The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-20
GRANTS CORRUPTION FUND
TnE SrcREr SERVICE M0NHy USED
ron LLECTION URPOSLS'

I'm, Thousand Dollars Paid 10 Ltule Jo"h-
N, davenport by order Of the fr's,"'n'
whence Came the Enormous run" '"-
aIelped to Elect Grant for tue @e'"H"
wAsu1NoroN, April 19.--lt has long pccn
rurrniscd that the Adminstraion "'eu Us
.un, Of the iutiic none, forelec'lon pu' ~.
,,, ,,, positive proof OF the maneasa"'' "s9
..,,.ecr obt,inable until to-day. tWas q"''.
-.o.,,tl, believed that IN 49, vast SUN -
money was used 20 perpeuate eic0''o"
s,,S. 4, North Carolins, whereby the
prnnt party controlled that state ara
,nn. cave the FIRST sensible check 10
The Greeley toe which was until that time
sreeplng every ming lcfore 1t. subsequently 1t
"a, lust a. well understood that the Radical
marty saved Penus, lvania In October by the most
1.tsh exrcndiuio Of money. with the multi
rteI Federal uflccholding element, at least Sky
thousand strong assessed ten per cent. on their
.,iafics,a vast commission fund would result
therefrom; but even thia with the addition of the
assessment Of lielhnap's rest traders, would not
nave Afforded oue-haf The money spent In Penn
s,yauia alone in l-i2 Whence came the balance
Of the enormous election fund annually dis
bursed by The Radical managersf in New York
.ty fbr instance, It has been patent for years
chat Johnny Davenport, ns Ben. Buffers un-
rrirulous piup is familiarly known, had tens
Of thousands Of dollars to disbutse at every i'm
pottant campaisn, aud the bold and desperate
manner In which he welded the vast power OF
chief Of the supervisors O, elections Is known
Q. all men IN New YORK city; but 1t was alway'
mystery whence came the money necessary
10 the execution of his gigantic election
,ohcmcs in the interest Of the Admins
uar,n. This mystery is at length made
eear. and the revelation dlscloses the fact that
from the President Of the United states, through
the Attorney C eneral. down to.the cbief OF the
secret scrvics ID vision. came the orders to pay
over TO Davenport the peoples money In order
Ihat ballot boxes might be stuffed, and a gang
Of reporters hired TO aid the plug uelies OF
Philadelphia to roll up enormous IN Jorties for
nramtism and u 0leis IN IN the cts Of BrOtAerly
Love.
COL. wuITLEY's pIscIo'rREs.
On Thursday last. April 10, Col. II. C. Whit
lsy was called before the Committee OF
Expenditures IN the Department OF Justice
ana examined In regard 10 ;he use mad,
Of the money annually appropriated since
ISL to be expended under the direction OF III,
Attorney General for the detection and prose
cution ~ crime against the United states. IL,
bousht at nr-t to eyade the questions whicl
were put to nun. ana manifested strong de
sire To shield MS superiOrs. under whose ORDER
he had acted. lie, however, soon discoveret
that the cOmmittee were In possession OF sum
Gent uNta to r. nutr II lmppssihle 10 tfutDlulA
Withhold all the facts from them. lie denied
most emphatically AZ that time that he had
made anv corrupt use OF the money which ht
dshursed under the orders OF the Attorney
General. and his subsequent disclosures make II
apparent that ne told the truth Nnen he wa;
aske ID Toy the Chairman of the committee II h,
had not, in poiut OF fact, paid laige sun OF
money from the secret service fund to awell
known New York poltici~u. ho admitted tina
be had, and then asked tnat he might hav,
Ln opportunity to cousult counsel and examine
his papers at his home In CambrdGepo port, Mass.
before being called upon TO giye details In re
gard to this trans ctloD. The COMMITTEES. af Ell
consultation, axreed TO rrLnt him the asked foi
DELAY, and Col. whitley at once left for Boston
lie returned to this city this mOrninR, and wa.
Today examined al length.
MONEY PAID TO JOHN I. DAVENPORT.
He said in substance that It was his desire I,
keep back nothing touching his late oificial con
nection with the Department OF Justice. lie
bad consulted his counsel In relation to the sub
lect matter Of which The committee was inquir
Ing. and he told hun that the oniv safe cours'
Tor MIN TO pursue was to make a Cl,an breast o
II. To enable him to do tuis, whitley SAID b
had In the snort tune at his disposal ovrrhaule,
bsp,pers as thoroughly as he could, anu foun'
vouchers for $35,6UO paid 10 John l. Dayen
port during the years 1871, ls'2 ls'J, and lsi'
Il was hts I'm preston tntt he had paid NOR
money than this, tut he mad oeen unable to hn'
receipt for anv more than the amount abOy
stated. lie was still inclined to believe that b
paid DlvenDort in all about S0JUOO, ana d
thOught that with further search he would b
able to nnd the VOUCHERS for tnat amount O
something near II. Every dollar OF this none
he testified was I'd upon the orders " the Al
torney General who always assured him tia
be was acting upon the orders ~ the President
these payments first began IN ISL, just Gefor
the elections of tuat year, and regularly ever
rear thereafter as long as Col. Whitley W S chic
Of the secret service division. Just before a
election Davenport wanted large sums q
money. At various times whitley objected 4
handing over tae money, ana the perenptor
orders would be given TO pay 1t. He was no
satisfied with verbal orders He wanted wntte
distractions TO that effect. ana SO he refused L
p'y. Then Davenport wrote letter that he ha
Ist had word from Horace Porter that III
President wanted the money paid and he ~
Iuucted the Attorney y-GeneIa al to order IL palt
Sure enough the order came. The first instruc
tions be had IN whiting came from Attorney
LeueTai Akerman and are As follows;
THE MoSEY ORDERED TO BE PAID.
DErAETsEST or JUSTICE, wAsHINoToS.
coiR W1m,y, 62 Bl,ecler strs.i S'io lo,t'
siE' Ia additiont 10 the sGm which you have alread
been ~ or1ed t. speaa under ne sgproprilioa e
tn,sl sse.. The san u 800 Tii be piae q IL yor
lsnds BE- uea IN tue fur nsrsncs ne OBJECT Of a.
Dayenpotl :. Commissioner, las oeen in eouiereac
ycu vi te pasuf o '' wor2 IN view. You VIII
tours~, hat none OF the money Is applied to al
tns yoa S,li plt he oepartlicli either ora. or
vruls as may Non 'ecm u eIltnt. in poss ssion
ue cr Ais OF ihe tNJ'nIItu.e,. Il you viii sead Yo,
teeal 10 ue uslll i,fu0 tne money "ln DC PROMPT
A. +. AklarAS, Attorney. General,
,,.no.,- NV YonK, Aug u, 1871.
ne rle'i rnt 4rc,eu ne Alt,rle' y, neral TO tui
over a. you. s~e 2 op i-eq. 10000 ad liuona snd
plea tc rer il Nrtt.eshp to ilstruct CUM n sue
lf1fr come, tO { NE have the MuAty. ] snail VA
u on "a uraav, NE .ual nesl II " meet payment
u-eA AN Tor nurK dour.
Your truly, JOHS /. DAVENPORT.
Col VI. C. Whitley, pres nt
In l51l the demands on Whitley were uni
euaJ Ia &c, anG he agaln otj Ctel Then Da'
eupOrt wrote TO Attorney General William
COUP dining wheTeuuUu " l.lduis wrote tnis lie
Tel " Whitley:
pRPARrMrNr OF JUsTIcK, /
MAtHiA1IOS, Sept. II, lS72
q Whrlrp, ESQ, ~ Ll ,lfI sptsi. Ne0 lOiL.
Dir; IN D. T'cclt VI letter datcd the 20th, fro
Hr, John DaNtApUf stauhg that the dTait sent yt
by this d. par uent on N. 9th mai been received
you, but you have Iecuusd pltn- of II without
ktructlnn ffoui tha department IT. dispositi u
lhsVe no Instructions give upon this subject iurh
uan TO say that the disbursement ot TINS mon for Il
pufpO-rs for winch it Was mt, uueI eft your
Srrtluu, and have suggest tudt confer wlth NJ
DNeniort, and use the money JOu aud he may agr
upJn. Very respectfully,
Gro. II. WILLIAMS, Attorney yG enerAl
RECEIPTS FOR MONEY PAID TO DAvBSPORT.
THE following are the receipts for he vario
sums u money paid To Davenport under orde
from the Wnite House, through tie ATONE
Oenef u. II vii he noticed that they always b
Rln few months before tue t.ll elections at
fgu a lew days after the November election.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT. soLICrroRs OFFIoE. |
~ kEI nfRYttk DIVISION. hAsHGN6TOE, - &, |