Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-02-19
COlfax aud Patterson.

Colfax would be glad to believe that his ex-
PLANTATION concerning the $1,000. deposited
SO rear the time at VIII CD Ames says it was
paid, they must depl)re the want of candor
in bus South Bend speech; and his quibbling
upon the phrase there used, forces the coun-
try to ak other evidence chan his mere
word, as to every point in his defence. Mr..
Colfax quotes from his South Bend SPEECH as
follows:
| "Never having in my life dollar of stock
of any kind that l did not pay for, claim
the right to purchase stick in the Credit
MObller, or Credit Imm pbilier, If there is
ole. Dor do know OF any law prohibiting it.
| Do need to add that Deitber o ,kes Ames
nor any other person ever gave or "fered to
give me one share or 90 shares, or go shares
in the Credit Mobilier, or any other railroad
stock; and that, unfor .unately, have never
seen or received to the value of a farthing
out of the 27O per cent dividends, or the $40
per cent dividends, IN cash, stock, or bonds
y"u have read about for the past month, nor
100 per cenr, nor the tenth of per cent.
have said that if 90 shares of it could be
purchased at par without buying into a pro-
spective lawsuit, it would be good invest
ment, If as valuable a stock as represented
but never having been plaintiff nor defend
ant in court OF justice, | want no stock at
any price with a lawsuit on the top of it
| lie then says: 1t will then be seen from
these extracts that | publicly claimed last
Fall the right to purchase the stock, and
avowed frankly that | would have been
willing to pay for 90 shares, il did not
| buy into a prospect law suit, but that no
possible profits cpuld induce me to involve
myself in lit CATION. having over four years
Def IRE this speech voluntarily abandoned
ontract to purchase at the rate | had stated
aod on the very grounds had stated, and
having no certiticlte, no owne ship of stock
n it, my answer to the charges then made
are the exact truth
And then frankly accepted also whatever
Odium mi ght attach to the Willingness TO pur-
chase and to hold it's stock as [ then under
stood 1t. | vii. add that w lat | then sad
last September, that neither Oikes Ame-
nor any other person ever gave or offered t.
ave Inc any OF this stock, has been repeated
~ printed during this session with tue e.
sentIal word give" omitted, entirely
c2anging its sense.
Mr.. Anes hav,n. sworn, Dec. Il, in his
original slatemr mt, befTe the Committee,
winch he declared (Ste pa re 2l OF the evI-
ieuct) embodied the * tcC IdcJs, htt he
could not remen er having pad ne any
i vldends, now :cllres that III June, 1865
check piyapIe TO TIE initials - ). {. OF
b ar,r, Tor 81 200, but not in lursed by M
II r any Que elst, was paid by hun To me as
L cash dtv.deni of the Credit NJ Llier.
La answer to THIS ca4r.e. | repeat a5,in
tnat | have not the sl,5htest knowl, dye
II recollection or belief that ever saw TINS
check. any other CT eek vi ,lr. Ames, till
ne presented it beore TINS Comm ttce nor
that have ever been pad or protfered by
him, directly OF Indirectly, 10 caecK, stock
or bonds, 81 900 OF 500, OF 81 on any
account whltever. [ Iurtner state that |
nave not tue slightest knowledgi, rec Jliec-
ton, OF belief that | ever heard tnere was OF
could be any cash dividends on the Credit
Mubiller tai the discussion ot last + Ill, and
| am positive as | can be OF any fact III
the past that Mr.. Ames never spoke To me
/ If thus last dividend, and never paid or
profered to me, IN person or through any
otner channel, any cneck or money, or bont
on that OF any other account.
1t seems to Inc imp Issble and incredible
chat should have reserved the check with
out rememhel ing the addition to my Inc 1ne,
and especially 10 a cneck drawn 50 Singular
I
at all; nor could | have talked TO hun when
: he failed I'll about letting the $500 70
which | had paid him on the dividend STOCK
IT be / al palI me an uvtrpius OF 500.
| must d Id that until to-day | nave never
heard OF the certitic ate for ; 800 OF UnIun
PacI tic bonds, sou interest which Mr..
Ames says tie paid me Id January, 1869
and | would not have bcen more aotouud u
to have been char-ed toy him with the as
sasslnatIon OF one OF his family tnan that he
had pad me either 81 ,2OJ, or 500, or any
other amount Whatever on the stO;k that
had abandoned.
| will add that for over four years | have
spoken my family OF this transaction ex-
ictly as | described 1t in nv testimony o
Jan. 7-namely: that | had ntrdcted It
pure Iase had ptId ab lut 500; had heard
Jt threatened and acrIm pnIuus litigation
among Its prluclpil Stockholders, am had
therefore, abandoned 1t without receivlut
any dividend or certificate, but at loss y
tie money | had paid upon 1t; aud Ut tbs
fact of these conversations, | will produce
evidence.
His explanation of the deposit of 81 200
s. that 500. of it was repaid him by his
step father, Mr.. Mathews. As to the re
naming $1,000, the following account il
given:
About the time of this payment, and a
near as c.n fix the date, about the middle
of the month ut June, aud very soon ate
the payment Of Mr.. Matthews, | was open
] ing nv letter mail at the breakfast table, Ii
accordance with my usual custo u, and loun'
an envelope Within another envelope, P ST
marked New Yu- k
On optntng the inner envelope | found i
q contained lett,r written by George f
Ne,bItt, congratulating me most irdItl
and warmly on my NOMINATION for the Wee
. Presidency and saying that the writer de
i sired to send me conf ientlaIly, the remit
lance lnclosed TO aid me IN my heavy expen
i ses in the canvass, but WISHED it kept st
: cret, as neither Is family nor any one wou
IL ever know it uni, IS [ told them.
= inc.osed IN this a greenbick, or {
ii National Bunk note, for s 900. 1t was Il
y gratifying as 1t was liberal, and hOl ling VI
+ the letter aud the bill, asked the attention
j. Of all my family TO 1t, and then read then
u tho letter
= The fact of sending so large bill by mai
> was commet ted upon, and the magnitude c
he git Was Diseased, wnen Mr. VI THEW
u remarked that IL Cd ne IN good time, eIthe
- ne or l. then, reterrIn- especially to the az
d cal ut Mr. Conner, Chairman Ot the Indian
l. Republican Commute f,r money to aid Il
y arranging for the CANVASS already ID actlv
i progress there.
J. ire bill was then passed around from han
y TO hand aud examined | am sure deposit
VI ed it with the 500 Tad received from Nj
J. Matthews, and purchasing on the very sam
l. day, as the bank books show, draft Tor ii
lie exact amount of this remittance, and IN el
e act accordance with the donoi's wish, an
= exactly as discussed at my table at the time
% sent it at once to tue Z artnan OF the III
publican Committee at Indianapolis.
Mr.. Nesbitt is dead, but MIR. Matthews an
ct the sisters of Mr.. Colfax swear to the opel
le .x aE IL, lottor nd It's cnntain inn Il