Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-03-12

argument as to whether he viii or vii
not answer the irtsrrogstorles put Il
him.
INGALLS, EXPLANATION.
New York Hersli.l
Msjor- General Rufus log ais, acting
gusrte.msster-generil United State:
army, authorizes the following state.
Sosnt .n regard to the Significance Of bis
presentation OF watch TO Mrs. Grant
wife OF the Presidenti Five years ago
in April, 1871, friend of his having re-
turned from Europe, brought with bir'
q watch OF peculiar manufacture as &c
article dc VertU, matte by an eDteTpris.
ing and ambitious matchmaker in Swift.
Eelland, which he had gotten up with
the idea Of presenting to Queen VictOris
upon the cccssion Of her opening the
London exposition This event not oc.
curing, he had the watch on his hands,
and was going to send 1t to the bon
DldTche st Paris. This friend OF General
ingalls, found it out while he was select
ing curiositiss, which led him in the Gi-
reetien of purchasing watches CT aston
ishingly small sizs and variety OF work.
msnship. He purchase d it, snd, bring
ing it to this country, presented 1t to
General ingalls,, who, upoa receiving it,
conceived the idea of presenting 1t to
Mrs. Grant, since, being bachelor, he
did not know what elss to do with II.
General Grant had bseD a classmate oil
his, and great attachment had always
existed between them. On vistin 2
Washington he took the article, and,
placing it in small parcel, called ut the
White House and left it with the porter
to be handt d 10 Mrs Grant, which was
done the same evening, Just 2s she was
getting up from the OinneT-tsble. Ac-
ccmpsnyIng it was ths following letter
from General Ingslis:
"DEAR MADAM-Ani by an un-
selfi:h affection for yCur husband, af eT
an unbroken friendship Of over thirty
yeara, with very high regard for yourself,
take the liberty to hand you this
trinket, which beg you to accept, being
thing which is Of no use to me and
cost me little. Yours truly,
"RUFGS INGALLS,"
General Ingalls, says that he had never
then or since received a favor at the
hands of President Grant, nor was it in
his power to grant him one. He simply
held his position in the army and did
not seek any favoIs at the hands of the
President. He laughed heartily over
the idea OF attaching any importance to
his act, as it was simply thing which
he did out of pure attachment for the
President, which he endeavOred to sig
nifty delicately by an act Of gsllantry to
his wife. He does not know now to ac.
C unit Tor the fact OF any publication OF
the occurrence, except that he sent to
the Appletons, who did his printing, a
| little sketch to have four or five copies
Of it made, and he supposes some enter
prislnS clerk kept one and CAV; - IL 10 the
world. Gere1-ai ingalls, detailed the
es.l,,yYe ei,,jYe with refreshing frsnkpess, and
urged, in conclusion, that 90 far as any
conduct of the deOsrtnCr,,,a. -, which be
has onsTge was to be scrutinized, he re.
specially invited the most searchiDg
examiDat in which he felt that he
could demonstrate to tire country the
management Of what was intrtsted to
him as showing honesty, integrity and
economy. He was no politician, but de-
sired to be held accountable only for his
discharge Cf duties as an officer, which
he thought the country would apprs-
ciate.
"BAB.n AND THAI, LETTER.
General Bsbcock, on being interro-
gated to-day, said that he had nothing
to say in regard ta the charge made
against him by AttOrney-G General Pierre
pont, but so far as any Improperly is
concerned, 10, the matter OF. his obtain
ing the letter on tie Whisky business,
the.e was nothing Of the kind, he de.
clarec, in the whole affair. "In my pc
sitiOn," said he, 81 came honestly and
properly fy it ct the White House.
There was no seal of secresy about the
Rttorneysgenerals letter, It was ret
even marked private or confidential, and
there was no bar to my being informed
on it, and, il it interested me, to know
ing and using the purport of it. knew
better than to ask the attorney general
anything about it or to seek any in
formation in that qusrler. have 10
issue with the ,attOrL ry-gere2l- I do
not vaht 10 MAKE any statement nor TO
get into any controversy with the. neTk
papers. Everything hes bteEa aT6ne TO
destroy me in my reputation and take
from me what is dealer than Gfy. A
committee of investigation has been ap-
pointed to lock into the whole matter,
and vii abide that ss did my trial in
st. Louis. did rot even ak pi ST.
ponement Of my case then, though my
attorI e. S might have quashed the in
dictment " As be asid this, and more,
General Bahcoek talkei CO, lily end COL
leetedly, attending to Ioutine business
at HI Office Of engineer Of the sqQeduct.
TIE K sNTUCKY CENTRAL:
New York Herald.1
The records OF the war department 10
regard TO the claim OF the Kentucky
Central railroad show that it was rot
las has been published) rejected by
Secretary Stanton, nor by either of his
successors. The road WAS paid the So
called military rates" from 1852 to
1854, but received all such payments
under written protest, claiming that it
was entitled to be treated in the same
manner as the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad and the Louisville and Nash
vile railroad, which, in consequence of
being within the region Of hostile opera
tions, were paid nearly full freight rates
charged to individuals during the same
period. 1t was shown that this road,
running from CoviDgton to Lexington,
was, in proportion to its total amount Of
business, as much subjected to increased
expenses by the incursions and occupa-
ton of the enemy as either of the rosds
above named, but in the final settlement
allowed by Secretary Belknap it was
paid for its services at lower rates than
either of them. General Be'gs recon-
mended, in August, 1884, that The Ken.
lucky Central railroad should be pSid
for future services at the rates it
claimed for the two previous years,
which was done, but took the
ground that the accounts were
closed for the preceding period. TIE
company cOntrOverted this position by
reference to their protests and under
standings had with the quartermaster,
from whom they had received the par
tial payment, and this portion o. the
claim remained unsettled until The fall
OF 1870 In the meantime the road had
been sold by its bopdholde's and bought
in by Mr., Bowler, of Cincinnati, who
became Immediately involved IN ljtiga-
tion concerning it, and upon his death
further delays occurred, until MI. George
81. Pendleton, as his executor, again
asked the still pending claim to bs con-
sidered. General Meigs renewed his
former objection, and Secretary Belknap
thereupOn referred the case to General
Dunn, then the law officer Of the war
department, who, after giving it q care
ful examination during the several
months it remained in his Office, reported
upon the questions involved, and recon-
mended the payment Of the claim. This
report was approved by Secretary Bel
knap May 29, 1871, and after eousidera-
ton by the third auditor and second
comptroller Of the treasury, who had
power to Overrule the. secretary, the
claim was, on their approval, paid on
June II, 1871. The grounds upon which
this favorable action was taken are fully
set forth in General Dunn's report,
which is now understood to be In the
possession Of the congressional COM
mittee.
WHAT MRS. BELKNAP THINKS OF HER.
SELF.