The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-08-22
rrrp:n the New York !Ierald.l
WASHINGTON, August Is, 1SIt

THAI ~ ----..-
frro:n the New York !Ierald.l
WASHINGTON, August Is, 1876.
In the winter OF 1874 and the spring Of
~ several Cabinet Ministers and their
:,milj.S and the Presidents family had re-
,.i,.d ANONYMOUS letters, which excited 4
nrr{; deal oi curiosity on the part OF those
-.,riyiur them. Il was some time before
,;,,, different ones became aware that any
n.l,rr than their own families had received
,I,>r attentions. but reference to the mat
,,.- by one soon brought out the TACT that
the others had also received these letters.
4, lrurth formal Investigation was set on
foo; ly some members OF the Cabinet, the
Solicitor OF the Treasury. General BaDcock.
and General Porter, and it was the notes OF
nj, investigation and some letters and re-
,,or-S concerning it TO which General Grant, 5
a,-entinn WAS called aS documents con-
tanned among Solicitor Wilson'S private
rapcrS which he (Wilson) thought the
PRESIDENT would not care to have looked
over bv officers in the Treasury Department
who were not aware of their character, and
il was on this account that Wilson request
ed the President to send his son to look
through the papers with Wilson. The proml-
urncc given 10 the matter by Mr.. Cochran
in the whiskcy-irauds investigation, and the
still Greater prominence caused by Attof-
ncv-tirncral Wiliams's emphatic and indls-
nant denial. caused much talk here III wash
inrton among the eight or ten persons who
were acquainted with the various features
oi the story and the investigation. This
talk ha> made it uoSSihie. by inquiries ad-
dressed to one another OF them, to present
the following statement III regard to the
steps taken in Cabinet circles to discover
the author OF these letters.
EFFORTS TO TRACE TIE WRITER.
About the lSt Of March. 1915, Secretary
Rrlknap met Solicitor Wilson and showed
him III" envelope OF what he said had cov-
cred IN ANONYMOUS letter which he had
lately received charging upon himself and
liz family improper connection with the
French arms sales, and he was very anxious
that Wilson should find a man III the Secret
Service Division who could trace the writer
of the letter. The Solicitor showed this
envelope to the chief oi that force, but no.
thing Vas accomplished toward discovering
IL author.
MORE ANNOYING STATEMENTS.
About a week after Secretary Bclknap
came to the Solicitor with another letter in
the same hand making still more annoying
statements rejecting upon his family. After
some conversation the letters We're put into
Wilson's possession, he promising, 1T the
request Of the Secretary, to see what he
could do personally toward finding their
author. He took them to his office in the
Treasury Department. and after obtaining
~ ANONYMOUS letter which had been written
10 Secretary Bristow and turned orerto him
by the Secretary, he began comparison OF
The two. The letter to General Brlstow
was one demanding that he should dis
charge a certain lady from the Treasury
Department because, as was alleged, she
had made herself obnoxious toward one or
two ladies in Cabinet circles, and because the
President himself had expressed great dis
satisfaction with her course and the fact
that the Secretary retained her. The whole
closed with q threat that unless the Secreta-
ry made this removal certain charges would
be brought against him that would drive
him from the Cabinet. No attention what
ever had been paid to this letter except that
Wilson remembered that he had put it in
one OF his pigeon-holes. An examination
Of the letters soon convinced the Solicitor
that they were not written by Il man, unless
his handwriting was much finer and OF a
more feminine cast than is usually seen. An
alu>ion in one Of the letters had sug-
gcsted the possibility Of their hav-
lng originated with Colonel Whitley,
The famous chief OF the Secret Service Di-
vision, and the capital letters IN. Y. S."
IN the words "Ncw York Sun," which had
been linked over to make them appear larger,
appeared, on comparison with Whitley's
writing, to have very strong marks OF SINH
i;Iity. The fact that Colonel Whitley was
on intimate terms at the house Of the Attor-
ncy-Gcneral turned attention in that direc-
tion, and Major Wilson wrote to Secretary
beihnap asking him to send notes which he
mlSht have received from that house in case
nc hid retained any. One OF these was sub
>cqucntiy furnished, and its comparison
with the anonymous letter strengthened the
suspicion which had been aroused. At Sec
rctary Belknap's request the Solicitor visit
Cd the War Department and had prolonged
interview upon the subject with General
Belknap alone, who Immediately became
convinced that they had obtained the right
clue to the origin Of the letters.
FOLLOWING UP THE CLUE.
The next day, at the Secretary's request,
another Interview was had at the War De-
partment in regard to the matter, at which
secretary Robson was present The latter
nau also brought q letter, received in his
lahiily from the same anonymous source,
ana the three letters then in possession Of
these gentlemen were subjected to q very
close and critical examination by both the
CaDinet officers present, and both agreed
mat the first surnise in regard to their
source was correct. The following note
hXes the fact OF this interview
WASHINGTON, Sunday morning.
March IA, 1876.
TO BiuJord Wilson,: Dear Sir,-Please
call ut my office, If convenient, tomorrow
al O'Clock, bringing the "papers" with
ysu. Ii that hour is not agreeable, please
name another. Yours very truly,
WILLIAM w. BELKNAP.
LETTER OF STRANGE INTEREST.
AT the close OF this interview the Solici-
tor wrote the following note to u member
ot the Cabinet, then absent from the city,
IN regard to the matter:
MARCH 20, 1875.
Ny Dear sir,-We finally succeeded this
morning in touching Bottom in the matter