Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-04-01
Grant Wanted him to Find Out IL His
Secretary Was W hisky Thief, and
when He So Reported He was
Discharged.
A Statement the Most Astounding Yet
Made Public-One that Smirches
the Third-Term Candidate with
Turpitude.
PierrepOnt, Of New York, Asserted to
Be as Bad as ANY Of the GAng-A
Perfect Nest Of Corruption
Uncovered.

WASHINGTON, March 31.-Mr. G. L
Bell, OF Jackson, Mississippi, testified
this morning before the Clymer COM
mittee that he madesn application for
post-tradership at Fort Davis, Texas,
and came here in June, 1872, to see
J Belknap about it, and that in the course
! of the Interview the secretary of wal
offered to sell him post for ::wo tbou.
sand dollars per ve-.. rnen he told how
ne Wa. appointed clerk In the interior
I department., and was fnslly employed
by the President to go to st. Louis on
special duty connected with the Babeock
! trial.
Question-Under that appointment
| were you interested in the Babcock case
in ST. Louis? Ans.-No, was not.
Ques.-Were you sbnt out there to
take any part in it? Ans.--NO, sir, not
Under this appointment.
Ones. - Under any appointments
Ars No, sir,
Ques.- Were you never employed in
any %sy in connection with that case
Ans.-Not by the government.
Ques.-By whom; General Babcock? I?
Ans. (htsitatingly) No, 1 cannot say
mat L was.
Quss.-By his counsel? Aus.-No,
sir.
Ques.-By anybody for himT Ans
By some one acting Tor him; suppose
acting for him; they said they were. I
was employed in November.
Ques.-What services were you to rem
der under that employment? Ans.
(aftcr q psu5e) Il would like little
time to reflect upon that matter, so as to
put it in shape.
Ques.-I only want the truth; 1t ie
not very hard to tell that, Ans.-I do
not know as that, has anything to do
with this case. "a, ,
Ques.-We will determine that after
we hear it. l only want to know who
employed you. Ans.-In regard to these
st. Louis whisky matters?
Ques.-Yes. General Babcock Is an
army officer, and I propose to inquire
about him now. Ans.-Wen, | was em-
ployed by Mr.. Luckey, the private sec
retary Of the President.
Quee.-What were you to do for Luck
ey2 Ans,-TO make it as brief as possi-
BILE, / was to look into tbe hands OF the
district attorney there collected and see
what evidence there was against Gen.
eral Babcock.
Ques.-You were sent by Luckey then
to go out there aud inquire what case
tEfsere was against Bsbcock2 Ans.-I
was there at the time.
Ques.-Did Luckey write to you?
Ans-No, sirs met him there at the
hotel:
Ques.-How were you to do it? Ans.
Il was simply to visit the district at
of1oa 7 ho6 tho RIM Of tho
Office there, and see what evidence there
was.
Ques.-Did you go there and get hold
oft? Ans-I did.
Ques.-With the consent Of the dis
trict-attorney? Ans.-No, sir.
Ques.-YOu got it surrepttl0usly,
then? Ans.-I did.
Ques.-Did you furnish what you got
to Colonel Luckey? Ans.-I did. That
was in November, at the Lindell hotel.
Ques Was there any other person
connected with Colonel Luckey that
you know OFF Ana gentleman
named A. G. Bradley, of Washington,
who said he was acting as one of the
counsel for General Babcock.
Ques.-What information did you fur
nish Luckey? Ans.-I told him that the
evidence against BabcOck at that time
was weak. 1 did not give him copies Of
any papers.
Qnes.-Had you read the evidence
against Babcock that was in the dis
rict-attorney's office? ADs.-Oh, no; /
only knew from what I heard in the Of
flee and what Colonel Dyer himself
told me.
Ques.--Did Colonel Dyer know that
you were the agent Of Luckey? Ans.-
No, sir; not at that time. subsequently
he did.
g. Ques.-Did you look over the papers
in that office? Ans.-Some of them.
r. Ques.-Did you read them all? Ans.
Il read good many of them.
Ques.-Where did you get the pspers
in the office? Ans.-On the table and
in drawers.
Ques.-Was that the precise service
that Colonel Luckey told you to render
him? Ans.-It was.
Ques.-He told you to go there and
find out? Ans.-To go and find out all
l cou'd. l wish to state that all that
time / believed, from conversations l
heard in the district attorneys office,
and among many influential persons
outside. that this attempt to impli-
cate General Babcock was made
for the purpose of ipjuring Gen
eral Grant, whom l had served as q
scout during the war, and fer whom l
had q strong regard. These men
claimed to be strong friends of Bris-
toW's. l saw many telegIams that
passed between Washington and the
district attorney there, and many Others,
apd it looked tnat way. believed that
uhtil another matter came up there, and
then / thought the parties out there
were acting without authority and per-
hsps were over anxious, and l believed
it until came to Washington. When
l came here l found was on the wrong
track, and dropped it, and took meas
ures afterward 70 cause information to
reach the press that his idea was wrong
that B4bcock was not guilty-"that
he was guilty."
Ques.-You informed the President
that Babcock was guilty. Ans.-1 took
measures to inform him that l believed
he was guilty. 1 did it because the
President himself told me that if Bab-
cock was guilty he wished TO know it.
He wished nothing concealed, and he
wished him punished. / took the Pres
ident at his word and informed him Of
it, and 1 got my discharge in three days
afterWafO.
Ques.-Did you have any conversa-
tiol with Babcock with regard to this
matter? Ans.-Frequently, probably q
dozen times after my arrival here in
December.
Ques.-If at any time Babcock admit
ted to you that be was guilty, please
state II. AHs.-His admission was clear
enough; II they wanted me to get evil
deuce out of the office and destroy it, it
was clear enough.
Ques.-Did he admit to you that he
was guilty? Ans.-I told him what
Bradley asked me TO do in st. Louis,
and instead OF dissenting he said he did
rot wish me to get the evidence out Of
that Office unless / could get the whole
Of it; that il got part Of it, 1t would be
worse than none.
Ques had Bradley asked you
to do. Ans-He had asked me to gel
the evidence out of thst Office and bring
/ II to the Lindell hotel.