Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-04-26
BRlSTOw.
He Kcplics to tho Kentucky whisky
CHARGES.

WASHINGTON, April 19.-Secretary
Bristow has addressed the following
letter to Hon. b. G.. Caulfield, Chair.
man of the committee on Expendi-
lures in the Department of Justice:
Sir My attention has been called
to Washington dispatch to the Bal
timorc Gazette of this date, = copy of
which is enclosed, from which ii APP
pears that some time last week Mr..
4. w. Bartley, of this city, appearing
before your committee, detailed ru-
mors under oath affecting my official
integrity.
This witnes is represented as hay-
ing sworn, upon information and be-
| lief, in substance. that while l was
United States Attorneyfo for the Dis
trict of Kentucky, a number of distil-
tilleries were seized at my instance,
and that soon after, upon an offer of a
large sum of money, resigned and
procured the appointment of my as
sistant (Col. Wharton,) as my sue
| cessOr, became counsel for these dis
tillers, and in accordance with the
terms OF the alleged agreement, pro-
cured release of their property.
that an officer of the government who
could be reached by your committee
in a few minutes, should be allowed
to remain in ignorance of the exact
character of such testimony for near
ly week, and that no opportunity to
meet charges of so serious nature
should be afforded him.
In the absence of any definite in
formation from your committee in re-
gard to what the witness really stat
ed under oath, and without reference
to the alleged denial of these state
ments by another witness, 1 must
promptly meet the SANDER as l find it
in the public prints, even at the risk
OF appearing to reflect upon the
methods of your committee. The
story, whether testified to by Mr..
BARLEY or any one case before your
committee, is absolutely and un-
eguivocally false.
trust your committee will rccog-
nize the propricty of giving me an
opportunity TO meet this baseless
SANDER promptly, and for this pur-
pose l request that the officers of the
court, including the Judge thereof,
be brought before yonr committee
and subjected to public examination
touching all the matters alleged by
the witness in question, either by
direct statement or inuendo, and, if
need be, the records of the court be
examined for the purpose of show
ing that no such cases exist-at least
that had no connection with any
such.
Furthermore, claim the right TO
be heard personally before your COM
mittee, under oath, touching all the
matters referred to by any of the wit
nesses who have been examined on
this subject have the honor to be,
very respectfully, etc,
B. ii. BRIsTow.
| WASHINGTON, April 2O.-Repre-
sentative Cauliield, chairman of the
Committee of Expenditures i'm the
Department of Justice, has answered
Secretary Bristow's letter of the 10Th
inst. In it he states that the articles
enclosed by Bristow from the Balti-
more Gazette are entirely without
knowledge or authority of the COM
mittee.
In regard to the testimony ofJudge
BARLEY, Caultield says he (Bartley)
made no charge against Bristow !:
what he said was simply hcarsay as
to what he claimed had been told him
by S. Il. Suit. The committee did not
see the necessity of apprising Bristow
of it until they could procure the at
tendance of Suit. When his attend
ance could be procured, he testified
before the committee utterly denying
the truth of any charge implied in
Judge Bartlcy's testimony as having
been made by him (SuiO against
Bristow.
He concluded as follows: There
was nothing further to investigate, as
far as you were concerned, but as to
the further investigation which yoI.
demand, the committee will willingly
accord it to you if you still desire /;
but we consider it wholly unnecessary
as there are no cIG,hss~s ssrsxss~-----
proven against you and you stand be-
fore us with the fullest exoneratioll
of even a suspicion.
Judge BARLEY has written letter
to Mr.. Cauliield criticising Rristow's
communication. and stating that the
letter denies statements not testified
to by BARLEY, and concludes by call
ing upon the Secretary to show that
there were no seizures of distilleries
pending in the court at the time he
resigned.