Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-03-09

Mr.. Clymer, rising to question OF
personal privilege, sent to the clerk's
desk and had read a statement In the
Washington correspondence OF the New
York Herald OF to day, relating to Q
supposed interview between Mrs. Bel
| knap, Mrs. Mersh, and Other ladies, at
the Arlington hotel, in which the
charges against Mrs, Belknsp were dis
cusstd, aud among them chargs that
| George H PeudletOn, OF Ohio, had paid
to Mrs. Be e'knap bn6e OF seventy thou
sand d, ! .sTs in the interest OF the Ken
| tueky Central railroad, when Mrs.. Bel
| knsp Is represented IS having said that
che had only received half that amount !
that the fac!s hal been brought TO Er.
| Clymer's attention by air. Danford, one
of the members of the committee, but
| that Mr.. Clymer had paid no attention
to them; and, further, that Mrs. Bel
knsp, Mr.. Pendleton, Mr. Clymer, Mr..
and Mrs. Marsh lad INSIDE tour OF Ed
rope together, when Mr. Clymer became
| gradually acQusinted with ths main
! facts In the case. The paper having
been Tesd, Mr.. Clymer rose aud said:
ain somewhat prolonged public ser
| vice here and elsewhere, this is the first
time that ever felt myself called upon
! to make 8 public statement with refer
| enoe to anything which has appeared
| regarding me in q newspaper, for the
| simple reason that believe 1t is the
| first time have ever seen my personal
rsctituds or honor directly impugned.
! Row, with feference to this article, l
! never saw March, the witness Ia the
case, until last MonG:@yy1 I-Sci- rScs, Ezhen ~
appeared 10 the committee Toom. ]
never saw Nus. Marsh but once In my
! life, and that was last Thursday morn
ing, the day they left the city, when,
taking an early breakfast st the Arling-
/ ron hotel, saw the witness with lady
| whom presumed to be his wife, They
| eeated themselves near me, and, out of
| courtesy to q woman, went and was
presented to her, The.iDterv!ew cer-
tainly did not last three minutes, and
| the case before the committee was not
alluded to in the remOtest terms. I
have never met Mr.. George II. PEN
dleton save on this side of the water;
therefore the charge With reference
to my having Travelled in Europe with
any OF those parties, at any time, Is
absolutely and wholly false. Again, 1t
Is alleged, Or seeins to be alleged, that
/ was cOSnizant. of some meeting held
at Arlington between Mrs. Marsh and
Mrs. Belknsp and others. II there was
such meeting, l certainly was not ut
1t. II meters were discussed there with
reference to another crime, could only,
and did only hear it by rumor, and there
was no foundation In the world for me
TO 60 Upon save that it was SAID that
there was a record in the war depart
ment. Some one told me 80. Fortunately,
l have the witness here whom last week
told to go to the war department and
search Ii up, so as to start thst invesi-
cation with all my other labors. On
Monday night, while at the cspitol, a
telegram wss received from Mr.. Pendie-
ton asking when he could be here before
our committee, and directed 3
friend Of his to telegraph that we
would hear him tomorrow afternoon.
With reference to my being unwilling
to investigate this mstter, my friend and
colleague on the committee Mr.. Dan
ford will bear me witness that on Mon
day morning, when came into the hall.
he came and said he wished Mrs. Marsh
to be summoned, not telling me the
reason of it. He will further bear me
witness that instantly I said Yes and
the sergeant-st.arms will prove that
went to him and took out a subpoena,
Immediately to New York for that pur-
pose. Now brand the whole article,
so far as 1t relates to myself, as utterly,
entirely and absolutely false, and say
thst the man or men who concoctsd 1t
have done so with malice aforethought,
for some purpose which l leave the
house aud tbs people of the country to
judge. | wish to say further, that will
not be deferred from my duty; Es inn
posed upon me by this house, ia inves.
tigating frauds from the highest to the
lowest, and Sll through the body polite,
as they come under my supervision,
whenever l su7pec: or know that fraud
or corruption exists. II should stdke
the dearest friend on esrth, 1 will have
the consolation Of knowing that l have
done my duty to this house and to
my country, aud they who expect to in-
timida.e me through the press, through
insinuRti0n, or otherwise, or to deter me
from my duty, have mistaken their
man. 1 have as great respect as any
man can have for the third estate; but
when il is used for base and vile pur-
pose, will defend myseli against it,
and will appeal to honest men here aud
everywhere for my support and justi6-
cation" [Applause
Mr.. Robbins, another member of the
committee, said he had never heard of
the matter In question until be saw 1t
in a newspaper this evening. The effort
to deter the investigation by turning the
batteries of vituperation on commit
tee engaged in trying to do its duty
would fail in its purpose. So fsr as he
Was concerned, ne proposed to sail his
craft boldly into this fight until it was
ont nf IA M
bs done until he had blown off the heads
of few more thieves whom he knew Of
TApplause on the Democratic side
Mr.. Blackburn, another member of
the committee, said he had never heard,
either officially or otherwise, Of the
cbaTgs here alluded to until two or three
dsys ago, when Mr.. Clymer, In the
committee room said he proposed to
issue subpoena for Mrs. Marsh, but he
hsd no idea what she was expeciea to
testify 70. That was the first and last
and only time he had ever heard any
thing OF it until he saw this article. He
was perfectly Indifferent as to what the
newspapers said, No oue held the
American journalist in higher apprecia-
tion than himself, but whenever one of
that craft forgot his duty and became
a barnacie on his profession, mere ul-
Ger and excrescsnee that existed only to
disgrace these with whom he wAs asso-
cisted, he Blackburn ever held it
his duty to refuse to stoOp so low as to
notics the miserable hirelipg. He did
not care II every newspaper in the coon-
try turned their batteries on the 1rnmit-
tee, all that this committee asked was
that their hands be kept off its witness
%, and before this congress adjourned
they would unsaTth enough OF viIlsnies,
accumulated within the last fourteen
years, TO sicken and vomit the country,
by exposing the putrid carossses that
had been SO long and zealously covered
up.
Mr.. M'Dougsll (contemptuously) -
We have seen purid carcasses enough
here.
Mr.. Blaine called Mr.. Black kblrn's at
tention to a misststement made yester-
day by him in saying that the witness
Marsb1 was within the power Of the
mouse when the report was made; the
fact being that Marsh had left the city
three hours bsf)re.
Mr.. Blackburn made the correction,
but intimated that Mr. Blaine seemed
to have been keeping company with the