The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1876-08-04
WHITE InIISE SECRETS

The Congressional committee on whiSkey
frauds on Thursday of last week, took the
testimony of ex-sol citor Bluford Wilson.
imong other things he gives the following
e,planation of.he signaturer'Sylph' to some
II the Blbcock lceerams | asked General
Porter what exclamation he had of the
Sylpl' telegram and he gave me an expla.
,atinn - the elIart that "Sylph" was lewd
woman with whom the Presid,n. of the
United : S'alcs has been in intimate a'spciH
fion, and that she had bothered aud annoy
Il the President until one time it chanced
hat McDonalds attention was called to har
1t some Place where she was either i'll reach
# or in the vicinage of the Prtsident; and
le said, "Whv that Is Sylph.' General
Babcock said. "Do YOU know that woman,
Mcdonald ?' and Mac said, ayes, know
ler we'll" General Babcock said, to use
General Portcr's own words. ''She has
been giving the President Il great deal OF
trouble; wish you would relieve him OF
her in some way," ard Mcdonald said
"Cerlainly, that Is easy can manage her."
and 50 important was the service which Me
Donald thus rendered the President that
the term Sylph became II common matter
Of iokc between General Babcock aud
Mcdonald, 80 that both of them were in the
habit, as occasion might require, of address
ing one another under that name. lie al
so said to me, without endeavOring to eX-
plain definitely, that he, Babcock, Joyce and
Mcdonald frequently had occasion to cor
respond with each other with reference to
he movement of mutual friends, and that
the Sylph telegram referred to the move
nents of some parties who were going out
to st. Louis on bridge business, lie said
10 me, without going any further into eNpia-
nation. that the most inestimable service IN
nv power to render to the President of the
United States would be to shield and save
General Babcock from exposures that these
matters were of II character that could not
be gone into without giving all parties the
very greatest trouble aud concern. | told
the General that would do what | could
fairly to see that General Babcock was hon
estly and squarely dealt with, and that no
injustice was done him, but that further
than that could not and would not go that
the matter was in the hands of the local
officers at St. Louis, and | would urge upon
them the grave importance to all parties
tina. no mistake should be made in refer
ence to General Babcock's connection with
the ring.
Wilson afterwards spoke to the President
about this explanation, and of course His
Excellency denie it like mall This
statement came from General Porter, an
ex-secretary of the President who continued
on intimate terms at the White House alter
Grant knew what Porter had said of him.
In answer to the question 'do you not be-
lieve, aud did you not at the time believe.
that the explanation of General Porter OF
the 'Sylph' dispatches, was intended to deter
you from doing your duty in the prosecution
oiGeneral Babcock?' Wilson answered, 'most
undoubtedly did and do" Why did Grant
continue his intimate relations with Porter
after he knew of the damaging statement
made by Porter? 1t was either because Por-
ter told the truth, and Grant did not dare
to cast him of, or else he was willing that
his own character should be backened in
Wilson's eyes in order that his pet Babcock
might be acquitted in the eyes of the world
Either horn of the dlemmais an unpleas-
ant one for our most estimable President to
take hold of 1t is either relation with a
lewd woman, or completely with the whis-
key ring.