New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-03-27
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A Day with the Kr.yIes Pr..id.n,.

Day with the EI-yies PRECEDENT
SOUTH BEND, IND, March IL.
The fuss and furore of Saturday have thor
oughly subsidized, and the effect Is nowhere 10
be seen, except IN the manner of the recipi-
ent OF the honors, who. in his daily walks and
talks, meeting and chatting on numerous
street corners and in various stores, shows
that he Il fully alive to the genuinely favor
able impression created in his old home and
among his time-tried friends. He is evidently
determined that il shall in no wise diminish.
South Bend is unit on Mr.. Colfax's innO-
cence. There may be here and there doubt
ing Thomas, but his dissent is rather negative
than positive. The verdict IS rendered al
most entirely on personal grounds. The ma
Jorlty OF people here were lifelong friends and
{ were ready TO catch at straws. To them his
saturdays speech was conclusively over
/ whelming proof of his refragable innocence,
and their judgment now according with their
feeling, their zeal and kndliness know no
I bounds. The other class, those always op-
posed to him politically, now believe his in
noeence on the strength of his assertions. /
said to such an opponent, =" Do YOU believe,
since hearing Mr.. Colfax's reiteration. that
/ he has cleared himself of the charge of bri-
/ berry," There can be no doubt Of it," he
answered, II have known him for years to
be an honest man, and the veriest scoundrel
on earth could not have confronted the peo-
/ pie he had known since childhood, as Mr..
| Colfax did on Saturday, and look them in the
face and swear as sacredly "a he did that he
was not guilty. He hasn't the courage to be
as wicked as such thing requires. He must
be innocent, and it is n comfortable belief for
/ those who have always wished him we'll :"
| Another thing that contributed much to this
feeling was the reconciliation with Mr.. De-
I n MI .har al
tons OF that gentleman, and his friends are
legion. The estrangement between him and
Nj. Coltax, four years ago or more, if it did
not Increase the number Of the latter's enc
mics, lessened greatly the number Of his
| friends. Those who had formerly offered
their hands turned decided cold shoulder on
him.
SOME OF THE ELEMENTS.
So marked had this difference been that it
might be text for a sermon TO what extent
Mr.. Colfax's popularity in its growth was duo
to the support of Mr.. Defrees. Well, this
element was estranged by the difference tx
listing between the two, and when Mr.. Colfax
read Mr.. Detrces' letter in his speech and
told how he had publicly inflicted his forgive
ness on him, this element was won to a loval
support. THE cheers" said Mr.. Colfax,
were more hearty and general when read
That letter than at anything else in the
| Speech So all clements worked together
Tor Mr.. Colfax' sinnocence and it seems 20 be
thoroughly established So
nearly do his printed and his off-hand utter
ances coincide that it is impossible to believe
that he meant anything wrong, either in act
Or representation. Ask him what you will
in regard to any part Of the affair, aud 1t tai
lies exactly with his public sayings con-
structed as he said they should be. Mr..
ColfaX carries with him the cancelled drafts
sent to A. II. Conner, then Chairman of the
| Republican State Committee. To these he
has pinned the checks with which he drew
them, and as he showed them to me he said
| That is an evidence that the money Nesbit
sent was intended for political purposes, and
was Immediately applied by me in accord.
ance with that intention, and should be proof
positive to the most captious that they were
not intended or used for corruption" Nes-
bit took most unaccountable liking to me,
amounting almost to fondness. lie was
worth over $4,000 and had he lived longer
would most probably have given me much
larger sums, and yet these small amounts
were cried against us as somet thing awful,
and acts of personal friendship cruelty tor
tured into evidences Of political corruption. :"
lie mad with him, too, a facsimile Of the IS.
c." check. 1t is a plain bit of paper, the
necessary check formula printed in the
plainest, tewest words, and on it scrawled
tho IS. C."-wavering irresoluto sort of
hieroglyphics; the 81 200" written in a care
less, drawing manner, and the "Oakes
Ames" in bold relief at the bottom. "You
say you never saw this check till YOU saw it
IN the committeeman 2" 81 never saw
that check till it was presented there, or
never had an idea of its existence TIL then y
answered Mr.. Colfax.
"lf had drawn tho money on that do you
thind l would have taken no measures to
prepare an immediate answer, when knew
l should be confronted with it sooner OF
later? Would not have made an arrange.
ment OF circumstances and plausible tale
ready! But instead was astounded, and
tins surprise was at once tortured into the
agitation of guilty fear. Imagine yourself &C.
cused OF stealing, conscious of your inno-
cence you stoutly deny it and are thereupor
confronted with check bearing your initials
wouldn't you be confounded? Isn't it prob
able, then, that this check, with the other
initial checks, the receipt of which tho sup
posed owners deny, were intended to repre-
sent the June dividends Of the stock which
yourself and the others threw back or
Ames' hands ?" 'If that is correct" sail
Mr.: Co!fax, "it would form link with Mr.
Dlllon's account, which says he paid all the
initial checks to Ames." On all points Mr.
Colfax but reiterated what he has alread,
stated, subtracting or adding nothing A!
he carries these papers in his pockets, 50 h,
seems to carry the subject in his mind. II,
Is ever ready to tell his tale to a listener
running off occasionally to other places, al
f ways german though, and talking of Others
implicated, but always running to himself
+ When down town he spends his time princi
pally at the post office, newspaper Offices, O
; the office of the Birdsell factory, in whiclS a
the people have already been told, he is
stakeholder.