The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-03-09

i ~
made me crazy am not gong 10 m,S
about it any more. We will go down 70
my lawyer and consult him about u, my
object being to have lawyer tell MN
how ridiculous the story he wanted me
to tell would appear before the commit
tee. We went down and called on Bart
lett. | told him the whole truth IN the
presence of Dr. Tomlinson. Bartlett said
could not manufacture any story II
wanted 10, and must not II could Dr;
Tomlinson still insisted that II l could
swear that General Belknap knew noth-
inc of the arrangement with his sister,
or Mrs. Belknap, deceased, and Il 1 coulu
swear that at the time | VAS at her iun-
eral made an arrangement WIN MIs'
Bower the present Mrs. Belknap, by
which | was to send her all this money
through the Secretary, that the whole
thing would still be settled. l replied
al cannot state it, for it is not true" my
impression being, then at that funeral, l
| had said something about the matter 10
General Belknap. Tomlinson said Ii
YOU can't swear to that, you had better
leave the country" Mr.. Bartlett SAID,
this is bad business; it is not legal
question you have submitted to me- ana
in the position of affairs the Secretary OF
War should decide. If you should de-
eide to 20 to Washington or leave the
country Dr. Tomlinson said he would
return to Washington.
He prepared two formulas Of kilograms
which | would understand; one was l
hope your wife is well, was to be inter-
preted to leave the country, The other
was | hope your wife is better, when
meant come to Washington. We then
parted.
On going home, in the street cars,
thinking the whole thing over about the
conversation | had at the time of the
funeral, | made up my mind that al
though had stated to Mr.. Bartlett that
| thought bad had some conversation
at the time of the funeral with the Sec
retarv of War about sending this money
vet | was so undecided about it that l
was certainly willing to give the Secre'
tary the benefit of the doubt. Thought
would see Tomlinson and tell him he
was to leave for Washington. At three
o'clock, went to the depot and met him,
and told him that, on thinking over the
matter, | was so undecided about the
conversation with the Secretary at the
time of the funeral, that | would give
him the benefit of doubt. He said, |
am very glad to hear this, because my
sister, Mrs. Beknap, said this was the
fact, that Saturday evening l got a tele-
graphic dispatch from Mrs. Belknap,
which said, Come to Washington to-
night; it is necessary" received it in
the evening. Next morning was Sun
day. received dispatch from Tomlin-
son, 81 hope your wife is better" which,
according to onr agreement, meant
Come to Washington" In the after
noon got second dispatch from Tom
linson. as follows "Come without fail.
Answer" | answered, 81 shall come to-
night without fail" | was very glad not
to have to leave the country, the convic-
ton having grown in my mind that 1t
would do no good.
reached Washington Yesterday MORN
ing at $50 and stopped at the Arlington,
my wife being with me. Was shown to
a temporarys about seven o'clock.
| laid down, being greatly fatigued, and
about eight o'clock DR.. Tomlinson called
me to the door of the room. He said he
had seen Blackburn, and that he still
thought this matter could be fixed up
without any trouble. He asked me if |
! had the letter | had written to the COM
mittee on Thursday night. | said had
not. He said Blackburn says you had
better write another of the same purport
and send it up to the committee with a
note explaining why did not come
sooner. | did so. The note and letter
were marked B. c. Shortly before 2
o'clock p. m. yesterday, | come to the
Capitol to meet the committee, and DIR.
Tomlinson met me in the corridor, near
the committee room door, He said, "YOu
are going before the committee, and
want Won to remember that there was no
arrangement with you and the Secretary
of War at the time of the funeral, and
that the money you have always paid to
General Beknap was for Mrs. Belknap,
and by her directions" | told him |
was going before the committee to tell the
whole story as neara as could recOllectit
said | thought of leaving the country,
but was overruled, and now | shall tell
the truth, the whole truth, and nothing
but the truth. He said don't want you
to tell any lies l only want you to tell
the truth, and that was the truth. Isaid
the truth | shall certainly tell, and if it
does not hurt Gen. Belknap, no one will
be more rejoiced than myself. lreached
the committee room at about two o'clock
yesterday, and without being sworn, |
made statement to certain members of
the facts in the case made hriefiy but
substantially as | have now answered In
reply toyour chief interrogatories.
When | returned to the hotel yester-
day afternoon DR.. Tomlinson was waiting
at my room at the Arlington to see me-
He asked me how | got along with the
Committee. | told him | had told the
story from beginning to end, and at the
request of the gentlemen present was
going to reduce it to writing and appear
before the Committee to-day at l0;30
with it. He wanted to know how had
stated the fact that all these payments 10
the Secretary had been made in conse-
quence of the original agreement with
Mrs. Belknap. | said had stated the
facts as they were, according to my best
recollection and belief told him |
would furnish him copy of the state
ment made before the committee. |
prepared the statement last night, and
gave him copy about eight o'clock this
morning, being substantially a copy of
that submitted as an answer to your
chief interrogatory, save that | have filled
up the blanks. DR.. Tomlinson came back
to my room at about 7:90 last evening,
and l asked him whether he had seen
Mr.. Blackburn since 1 made my state
ment in the afternoon, and what impress
sion it had made upon the gentlemen who
heard it, He said he did not like to say
he had seen Mr.. Blackburn, but he said
he had seen one of the committee, who
expressed the opinion that my statement
would involve the secretary. He then
made stronger appeal to me than ever
before, saying that I was the friend of the
secretary: that if this thing came out it