Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-02-12
WN. (. TeTON DENIES CERTAIN
STATEMENTS.

St. Louis, February H.
The first Wines called this morning in the trial
Of Gen. I'abcock, was Mai. L. II. Crime. depot
quarterma>ter of the United S'utes army at -.
Louis. Crimes wa Introduced by tLc lrosecu-
ton, to show that Gen Babcock carried on a cor
respondcnce with Mcdonald last fall, while the
latter was under indictment for completely in the
whskey frauds. Maj. Grimes said have been
in the army since Sept. 1862; know Gen. Bah
cock, having met hi first in 1862, ia Utah where
| VAS di ,trict quarterm ser; saw Gen. Babcock
when he was here last fall, probably in September,
just before fair time, with the festival party. lie
said that he would probably want to send some
letter or packages, through me 10 other parties /;
he did not say to whom. After that he sent three
letters to me, that is suppose he sent them; | got
a letter add,es. ell to myself, with another letter in
III that was a short time after | saw Gen. Bab-
cock The letter enclosed in mine in white
envelope, sealed and marked Mcdonald.
The note TO ia the first letter was simply
please deliver the enclosed letter to Mcdonald
and it was signed 20. L. Babcock." | gave the
enclosed to Mcdonald, l think at my office, q
week or ten days later. | received another letter
through the post Office. directed TO me. There
was no note in it, but an envelope addressed In a
d tfeient hand from that of the first to Mcdonald.
There note to me, bat there piece of
paper wrapped around tne envelope. The third
letter just like the secoud. l delivered all
thee of these letters to Mcdonald When one
Of these came he was not at home and in trying to
u
and told hlm, but do not know what Walsh then
did
On cross-examination, Mr. Grimes said that he
lad known BabcOck personally and Intimately,
ard the latter had beet good friend TO him on
one occasion, when Mcdonald and Mckee were
reported to be NJ their influence to have him
removed, because he would not put man in the
place they wanted. Babcock promised his in
1Uence TO prevent his removal. W itness in the
course of his crCss-examnaton said Once when
I del tlpse tn MrI)nnau cd m
'McDonald, cid Bahcock have anything to do
with this whlskey rng;' He said Grimes
don't know. Don't believe he knows any more
about it than You do, and you know you don't
know anything about it,.
On redirect examinations, Grimes was asked
Odd Mcdonald in that conversation say that he
(himselfl didn't know thing about the whiskey
lngi"
Witness-Yes, he did.
District Attorney-How did you come to ask if
Babcock had ANYTHING to do with the whiskey
ring
Witness-I asked him for the simple reason that
if Babcock, who had been my friend, had had any
thing TO DO with it, was going to drop him.
District Attornev-What reason had you to sus-
pect the gentleman
Witness-Nothing but the fact Of the letters
sent through me.
Mr.. Grimes was followed by B. II. English the
rectfyer, who gave an account OF his operations,
referring particularly TO the amounts of money
raised BY distillers and rectifyers for revenue
agents to keep them still and to obtain informa-
ton from them, all of which has been repeatedly
told
II. c. Rogers deputy commissioner of internal
revenue was called, and testified that ia August
1874, Mr.. Douglass at that time commissioner,
asked him TO correspond with revenue agent
Brooks, IN regard to making an investigation Of
affairs at Chicago and st. Louis. Witness wrote
10 Brooks VITO came to Washington for consulta-
| ton. Brooks wished revenue agent Hoag to as
sist him. He was written TO, and after consider
siderable delay he came to Washington, and then
went to Philadelphia to confer with Brooks. They
returned to Washington together, and after sew
efal DAYS left again. Witness said that about the
eth of December, Gen. Mcdonald came TO my
room and stayed few minutes. The next day he
came in and said, "Rogers, l don't want you to
tell me any thing but | want to tell you some
thing. Brooks and Hoag are going to St. Louis
on special business, and protest against such Sc
cret Investigations. If the officers there are tit to
be in office they need no investigation. If they
are not they ought 10 be removed" | then tele
graphed to Brooks to delay the investigation.
". .. Avery was al that time chief clerk of the
internal revenue bureau. | received letters about
that time from Brooks All the letters were adj
dressed to me personally, as intended TO destroy
the correspondence it not being of the nature
wanted to 20 on the files. Witness was briefly
cross-examined, but nothing new brought
out.
j. W. Douglass, ex commissioner of internal
revenue, was next put upon the stand, and said
dnrior 1874 and 1873 there were efforts con.
stanty made TO ferret out frauds that were he ng
nerreira,rd, Several revenue accents we're sent
put 70 81. Ionis in lS-2 hnt received no definite
info,na,ion fiom them. Later BROOKS and Hoag
were srrt ont. e-necialv to look into Davis and
Frazels affairs, and that firm paid the govern
When sent Joyre TO California it was TO oct him
ont of the AGENTS way who | sent here. and who
cnmnlsi,ed Of an excessive attention on his mart
Winning ard drivinU them so that thew conId NOT
10 INV w,,k Mcdonald and Joyce never came
10 sre me much when they we're in WASHINGTON.
Iha1 a conyer-a,ion with Rogers in regard to the
lnvestigatiou in the west. / remember showing
him a cony Of a letter received between TIE 10Th
and I'm of DECEMBER. written nv Brooks saving
.ho d.Isy wonId proye eonaiIv nrofTahle 10 thu
"ove,nment or gratifying 10 ourselves or some
thing Of The Kind. The COPIES of the letters were
shown TO me at The White House by Gen. Bah
cook. lie said that gentleman had shown it to
him and he was afraid | was being deceived by
-, ,,,rn lie sn;J ,bot h. ,,oul5 hod ,ra w.