The Portland daily press., 1876-07-13
Caldwell's Affidavit.
A Complete

A Complete ExOneration of MIR Blaine.
BOSTON, July 1.-THE Herald publishes an
interview of its special correspondent with Jo-
siah Caldwell at his business office, lis Cannon
street, in which the latter asserts the genuine
ness of the dispatches sent to the investigating
committee, and emphatically exonerates Mr..
Blaine from the charge Of being interested in
the IS bonds sold to Tom Scott. On the 22d of
June, Mr.. Caldwell, having been absent on the
Continent, returned to London, answered the
telegram at once, and on the Oath forwarded by
mail the following deposition, which appears in
to-day's Boston Herald:
Josiah Caldwell of Boston, Mass, U. S. A.,
now in the city of London, Eng, on oath
deposes and says:
That he is the person referred to in the
testimony of Calonel Thomas A. Scott before
the Congressional Committee of the United
States House OF Representatives, charged with
investigating the sale of seventy-fye bonds of
the Little Rock and Fort Smith railroad COM
pany by the said Colonel Thomas A. Scott to
the Union Pacific railroad company, and the
alleged connection of the Hon. James 6. Blaine
Herewith, and
That this deponent sold the said bonds to the
the said Colonel Thomas A. Scott sometime
during the year 1870; that this deponent was
then, and for long time before had been,
largely interested in the construction of the
said railroad of said company; that the said
transaction between the said Colonel Thomas
A. Scott and this deponent was a legitimate
and ordinary business one of purchase and sale;
that this depOnent does not recOllect whether
the price the deponent received for said 70
bonds was at the rate of 80 cents on the dollar
or not, but he does recollect that it was about
that price; that the said Colonel Thomas A.
Scott paid the full amount of said purchase
money to this deponent in cash, and further:
That the deponent is personally acquainted
with James G. Blaine. late Speaker of the
United States House of Representatives; that
he was in no way connected with or interested
in said transaction between. the said Col. Thos.
A. Scott and this deponent concerning the sale
and purchase of said Is bonds, nor was he in-
terested IN said bonds or any of them; that he
never spoke or wrote to said Colonel Thomas
A. Scott in the behalf Of this deponent con-
corning these or any other bonds SO far as this
deponent has any knowledge or belief that this
deponent never gave the said James G. Blaine,
directly or indirectly, any Little Rock and Fort
Smith Railroad bonds or any other bonds Sc
curities, money or things of value, or things
representing value for any purpose whatever;
that this deporent has carefully read the testi-
mony of said Colonel Thomas A. Scott, as re-
ported in the New York Daily Tribune of May
l6, 1876, and that the same discloses all the
facts connected with the said transaction, con-
cerping the sale and purchase of said IS bonds
between the said Colonel Thomas A. Scott and
this deponent; and further
That this deponent would be quite willing to
attend before said investigating committee,
and submit himself to the fullest examination
the committee might desire, if he could do so
without great sacrifice if not rreparrable loss
and damage; that he is engaged in important
and valuable railroad contracts and matters
which require his constant personal supervision
and attention, and the attendance at the pres
ent time is entirely impraeticable.1,
(Signed) JOSIAH CALDWELL
Executed in London, before me, on this 14th
day of June, 1876.
LIS ADAM BADEAU, Consul General.