The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-02-12
The Babcock Trial.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. II

DaU Decn pOOu ITlCDu 10 MN on one &C
casion, when Mcdonald and Mckee were
reported to be using their influence to have
him removed because he would not put a
man in place that they wanted. Babcock
promised his Influence to prevent the re-
moval. Witness, in the course OF his
cross examination, said Once, when de-
livered these letters to Mcdonald, l asked
him (McDonald) did Babcock have any
thing to do with this whisky ring, and he
said "Grimes, don't know | don't te-
lieve he knows any more about it than you
do and you know you don't know any
thing about It,"
On redirect examination Major Grimes
was asked; Did Mcdonald in that con-
versatlon say that he himself didn't know
anything about the whisky ring?
Witness Yes, he did. Laughter
District attorney-lIov did you come to
ask if BabcDck had anything to do with
the whisky IingY
Witness-l asked for the simple reason
that If BaHcock, who had been my friend,
had had anything to do with it was going
TO drop him.
District attorney What reason had you
TO suspect the gentleman2
Witness-Nothng but the fact of the
letters sent through me.
Major Grimes was followed by b. K
Engelk, rectfier, who gave an account of
his operations, referring particularly to the
amounts of money raised by distilers and
rectiiiers for revenue agents to keep them
still, and to obtain information from them,
all of which has been repeatedly told. The
witness also testified to having seen in
whole or in part, kilograms, or what pur-
ported to be kilograms, in the hands of Mr.
Joyce, informing him of the contemplated
visits of revenue agents. Witness always
Strengthened up his house on such occasions
and it almost always happened that agents
came out after information of their coming
had been received.
II. G. Rogers, deputy commissioner OF
internal revenue, was then called, and tes-
titled that in August, 1874, Douglass, at
that time commissioner, asked him to cor
respond with Revenue Agent Brooks in re-
gard to making an investigation of affairs
at Chicago and St. Louis. Witness wrote
Brooks, who came to Washington for con-
sultation. Brooks wished Revenue Agent
Hoge to assist him. He was written TO
and after considerable delay he came to
Washington; then went to Philadelphia to
confer with Brooks they returned to
Washington together and after several
days left again. Witness said about the
18th of December Gen. Mcdonald came to
my room and stayed but few minutes ::
next day he came in and said, don't
want you to tell me anything but | want to
tell you something. Brooks and lIoge
are going to St. Louis on special business
and i protest against such secret nvestiga-
tons. If officers there are fit to be in office
they need no investigation if they are not
they ought to be removed. i then tele-
graphed to Brooks to delay the investiga-
ton. w. o. Avery was at that time chief
clerk of the internal revenue bureau.
received letters about that time from
Brooks. All letters were addressed
to me personally as / intended to
destroy the correspondence, it not
being of nature wanted it to go on the
files. In the latter part of November re-
ceived letter from Brooks, it referred to
the contemplated investigations in the
west, and said something about delays
being profitable to the government and sat
isfactory to ourselves. Mr.. Douglass, the
commissioner, showed me copy of the
letter in his own handwriting. | think
Douglass said his attention had been called
10 certain Objectionable expressions in the
letter and he was cautioned TO beware OF
persons who used such expressions. Shortly
after this Douglas Informed me that we
would abandon the investigation.
The witness was briefly cross-examined
but nothing new was brought out
j. w. Douglas, ex-commissioner of in
ternai revenue, was next put on the stand,
and said : During 1878, 1874 and aud 1875
there were efforts constantly made to ferret
out fracds that were being perpetrsted
Several revenue agents were sent to st
in 1872, but received no definite informa-
ton from them. Later, Brooks and Hoge
were sent out especially to look into Bevis
x F'rager's affairs, and that firm paid the
government forty thousand dollars as a
compromise. When sent Joyce TO Cali
fornis 1t was to get him out of the way of
tho agents whom | sent here and who
complained of an excessive attention on
bis part, Winning and diniug them SO they
could not do any work. Mcdonald and
Joyce never came to see me much when
they were in Washington. had a CONVEX
sation with Rogers in regard to the
investigation in the west. | remember
showing him copy of the letter received
between the 10Th and 10Th of December
written by Brooks, saying that delay
would prove equally profitable to the GOV
eminent and gratifying to ourselves or
something of that kind. A copy of the
letter was shown to me at the white house
by den. Babcock. lie said a gentleman
had shown 1t to him and no was afraid !
was being deceived by those men. lie
SAID he would hold me responsible for their
conduct. told him that | had great con
fidence in the men. He said, "what might
sensitive man like Logan say If he saw
that letter" Babcock told me the letter
had been given to him coniidentially and
requested me not to say where ] received
II from. After the visit of Mcdonald to
washington remember Of coming out 81
my house one day when met Babcock and
we talked about the st. Louis matters
l cant say exactly what was said. We
talked about the revenue agents coming