Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-09-22
REPLY OF JUDGE SlNNOTT.
NEW YORK Sept. ~ h. 1876.
In,.>r - lIruyp~r OWN

NEW YORK Sept. ~ h, 1876.
Hon tBRAM 5. HEWITT, CHI q.
.uy Dear Sir: | have received your note
with tile copy Of The Times of September S, 10
reference to Mr.. Tilden's income return ioI
1862, and have taken the earliest TIN" which
my official engagements would permit 10 send
you the Information you solicit.
| was 10 MIR. TiIdcn's law office during the
whole period covered by the allegations ol The
Times, and was more familiar than ary othel
person-perbaps even than MIR. Tiden hlm-
selt-with his professional services aud with
the earnings of his office, it being among my
duties to keep such record or memoranda OF
them as was preserved.
The charges to which you specially refer are
epitomized and pIacardcd on the front page OF
the Times whcr", 10 parallel columns are dis
played fac an.tle Of Mr.. TiIdeu's income tax
return Tor the year 1862 contrasted with pre-
tended statement of his real ucome tor that
year.
have examined this statement with care,
and from my personal knowledge, hnd it to be
false in every important particular.
The first thing IN this fabrication OF the
Tunes which arrested my attention, was the
evident intent 10 mislead which characterizes
it. 1t purports to be made UP Of separate items,
the wording OF which is varied 10 orlcr to give
the reader the idea that these items had beeu
taken directly from bills, or accounts which had
been rendered 10 some o0e, or had been enter
ed 10 some book OF account.
For example: the first item reads. "Febru
AIRY 10 Fee for Trustees and Master Commis
Sioner,' Deed" &c; but the Wording Of the
second item is made different, and reads !:
February Is. Fees and expenses aCith reference
to deed" Sc, aud the third item is pu. IN >tlll
Another aud different mode vt expression, thus ::
March l. For drifting &c First Mortgage
Deed while III the loulLh Item the word
fees (aud this time without the "cXpe0ses
is brought into rcqusltlon.
The obvious intent of these contrivances is to
give color to these bogus items, aud the appear
ance of being copied from some real paper.
The frs, six items of this statement relat" to
matters connected with the Pittsburg. Fort
Wayne and Chicago Railway. and a RICH, uu
dcrstandiug of MIR. TIldeu's relations TO that
enterprise, prior 10 and during the year 1862,
is Important at the outset.
Now, the fact Is that no such accounts as are
contained 10 these six items ever existed aud
20 one OF these pretended items has ever been
made the subject oil spncl6: charge by Mr..
Tldcu aAalust any Individual or corporation
whatever.
Mr. Tildcn became counsel for the hod"rsot
various classes of bonds cured upon the Pitts
burg, Fort Wayne and Chicago Railroad, which
was aud is railroad running through four diff
lercnt States. AID built 10 sections by three
different corpora zoos, which were afterwards
cons ldated When MIR. 'Iiden became c"un-
sci Tor the bondhoders 10 1859, i had outstand.
ing nine diff .rcDt classvS of bonds. upon all OF
which default had been mada, andits affairs 10
general were in apparently hopeless bankruptcy
and confusion. To rescue this enterprise, Mr..
TiIden labored continually, ADD much more la
borousiy than lawyer ordinarily does 10 re.
gard to aoy onc particular case, from 1859 to
the early part of 1862. The labor was parlcu-
larly a:duous during the years of 1860 and
1861.
Suits of foreclosure were Instituted early in
. ach 0! the States, and these had so far pro
grr>s d by June. 1861, that DEGREES of fore
closure aud sale were then entered. The road
was actually sold on the 24th Of October, 1861,
aud possession taken under the sale. vi course
this could GOT be accomplished uotiI all the
conflicting iuterests-ihe nine diff :reut classes
of bondhoIders the secured creditors. the VI
secured creditors, and the stockholders had been
harmonized and sa,i>f ID; DOR uutil legislative
Acts ad quate to meet case such as had never
before arisen, either here or in Englaud, had
been devised, prepared, and successfully passed
iu four dff>re States. All this was accom-
plished principally under the advice and with
the labor of Mr.. Iiden before the close of the
year 1861 His engagements on account OF
this railroad during that whole period were con-
slant and expressing. Whatever pay he re-
,elved was tor the entire service as Whole-lt
was not i'emizad or appOrtioned
The Iuc me Tax law went into effect on the !
first Of January, 1862. and the incomes falling
,uder its operation were those accruiug from
md after the said first day OF January, 1862.