The Portland daily press., 1875-01-19
WASHINGTON.
Pacific Mail Investigation.
Whitelaw Reid be fore the Commitiee.

vestigation this morning. Whitelaw Rel of
| the Tribune, was sworn.
The chairman said the committee have been
| very much oratItied to the interest the Tri-
| bune takes in this investigation. They have
| read in your paper hints as to the best way OF
conducting it. They have seen particularly an
| ntimaton that list is in existence containing
| the names of twenty members of Congress in
Guiding two members of this committee, SAID to
| be implicated. Now will you tell us all you
| know about this matter?
| The witness replied that he had no personal
knowledge and should think none of the Tri
| bnne staff had any personal knowledge of the
| matter. He had heard number of rumors
| which he thought could probably be investigat-
| ed, though he did not undertake to vouch for
| the nature of the evidence that an examination
of these reports would elicit, AS sample OF
| these rumors flying about New York, he said
that on the Goth ult. the city editor of the Tri-
| bune handed witness a memorandum to the
effect that Oakley Hall that day said that a
| member of the Ways and Means Committee
was IMPLICATED in the Pacific Mail transactions
| The memorandum also stated that Hall could
| probably give evidence upon it. Witness com
| municated this information to a member OF the
| committee.
| Question-Have you any information touch
| ing the use of money for the passage OF the
subsidy that has not already appeared in the
| testimony before the committee?
| Witness said that A. w. Bradbury, brother
| of the ex President of the Pacific Mail Com
pany, informed witness by the letter written by
| ex- Postmaster William s. King, to President
| Bradbury, applying for $25, 900, on which letter
| King urged compliance with this demand for
the reason that he was writing with prison bars
| behind him.
| Bradbury replied that if he (Kng) did not
stop writing such letters that he would soon
| have prison bars before HIM. Witness was in
| formed by Mr.. Carter that Judge Pierrepont
| had advised compliance with this demand OF
| King and therefore he suggested that the COM
Il -s-J.A prnr mt
| He repeatedly heard of payments made to
members of Congress with part of the money
| disbursed by Irwin in $1,000 bills, and that the
private accounts kept by members with the
| Sergeant alarms would show that Congress
men had deposited such bills. He could give
no personal evidence concerning these matters.
| He never brbed members OF Congress and was
never in the lobby but these rumors were
| worth investigation.
| O-What leads you to the opinion that you
| have published that this committee stopped
| when evidence lead them to the doors of Con-
| gress?
| torials-
The Charman-Excuse me; we simply de-
sire to have your assistance to obtain all the
| light possible.
We want also to learn why you accuse this
| committee of stopping short in its duty.
| Witness-I have been informed that sundry
| pieces of evidence have been brought before
| suggest the advisablity of examining the pri-
| yate accounts of the sergeant-at-arms, and also
the books of Rufus Hatch & Co., in connection
| with Samuel A. Hatch.
Q-Have you any knowledge that committee
| has not already examined the books or the
| sergeant-at-arms.
Al have not, and only judge so from what
| has been made public.
Q-Have you any facts or have you ever
heard anything from Irwin or any other person
Al, 4
1 congressman?
| Witness said he had been Informed, as he
| thinks, by letter from Irwin, that ii. b. Laid
Ian from New York would be a good witness as
| to the receipt by Congressman Schumacher OF a
| check for 5000 from California. Reid never
| had but one conversation with Irwin. This
| occurred when Irwin called to thank him for
| the publication of bis letter from Europe At
| that time he had understood Irwin to say he
| knew of about 100000 having been expended.
| Mr.. Reid slso said he would be glad to give in
| private number of hints which would be OF
| service, and If the committee required it he
would give them publicity now.
Q.-You lave referred in your paper to two
members as being implicated and not tit to sit
| in this investigation room.
| Mr.. Reid have not said that, but so recent
/ a report being in circulation, have thought
mention of it would stimulate the committee
| to extra exertion in the investigation.
| Dawes-Who we're the two members referred
| to?
Witness-Messrs Wood and Dawes
| Mr.. Wood thereupon asked witness whether
| he had not known that he (Mr. WOODY has
strenuously opposed the subsidy all through,
| and whether it would not have been better to
| to examine the record before making assertions
which were tantamount to charges.
MI. Reid rejolned that he bad never men
| toned the names of the two members referred
| to in this comm rumOr, and remarked that
great injustice was done to his journal in sup
posing they must have personal knowledge OF
everything they write, which in the nature of
things is not possible, perhaps, once in thou
| sand times.
MIR. Wood after asking number of similar
questions left the subject with the remark that
| since the beginning there has been manifested
| unanimous purpose, desire and Intent on the
| part of all the committee to follow out the in
vestigation to the utmost.
| 49, DaEes-Wili you please state what you have
| heard about me in this connection?
Witness said that he had heard by rumor
| that Dawes name was on the lists said to have
| been furnished by Congressman Sypher to
| Commodore Garrison of members likely to be
| controlled to vote for the Pacific Mail subsidy.
Mr. Dawes-Don't you know that was from
| the very beginning an avowed friend and advo-
| cate of tie subsidy, and therefore it was not
| probable that my name would be put on the
list as person "likely to be controlled to vote
| for it?"
Witness replied he had heard the rumor and
thinking if Mr.. Dawes did not know of it he
ought to have it brought to the attention OF the
members CT the comIuittee.
Mr.. DaweS-DId you communicate 1T to me?
A-No; informed Mr.. Beck, as it was from
that gentleman received the intimation that
was to be summoned. No ground for rumor
had ever reached witnesses ear. 1t was the
same sort of rumor that connected number OF
| other people with Pacific Mail.
Mr.. Dawes-Have you any ground for sus-
pecting me?
Mr. Reid do not suspect you in the least.
Witness continued and said he could give no
reason for crediting the rumor when he heard
| it except its circulation in well-lnformed Cir
| clee.
What are they?
A-Wel, 1t was brought into me by report
ers from Wall street and elsewhere.
Mr.. Dawes-Which reporters gave you infor-
nation that such rumor was in circulation?
Witness said he could not certainly say, but
| probably it was furnished by w. P. Sullivan,
! or Geo. E. Mills, or perhaps by the city editor
| Shanks.
Mr.. Dawes-If it cannot otherwise be ascer.
| tanned by whom the report was furnished, L
| would like to have the whole force summoned.
Mr. Reid said the rumor also was that DR..
Chatfee had received money for Dawes on this
account, but he was aware that ChaHee bad
few days ago testified to the falseneSS OF this
report Witness now knew of nothing what
ever partaking of the nature of evidence to sup
port charge or insinuation OF the rumor con-
corning Dawes.
Mr.. Reid gave the committee the names or
the witnesses to prove that Irwin had declared
that Chaffee had received $4,000 of the sub
sidy money. 1t will he recolected that Chat.
fee which recently before the committee denied
any connection whatever with such subsidy.
Treasury Balances.
The following are the Treasury balances for
to-day:-Currency, $10590 1876; special deposit
of legal tenders for redemption of certificates of
deposit, $44 555 900 ;coin, $71 O34 25l including
coin certificates, 1913, Ito, 300; outstanding legal
tenders, $382,000000
Appointment.
jeremiah Patten has been appointed internal
revenue gauger for the fourth district of
Maine.
Whitelaw Reid Arrested for Libel.
Detective McElresh, ergeat-at-arms, to-
night arrested Whitelaw Reid on warrant is
sued by the Police Court at the instance of ex
Gov. Alex r. Shepherd for libel The warrant
recites that Reid in certain articles in the Tri-
bune had charged him (Shepherd) with bring
ing bankruptcy upon the District of Columbia
for the purpose of extricating himself from fl
nancial difficulty, and with awarding contracts
for purposes of fraud and contrary to justice.
Reid gave satisfactory assurances that he will
appear tomorrow before the Police Court.
The Vice President on the Bepu bIicnn
Party.
NEW YORK, Jan. 1S.-A Washington special
to the Herald says the Vice President has writ
tan a Iattar danyinp that he has OnenlV given