The Portland daily press., 1876-06-02
THE BLAINE INVESTIGATION.
Mulligan Tells a Ridiculous
Story.
How Mr.. Blaine Recovered Some
Private Letters.
Mr, RIaine's own Statement.
Special to the Press.1


WASHINGTON, June 1.-While Blaine's enc
mics are making the most of Mulligan's testi-
mony his friends are enthusiastic over the pres
ent status of the case. They insist that Blaine
is perfectly right in holding letters to prevent
the publication of private matters which can
have nothing to do with the investigation, and
urge him not to yield single point. Multi
gan's story about consulship and suicide is too
rldiculously absurd to notice. The sub-commit-
tee of the investigation is controlled by Hutton
of Virginia, and Ashe of North Carolina, two
notorious rebels, who are very bitter on Mr..
Blaine. MAT.
Mulligan's Testimony.
ITO the Associated Pressl
WASHINGTON, June 1.-The examination of
Mulligan was continued today. He wanted to
make statement before continuing his exam
ination, and said that when he arrived here
note came down from Blaine, requesting him
and Fisher to call at his house. Witness de-
clined to go but Fisher went After witness
testified yesterday Blaine called upon him and
asked him about some letters which were in his
possession, asd wanted witness to give them
up, tut witness declined to do SO. Witness said
Blaine almost got down on his knees and plead
ed for the letters, saying that they would ruin
him. He besought witness to think of his
wife and six children, and almost contemplated
suicide.
Witness then allowed Blaine to take the let
ters under pledge that he would return them,
and he looked them over and did return them
This was in the presence of Fisher and At
kins. ..f ....tt
Witness then retired to his room and Blaine
followed him, and wanted to look at the letters
again. Witness allowed Blaine to take them
and Blaine refused to return them No one
was present this time but Blaine and witness
There were about eighteen letters in all. While
this statement was being made Blaine sat at a
table opposite the witness, aud exhibited con-
siderable mrth at the statements, laughing out
right at the remark about suicide, and when
witness closed, Blaine rose at once and asked to
be sworn, and to be allowed to make counter
statement. The chairman objcc ccted to it at that
time but assured Blaine that he should have an
opportunity.
Witness was asked if he knew the contents
of the letters. and what their contents were as
far as they related to the Union Pacific bonds
but Blaine objected to witness giving the con-
tents of the letters until he had made counter
statement.
Frye said. assuming the statement about the
letters to be as witness stated, he thought it
proper for Blaine to be heard. These letters
were private letters of Blaine to Fisher, they
Were kept in Fishers safe, and witness had no
business with them, but had got possession of
them and brought them here, and they refer
redd in no manner weateyer to the Union Pa
cifc bonds that we're represented as going to
Col. Scott.
Hunton thought the committee, in the alb
sence of the letters themselves, had right to
inquire about and know their contents if thew
bore upon the matter at issue. He proposed
that Blaine put the letters in the possession of
the committee and let the committee decide for
themselves.
Blaine said that on the ground of fair play
he should be allowed to make a statement in
relation to what transpired last night as the
statement made by witness was now being tel
egraphed all over the country and would ap-
pear in the afternoon papers, and when they
got through his examination it would be too
late for his explanation to reach the press.
The committee, however, decided that the
witness should be examined first.
He said one letter contained an allusion to
the bonds and Blaines losses in the transac-
tion and that Blaine said he did not retain the
money in his possession 48 hours.
Witness further explained that Fisher knew
he had those letters aud allowed him to have
them, and he also said that when they were
alone last night Mr. Blaine talked politics to
him and asked HIM how he would like to run
committee, and if he would not like consul
ship.
Hunton then asked Blaine to submit the let
letters, and the memorandum made from them
by Mulligan, to the committee for their private
examination.
Blaine said he must for the present decline
to do this but if, in the Judgment of counsel
who would command the committees entire
confidence, they had any bearing upon the
pending inquiry he would produce them. He
did not want the committees verdict on the
pending charge to be delayed by their going
into purely private matters outside the case.
MIR. Blaine's Statement,
At the conclusion of Mulligan's examination
Blaine made the following statement under
oath:
This witness opened his statement this morn
ing by detailing some facts in regard to the
hu IF Al lofk
into my possession. To begin where he did,
received through third party telegram on
Monday stating that Mr.. Fisher and Mulligan
were on their way as witnesses, the latter un-
friendly. Just at that time my mind was con-
siderably filled with the story about the North
ern Pacific matter, which had come ont through
the letter OF Mr.. Aquilla Adams, who was
formerly connected with Mr.. Fisher in busi-
ness, and when L ascertained on what train
Fisher was coming, sent servant with note
to his hotel, saying would like to have him
and Muiligan call at my house at their leisure
IN relation to the Northern Pacific matter and
Adams, letter. Fisher called. Mulligan was
not willing to call. called at the Briggs
House and found Mulligan sitting in a bar
ber's chair. shook hands with him. We are
not new acquaintances. 1 have known him
twenty five years, and / said, addressing him
as had been in the habit of doing, "James.
theY report that you are here an enemy of
mine. He made some jocular or rather
to come to my house because he didn't wish to
converse with me here in any way about the
matter before he testified. had little con-
versaton afterwards directly with Mr.. Fisher,
in which Fisher said to ME that Mulligan had
good many Of my private letters, that he did
not know or did not think they were on the
subject of the investigation, but that they en-
braced large portion of the business which
for number of years had been going on be-
tween Fisher and myself Mr.. Fisher has been
an lntlmate acquaintance of mine for more
than twenty years. He was for a considerable
period associated with my wife's brother in
business in Boston and Mr Mullgau was the
conndentlal clerk for many years of another
brother OF my wife's in business, SO that |
know the parties intimately
Fisher lntimated that Mulligan had these let
ters and without distinctly saying 50 he gave
me TO understand that he was not the least re-
luctant to get them all out whether they bore
upon the matter under investigation or not I
did not converse with Mulligan at all until yes.
terday, when discovered, L thought, a yery
great readiness on his part to travel out of the
record and tell great many things relating to
my private business, which did not belong at
all to the subject of investigation and seeing
tnat dld not want to go into those matters
him upon the subject. thought it was highly
improper and unjust that he should do so, be-
cause it broadened the field of the examination
and prevented my having a report or verdict
upon tne case particularly on hand. So the
committee was adjourned by Judge Lawrence's
request after had spoken with him.
After the adjournment / called on the three
gentlemen, Messrs. Atkins, Fisher and Multi
gan, at the Riggs House, and in the parlor of
Mr.. Atkins I had some conversation with Mul.
ligan about these letters and asked him to
show them to me. He did show them with
some apparent reluctance. 1 said to him,
why, YOU are not afraid of my keeping them
are your and he said, mo and handed them
to me. looked them all over and discovered
that there was only one letter in the list that
at all bore upon the question before the com
mittee and even that by forced construction
and not in reality. 1 handed them back to
him. The conversation then became somewhat
general between the four gentlemen, including
myself, in the room. After little while Mui-
lgan went up stairs to Mr.. Fishers room right
overhead. was talking with Atkins and Mr..
Fisher for few minutes and then started I'D
to Fishers room ard knocked at the door. and
was admitted, and there 1 talked with Muiigan
for some time. l may have beea there think
the better part of an hour, but the form that he
gives the interview about my offering him
consulship and about my being ruined, and all
that sort of thing, was mere fancy Nothing of
the KIND occurred. talked as calmly as L am
talking this morning. Very soon said to
him, Il would like to sea one letter
among thcSpo 10 A.