially to the appeal of Mr.. Connor,
Chairman of the indiana Republican
Committee, for money to aid i'll ar
ranging for the canvass already i'll ac-
tive progress there. The bill WAS then
passed around from hand to hand and
examined. am sure deposited it
with the 5000 | had received from Mr..
Mathews, and purchasing on the very
same day. as the bank books show. Il
draft for the exact amount of this re-
mittancc, and in exact accordance with
the donors wish. and exactly IL discus
Scd ut my table at the time, sent it ut
once to the Chairman of the Republican
committee at Indianapolis.
Fortunately this does not rest on my
own testimony alone. Living witnesses
will tell the committee that they re-
member the receipt of this and the con-
tents of the letter in which il was i'll
closed. and that it was at once discussed
how it could he used To carry out Mr.
Nc>bitt'S desire: and that draft pre-
scented and sworn to 10y the cashier of
the bank proves that the very day |
deposited $1,000 in bills | bought and
RENTED ont of my deposit draft $1,000
to the chairman of the Indiana State
Committee. That draft indorScd 10y
Mr.. Cnpnor was found in the bank
here and laid before your committee
the next day after. The bank deposit
was testified to by my counsel at the
time promising to connect it with my
evidence.
My family at the time consisted of a
mother. since deceased. my >tep-tathcr. .
Mr. Matthews. and my half-Si>tcr. Mrs. .
ll"lliStcr. whose residence i in Il dis
tant Territory beyond the Rocky Noun F.
tains. | said it WAS fortunate there
were living witnesses to this besides .
myself. fnl on a thorough examination
Of the accounts and papers of Mr.. Mes
bltt made 10y his executor at my request.
Mr.. Nc>hitt having died the next year.
No trace of it i there found. He had .
carried out exactly what he wrote. that
it WAS intended To he confidential. IN
known even to his family. and that if
il was revealed it would have to lac 10y .
me. and he evidently sent it in Il hill
he more surely To accomplish the oh
cct
During the last eight or ten Years the
accumulation of.my letters has been 50
extraordinary that it has been my reg
llar habit to destroy fully nine-tenth>
IF them. Those that are not DESTROYED
are not filed but kept i'll their envelopes
until they crowd my drawers and ia
blc~ and are then tied up. but not chro-
to he slowed away wherever
here Is room for them. Indeed. Nr.
'hauncy of the House employees. after
had lett that wing of the Capitol for
he Senate wing i'll l-t;9. happened to
ind Il box full of old letters thus tied
lp. the loss of which | had entirely
overlooked. | have gone three times
over all the letters | have preserved.
md have not found this letter or any
political letters for june lists.
The acknowledgement of this draft
Of $1,000 sent To Indiana cannot he
found. though fortunately the bank WAS
able To find the draft itself. The let
ter> accompanying the three checks
deposited on the I'D of June have also
been destroyed, 50 that am unable to
produce either ot the five letters relat-
ne t" the transactions of that day.
distinctly that after my nom
nation my mail increased enormously.
To fifty if not sometimes to
pnc hundred letters per day. and their
seemed 50 impossible that
l.tt Il Il.
'nrc almost filling Il waste basket with
he fragments of destroyed letters but
A. have said. besides the draft. which
c>tilicS for itself. there are living wit
lcSS,S here to prove that received al
hat time this thousand dollar bill. one
II them having made IL three thousand
mile mid winter journey alone to tell
his committee her recollection of it,
W hen my bank account WAS exam
ned here. the cashier was asked what
he forty five thousand dollars footinwS
meant. and he replied to the inquiry
hat ii WAS the amount of the debts and
'TeditS. When the accounts were final
y balanced it WAS telegraphcd to the
New York Tribune that night that the
BOOKS showed that | deposited forty
i've thousand dollars in one wear. and
he Inference ot course was that | could
therefore easily have forgotten the
WE'VE hundred dollars III question. AS
my general accounts have thus been
made Il subject of discussion. and aS |
nave no secret i'll regard to them. felt
t my right now to correct this miSState-
ucnt.
This total was three wears. not one
Ep:Ir namely from n..,,,I,,,
)ct"her. c6-. inclusive. and embraced
besides other cash accounts the change.
made on my investments. the availS of
4 I'LL. 49,.