The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-02-14
BABCOCK.
His Trial-The Presidents
Deposition Taken, but
notyet Made Public.

Deposition Taken, but
notyet Made Public.
ST. LOUIS, February 12.-Upon the
opening Of the Babcock trial this morn
ing, the cross-sxamination of ex-Com-
missioner Douglass was completed in q
few unimportsnt questions.
On the redirect, the District Attorney
presented an affidavit purporting to be
charges preferred in 1913, by Lindsay
Murdock, q collector of internal revenue
in southeast Missouri. The charges were
against John A. Joyce and John Nc
Donald. The envelope was endorsed by
c. G. Sniffin, the Presidents private sec.
retsry, showing that it had been received
at the Executive Mansion. and referred
to the Treasury Department. Another
endorsement showed the reference to the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue. Mr..
Douglass could not testify that he had
seen the affidavit in his office. The
District Attorney said he proposed to
read the affidavit, showing that in 1873
charges against Joyce and Mcdonald
had been sent to the Executive Mansion,
and had gone through the departments.
The court only allowed witness to tes-
tfy that the endorsement showed that
such charges had been received and filed.
They were not read. Nearly the entire
morning session was taken up in trying
to trace through telegraph clerks OF this
city and Washington, and also by the
door-keepers and messengers of the Ex-
ecutive Mansion, certain kilograms not
vet admitted, to prove that they were re-
ceived and sent back and forth between
Joyce and Mcdonald here, and General
Babcock in Washington. Finally the
defense waived this proof as to one dis
patch, and allowed the following, ad-
mitted 10 be
In Gen. Babcock's Handwriting,
to be read:
WASHINGTON, ID. g., Dec. g. 1874.
Gen. John Mcdonald, 81. Louis, No:
l succeeded. They will not go. l
will write you.
[Signed, SYLrH.
Before ,his was read, Judge Porter an
nounced that they proposed to make
lengthy legal argument against the adj
mission of the other kilograms, and per-
haps they might wish to include this
Syl ph dispatch in those objected to; the
defense wished to reserve that point
Deputy Commissioner Rogers
was recalled and testified | had con-
versation with General Babcock in re-
card to the transfer Of revenue agents.
Babcock said he had heard that Mr..
Douglass was about TO issue IN order di-
recting transfer OF agents. | told him
the order had that morning been issued.
He expressed his regret, as 1T woHld
bring political pressure on Douglass,
and he would be forced to revoke the
order, and that would work disastrously
to him. Douglass was, at that time,
spoken of as a candidate for the Court OF
Claims, and there would be more or less
odium ON him on account of the failure
of the enterprise when the order was re-
voked. That interview came about by q
messenger bringing me either note
or verbal c5nffnarSsoutian- -fral-: ftksI
eral Babcock. | mad no previous
conversation with him on this matter; |
did speak 10 him before about the Judge
ship of the Court of Claims; there was
not werd said in the communication
with Babcock, ut his house, in regard to
breaking up the frauds here. Douglass
was not appointed Judge of the Court of
Claims, for there was no vacancy. |
did not know that the revoking of the
order changing supervisors had cast such
odum on Mr.. Douglass that he was
not appointed. In the conversation |
with Babcock, ! told him | should report
the interview to Mr.. Douglass.
On cruss-examinaton witness said |
had two interviews with Babcock, the |
first of which ! sought myself. My ul- !
terror object waste promote the interests
of Mr.. Douglass in connection with the |
judgeship of the court of claims, thinking |
no doubt, l might get the position held !
bv him rs commissioner. Gen. Babcock |
expressed great friendship for Mr..
Douglass. / don't know of any influence
brought to bear except from rumor to |
have the order transferring the supervl-
sors revoked | think | made spplica-
tion by letter TO Gen. Mcdonald to Sc
cure his assistance. | had no suspicious OF |
him at the time of the revoking of the
order, but the President would create an
impression that Mr.. Douglass was re-
buked. The leading object of General !
Babcock was Judge Douglass interest,
although he spoke of one more object,
viz, saving the President from being |
annoyed. The
Opposition Of the Defense
to the admission of dispatches alleged to |
have passed between Joyce, Mcdonald !
anc Babcock. was carried to the utmost
extremity. They would admit nothing /
the clear proof of which could not be pro-
duced. They required not only proof Of
the authorship aud Transmission by tele-
graph, but that the dispatches were sc /
tually placed in the hands OF the persons /
to whom they were addressed. SO far the
prosecution have satisfied the defense |
only in one instance, that of the Sylph /
telegram given above. The defense also .
objected to the relevancy of these dis |
patches, and stated they would argue ,
their objections at considerable length, /
and with that view they requested the .
prosecution to group AL their dispatches
together, so thar the argument might be .
made at one time rather than on each .
dispatch when offered. The dis /
rstch which met the most deter
mined and persistent opposition is the
one sent from st. Louis on December /.
lS74to Babcock at Washington, signed,
J., and admitted to be in Joyce's hand
writing, but it was not read aud there /.
fore the contents Is unknown outside of
the counsel The dispatch was traced
into the hands of Geo. ). Joyce, door
keeper st the Secretarys Office, executive
mansion, Washington, who receipted for
it. but as Joyce died some months ago
there l. no positive proof that General
Babcock ever received it.
Oiher dispatches were traced in like
manner 10 the door keeper or others who
receIntAd for them. but these persons y ho