Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-04-10
The Safe Burglary Investigation.
Gen. Ba6c0ck's TesfisnOnv.


ed In this city the reports as TO the testimony
OF Detective Whitley duplicating General O.
T.. Babcock in what is well known In this
community as the "safe burglary" case. The
details OF the conspiracy, as detailed by De.
lee tive Whitley, were also fully set forth. In
brief his testimony was that Gen, Baocock
bad directed him TO arrange with Ricbar 1
Harrington, then assistant district attorney
for The District of Columbia, to set up some
job whereby the memOrialists, who were
ma king charges against the District au thori-
ties might be blown '.cles n out of the water ,
Whitley admitted that he arranged the ma
had his assistant, IchsbOd Nettieship, to
furnish the men to carry il out.
AS stated in THE STAR of Saturday,
GENERAL BABCoCK APPEARED BEFORE
THE COMMITTEE
investigating the subject at half-rast two
o'clock. He was examined at great length.
The substance OF his testimony was that in
the spring of 1874 Solicitor Banfield called
upon him at the request of Colonel Whitley
twho at that time was absent from the city
and asked him TO interest himself to prevent
his removal from office as chief of the Treas
ury secret service division. Whitley had
heard of efforts 10 displace him. General
BRbcCck saw the President and the Secre-
tary of the Treasury on the subject, and find
ing that there was no desire on their part TO
remove Whitley. General Bsbcock requested
Solicitor B8nfield TO telegraph to Whitley to
come and see him. Solicitor Banfield did SO,
and Whitley on returning to the city called
ON General Babcock, who told him OF what
TIE nau cone IN MS Denalf and the result.
Whitley expressed his gratitude for the favor
rendered, and said if he ever could be OF any
service to General BabcOck he must let him
know. AS personal attacks had been
made upon him some time after these Oc-
cuTrences, charging him with fraud In the
measurement of certain i'm provemeutS M ade
by the board of public works to De paid for
by the government, he recalled the conversa-
ton he had with Whitley, aud concluded to
employ him TO find out all his assailants
Whitley coming to Gen. Babcock s room at
n, tn t,,ct
lion upon that subject. Gen. Babcock re-
quested Whitley to report TO Mr.. Gideon,
low deceased. but Mr.. Gideon never in
formed Gen. BabcOck that any report had
eger been made to him by Col. whitley
Gen. Babcock said he never made any of the
measurements himself they were male by
his assistants. The names of some of the
per- Ons who had made the attack on him In
connection with this subject were, according
20 Information he at some time received.
according TO his memory, were MessTs Blu
menburg, SeversOn aud Alexander. neither
OF whom he then Knew, nor did he know
either of them now.
After having made this statement General
BabcOck was confronted with the following
LETTER WHICH HE WAS ASKED 20 EX
PLAIN.
ptnT Colonel: Your letter from Boston has
been received. attended TO the matter yes
terday. Before this reaches you, vol anu
your men will be paid. They have sent
man TO pay them. You may bide your time
and wait in confidence the result. Your SER
wees cesar are bound 10 be appreciated;
He explained this by stating that in 1874,
while Whitley was In Boston. the latter
wrote to him, stating that there was arrear-
ages OF pay due him whitley and his men
from the United States for services rendered;
that the officials at the Treasury department
had rot met the payment OF these accounts,
and that he hoped General B. would interest
himselfto have them paid; that he Whitley
cid Lot think that either his or the accounts
Of his subordinate should he held upon the
tpSe DAFT of Detective W. e. Wood and Mr..
Glib on. the correspondent OF the New York
San. BabcOck says that he called on the OIL
Gals at the Treasury department with
view 10 having the accounts paid, and tn ut
The letter shown by Colonel Whitley was in
answer to the request made by the latter 'or
him 10 assist in arranging for a settlement of
tue accounts. General BabcOck was then
closely interrogated as TO why he spoke of
The treasury officials as they" He did not
attempt 20 explain any specific reason why,
but declared that IA using the word they
he had reference only 10 the officers OF the
Treasury department. he was then asked If
be had the original or the copy OF the letter
which Whitley wrote 10 him, requesting him
General b to look after these accounts
he Faid he did not thiy X tha, he had. Yes
tar;ay General Sa5coc& made a rigid search
OF all his papers. After q Luxurious hunt he
found the letter which Whitley wrote him
on the subject. II was written in Boston, on
letter size paper. and In Ink, and without
quest OF Babcock concerning the arrearages
of pay due him substantially as set forth by
Babcock IN his testimony before the commit
tee. The General considers this an import
ant piece OF evidence in his behalf.
WHAT ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAMS
SAYS.
II has been stated that Attorney General
Williams will swear that the proceedings
for q second trial of Harrington and Whitley
were dismissed upon an order of the Presi-
cent, brought either in writing or verbally
10 him by General BabcOck. This Attorney
General Williams EN- ohatically denies. In
q conversation with a reporter OF The STAR
last night the ex-Attorney General stated
1bat he entered the nOlle prOSequi on his own
responsibility and without any orders what
ever from the White House. He also dis
charged Mr.. Riddle, special counsel for the
government, in the same way. His reason
FOR his course in disseminating the proceed
iDgs is this: The case had been tried, although
the grand jury finding the indictment was
illegal, and conviction would have had
only moral, and not q legal effect. The
jury had disagreed, and the question was
whether 10 try 10 obtain q new Indictment.
In the Attorney Generals Judgment the evil
dence then in possession of the government
was not sufficient TO secure conv iction, and
IL seemed expedient to drop the case for the
present, in the hope that Nettleship and
other fugitives might return and furnish the
Mt eded testimony. The opposite course, il
was believed, would keep those witnesses
away, and without them further proceed
ings would be useless. This course rendered
Mr.. Riddles services no longer necessary,
ana he was therefore dismissed. AS to the
tIuJu OF Wnlteleys testimony Judge VIII
Iians says he knows nothing, but ads that
no evidence duplicating Babcock was
brought out during the entire course of the
proceedings in the safe burglary conspiracy
case.
GEN. BABCoCK BEFORE THE COMMITTEE
TO-DAY.
Gen. BabcOck was before The committee
this morning. He submitted the following
letter as the one he received from Whitley.
10 which The answer was written as abOye)
concluding, "bide your time,' &c:
90 SCHOOL STREET, Boston, Mass.
M Dear General: / learn you are now in
Wa hington, and l am going to request a
favor of You, and if you can help me, and 1t
is consistent for you 10 do SO, l shall feel
ever so much Obliged TO you. Up to the pres
emit time have been unable to obtain any
pay for the month OF August. For what cause
except II be on account OF the malice enter
tained toward me by Mr.. Wilson, am at q
ioss 10 understand. i believe If you were TO
lay the matter before Secretary Bristow he
would orter me to be paid for ne did not ap-
pear to feel unkindly toward me when last
saw him. As to the course which has been pur-
sued toward the members OF the secret SER
vice force. nave little TO say at present, as
Tie day of reckoning has not yet come; but
The reward for my two and q half years of
fslthful service rendered the government
seemingly has come, and that has all been
accomplished by the simple ipSe dirt OF one
man, unsupported by evidence I'm any Gems "a