Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-04-05
THE HEDRICK CASE.
The Facts ~ they are. and will Ap-
R0af In tho End.

pear In tho End.
tOttnmwa correspondence of Gate City,
The maliciously willful misrepre-
by some liar who is sending
kilograms to the press purporting to
give the testimony in the Hedrick
post leadership matter, gives some
ground for surprising that the testi-
mony in the Belknap case is likewise
misrepresented against him. The
purpose of this Misrepresentation is
evidently for political effect, and in
the interest of the Democracy. The
real facts in regard TO the Hedrick
case are so different from the report
ed testimony as to have called from
Sim CLANCY card of contradiction,
in which he afiirms as he had always
stated, that he never paid dollar to
Harlan or any other man for influence
in securing any kind of a position,
and that in his testimony he did not
state that he paid Harlan $1,000, nor
did he state anything like il, but OH
the contrary that he had never had
any transactions of any kind, with
Harlan, nor paid him dollar for any
purpose whatever.
The testimony of the Leightons, is
likewise deliberately and willfully
falsified. Nothing like that reported
was testified to by them, as will ap.
pear whenever the correct testimony
is given to the public.
The facts in regard to the Hedricl
post leadership are these, as will ap.
pear from Gen. Hedrick's testimony
when he goes before the committee
In 1869, long before he was Super
visor of Internal Revenue, or hat
thought of being, and while post
master at Ottumwa, the Leighton's
who were trading men, concluded t.
60 into business as post traders, i
they could obtain permit. A pos
leadership, it must be remembered, i.
not an office at all, but simply per.
nit from the War Department to sell
to Indians, frontiersmen and others
subject to regulations as to prices, b,
board of officers. Their application
was signed by Gen. Hedrick, all til,
prominent citizens of Ottumwa, Judg,
Loughridge and others, and the per
init was granted.
Hedrick, who had always been il
active business of some kind befor,
he went into the war, and havin.
saved a few thousand dollars from
his pay in the army, formed part
nership with the Leightons in the bus
mess of post-trading, and put hi
money therein. No secret was mad,
of it, as it was not deemed dishonor
able for a postmaster on salary o
about 81 200 to put his surplus capita
in any business not prohibited by law
The books Of the partnership, and o
Gen. Hedrick, will show these facts
together with the entire conduct o
the business from the commencement
That Leighton ever paid Hedricl
x25,OOO, as reported in their testimon,
as bonus for the procurement o
continuance of the position is not true
and it may be confidently asserte,
that no such thing was testified to b,
them.
The truth about the $4,000 matte
and all there is in il was that one O
the Leightons become tired of tn
business and retired from it, and him
self drew out of it $4,000, being hi
share of the capital and profits, whicI
had not been very profitable OWN.
to the loss of two mule trains belong
ing to the concern.
Long after the commencement o
the partnership Gen. Hedrick was ap
pointed Supervisor of internal reve
nue., and it had no more connection
with the permit to the Leightons t,
trade, or his interest therein, thar
they had with his appointment o
General in the army years before tn
leadership or partnership wa
dreamed of.
These are the facts of the case. a
time will show, without material va
ration. There have been other re
ports as to other witnesses havin.
testified to the payment to Hcdrick o
money on account of post trading. |
is not very apparent how the Super
visor of Internal Revenue can contro
such posts, having nothing to do will
them officially, and IL may be safel,
asserted, in view of the tremendou
falsehoods in the reports thus far ex
posed, that such things neither exis
in fact nor in the testimony of an,
witness. For some time before TIL,
first whispers of Gen. Hedrick's con
nectiop with the post traderships, liz
had been confined at home by the
breaking out afresh of a hip wound
received in the war, but as soon as il
was possible, and long before he was
able, he undertook the journey tc
| Washington in obedience to a sum
mons.
Such was his physical prostratioi
on his arrival that he was confined t,
his bed for three days under the care
ola physician, his wound CONSTANT,
running aud ca"eins srcat pafn. I
is asserted by all who know Genera
Hedrick that when he goes upon tho
stand he will tell the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth; ant
that the truth will be that no dishones
dollar ever went into his pocket. /
is due to him, to the country and t,
justice to wait for the truth, which
finds but little outlet through TIN
Washington reports of the presen
day.
The exposures Of the gigantic fraud
in whisky, and the Belknap affair
have, it seems, caused kind of con
tagion to make exposures, and to sug
gest against an officer that he nigh
be corrupt, is sufficient to furnish TIN
fertile brains of INSCRIPTIONS mel
with all the details, and i'm some case.
to go upon the witness stand ant
swear to knowledge of things whicl
they only suspect. An eminent Judg,
of this State says that it was this
coupled with the Juror of excitement