The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-07-31
BY TELEGRAPH
THE SECRET SESSION,
And What Bluford Wilson Testified to There

Bluford Wilson's testimony, it is pub
lished. He again states that President
Grant was in sympathy with himself aud
Bristow in investigating the whisky
frauds until their Investigations discovered
Babcock under suspicious circumstances,
when they at once began to grow apart.
After the presidents return from his trip
to St. LOUIS and Colorado, Wilson became
Informed that the president accused him of
putting spies to watch the president. This
| grew out of letter which Wilson wrote
to Henderson, telling him that this investi-
| CATION must be carried to the very bottom
or top; the word top being UNDERSIGNED,
| was intended TO caution Henderson to take
Donald Joyce and Avery. While in st.
| Louis this letter was stolen from Hender-
sons desk, while the latter was speaking
| In court, carried to Mcdonald, ana the let
tiers "W. H., meaning White House, in
terpolated after the word; top. This let
| ter or copy of it, was brought back To
Washington by Babcock and shown to SEC
rotary Bristow and Attorney General
Pierrepont M evidence that Wilson was
trying to drag the president into the net
and until Wilson was Informed Of the mat
ter, Bristow and Pierrepont we're much
troubled about it. The production Of
Wilson's letter-book exposed the forgery
but did not restore President Grants conf
dence and good will. Gen. Horace Porter
came to Wilson's office with verbatim
copy of the letter with this interpolation,
and said he had seen the original, but after
comparison was satisfied with the forgery.
Wilson explained that he had written that
letter with the intention of convcting
Babcock or of clearing him from all tus-
picion, if possible.
1t was on this occasion that the CONVEX
sation occurred about which Wilson testi-
fed as follows: 81 asked Porter what ex-
PLANTATION he had of the 'Sylph' telegram,
and he gave me an explanation to the effect
that 'Sylph' was lewd woman with whom
the president of the United States had
bctu iutIuihNSs anu thhb onC UOlutItu
aud annoyed the president, until at one
time it CHANGED that McDonald's attention
was called to her at some place where she
was either in reach of or in the vicinage of
the president, and he said, why that is
Sylph.' General Babcock said, DO you
know that woman, McDonald?' and Mac
said, Yes, know her WELL General Bah
cock said, 10 use General Portcr's own
words, She has been giving the president
a great deal of trouble wish you would
relieve him of her some way and Melon
aid said, Certainly, that is easy; can
manage her. And he did manage her, and
30 important WAS the service which Nc
Donald thus rendered the president that
the term 'Sylph' became CON-
mon matter of joke between Babcock
ard Mcdonald 80 that both of them were
In the habit, as occasion might require, of
addressing one another under that name.
He also said to NE, without cndeavoring
Joyce and Mcdonald frequently had occa-
sion to correspond with each other with
reference to the movements of mutual
friends, and that the "Sylph" telegram re-
ferred to the movements Of seine parties
who were going out to st. Louis on bridge
business. He said 10 me, without going
any further into explanation, that the most
inestimable service in my power 10 render
to the president of the United States would
be to shield and save Gen. Babcock from
exposure; that these matters were of a
character that could not he gone into with
out giving all parties the very greatest
trouble and concern. ! told the general
that would do what G uld fairly 10 see
that Babcock was honestly and squarely
dealt with, and that no il justice was done
him, but that further than that cou d not
and would not go. The matter was in tie
hands of local officers al st. Louis, and /
would urge upon them the grave import
snce to all parties that no mistake should
be made ia reference to Bal,cock's counoc-
tion with the ring.
Subsequently, the president sent for him
to explain this letter. giving Wilson the
wholly genuine. Ia the coarse OF the con-
versation he expressed to me his confident
belief IN Babcock's Innocence He said
that the telegram to "Sy lph" had been
satisfactorily explained to him, and he
thought that that ought to stop the matter;
that it ought to rest there He added,
however : "If General Babccck ID guilty,
which don't believe, he is the most guilty
wretch in the world he has betrayed my
confidence in the most infamous way, and
besides has betrayed his official trust, and
no punishment would be too severe for
him." Wilson then produced AL the pa
pers bearing upon the matter, beginning
with the Barnard letter, and explained
that it was Babcock that he was after.
The president stated that he had Babcock
and Casey in mind when he wrote the en-
dorsement, "Let no guilty man escape
and expressed himself entirely satisfied
with the explanations given.
Q-You have stated in your examination
that during an interview which you had
with Gen. Horace Porter, the subject of
the "Sylph" dispatch was discussed; that
| Gen. Porter undertook to explain that die
patch by stating that the word "Sylph'
referred to a lewd woman with whom the
President Of the United states had been in
intimate relations. Did you call the atten-
ton of the president of the United Stated
to this statement as made by Porter during
that interview in regard to which you have
just now been testifying, an! If so what
did the president say in relation tAereto3
Al did, and doing so said to the presi-
dent that my justification for going on