Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-06-01

| Fisher and myseif. Mr. Fisher has been an
intimate acquaintance Of mine for more than
twenty years. He was for . considerable
period associated with my wife 9 brother, in
the confidential clerk for many years OF
another brother OF my wife's In bust
ness, SO that 1 know the parties intimate
gan had these letters, and. without
distinctly saying SO, he gave me to under.
stand that he was not the least reluctant to
get them all out, whether they bore upon the
matter under Investigation or not. did not
converse with Mulligan At all until yester-
day, when l discovered, 1 thought, q very
great readiness on his part to travel out OF
lating to my private business, and which did
not belong at all to the subject of investiga-
ton; and seeing that, did not want him to
little conversation with him on the subject
Of the private letters. thought 1t was
highly improper and unjust that he
should do SO, because it broadened the
my having report or verdict upon the case
particularly in hand. So the committee was
adjourned, by Judge Lawrence's request, AZ
ter had spoken with him. after the ad
tournment called on the three gentlemen
Mr.. Atkins, Mr.. Fisher, and Mr.. Mulligan-
at the Riggs house, and In the parlor of Mr..
gan about these letters, and asked him to
show them to me. He did show them, with
some apparent reluctance. said to him,
Why, you are not afraid OF my keeping
handed them to me. 1 looked them all
over, and discovered that there was only
one letter in the list that at all bore
and even that, only bJa forced construction
and not in reality. I handed them back to
him. The conversation then became some
IN ss four Asf
Fishers room, right over head. was talk.
few moments, and then started up to Fish.
er's room and knocked at the door and was
admitted, and there 1 talked with Mr.. Null
iigan for some time: 1 may have been
hour. but the form that he gives the
interview about my offering him a con-
sulsnip and about my being ruined,
Nothing OF the kind occurred. i talked as
calmly as am talking this morning. Very
soon said to him, "! would like to see one
letter al among those" wanted TO see the
handed me the package. 1 looked them all
over, and said to him, as said afterwards
In the presence OF Mr.: Fisher and Mr.. Atkins,
bears on this matter (that is, the letter that
he has testified to this morning) am per-
fectly willing you should keep that, but
here Is mass OF my private correspond
matters that have nothing to do with
the subject of the investigation, which
1t would probably be embarrassing to me to
respondence would be and don't want it
published. You ought to give me those let
tiers; you have no right to them. There are
right to them; one is the writer and the other
the person TO whom they were written.
Now, If you will give those letters to MFR,
Fisher erI viii be abundsntly satisfied. They
be in safe hands" Mr.. Fisher hal before,
himself, in my presence, requested
room. Muiiisan refused. lie ' said i0T he
didn't know what might transpire in his
examination today, and he said, with a
bold those letters for his protection, his vim
dication. / said, "wben you get through
the examination, will you give them to me
,hsn I,,,; He said no; II EMPLOY "impuns"
or in any way questions my veracity, in the
papers, ! shall publish these letters"
| said, "You do not think would attack
me attack you in the papers," He said, wen,
had Seen running over the letters letters for o9' Some
70 me be showed reluctance, and, as have
stated, remarked, "You are not afraid Of
my keeping them, are your" and he answer
ed, ooh, no." and handed them to me. but he
gave them to me the second time without
any assurance at all, and without anything
being said about 1t, but 1 had no idea OF
iotng anything else than handing them
Sis purpose and 0n deter% MI Sn0aa aSst
no matter Who should question his ties.
timony or impeach or "impun" his
veracity: he would publish the letters. 1
letters that relate TO matters that have no
more connection or relationship with the
examination now going on before the Judi
and IT would be grossly unfair that you
should treat my private correspondence in
that way" then said to him: "Win you
ring ring TIE bell . for servant and tell him to
He did, and very soon Mr.. Fisher came up,
and we had . little conversation, in which
repeated. before Mr.. Fisher, what Multi
menace, and I said: "ThIs is very
grossly unfair, Mr.. Fisher" I then said
that would be glad II Mr.. Fisher would
rightfully in his possession or rightfully in
mine, but not In any third persons. Multi
gan repeated again in Mr.. Fishers presence
this declaration, that he would feel himself
time he saw at IL anybody should provoke
him unto wrath by any comments on his
testimony; and, owing to the somewhat en-
larged facilities in the American press for
making criticisms upon everybody, found
that my private correspondence hung py the
thread Of his taking offence at any Of the
thousand and one paragraphs that might be
Under these circumstances ! will not give
those letters up" And In order that he
might not be mistaken as to the ground of
my action / called Mr.. Atkins from the
lower room, for wanted to tell him the
ground on which stood. said, 81 Will not
return these letters because you threaten to
make use OF them which Is illegitimate,
which is unfair, which Is entirely unjust,
and have no idea that any man shall take
my private correspondence and hold it as q
menace over my head, to be used at his beck
or option for his own purposes or under
somebody's direction" We went down
stairs, and he repeated and reaffirmed his
statement with very great emphasis and
said, "Very good, I will retain the letters"
When / went home sent for two friends,
one member OF the House OF Representa-
tives and the other lawyer In this city, and
! laid every one Of those letters before them
these letters which would ''disgrace me for
life," and "send my children Borrowing to
the grave" and "deprive me OF political
hOnors," and all that-I sat down and read
every one Of them just In the order In which
they were marked and numbered by Null
ligan himself I then said to these gentle
men, after consultation, 81 am going to sub.
nit these letters to two OF the Wisest aud
best counsel that I can fnd in the city
OF Washington TO morrow. (that Is, to-
dayD and l will be guided entirely
by them In the action / shall
tske before the Judiciary Committees.
Ifthey say that any of those letters should
be In duty bound to deliver; If they Intimate