, 1876-03-20
RRlsIQW.

YKEr11 ATTKApT TO DLAcKEF HIS REPUTATION.
6pectd& DtfpatcA to fhs Chicago TRIBUNE.
wAsn1NaTpN, D. g., Earch 18.-Tho hensntlon
os tho Now York Herald Of today in regard to
Mr. Dristow hna fAllon fiat hero. Tho story
prepared BY several dEsrcputabio parttes has
been hhwkod about privately for tho last throe
vooks, and although II appears a. II written
from Louisville, Ky, II is perfectly we'll known
shat II waa prepared In this city. In substance
Il is charge that Secretary Drissow got claim
Of $108,0o0 adjudicatod In tho Court Of Claims,
rccaiving x thorefor T. ono-half Of tho
amount, and $4,000 besides to use Cor
rupIly to provont tho Government from
appealing the caso, ind this was coupled with
IN intimation that tho olnim itse'f waa ftaudu-
1ont. The7o IL nothing secret In thiB case, "a 1t
mas argued openly hero in tho Court Of Clnlms
by Con, Dristow whom ho WAS In tho practice of
Ills prof essiop, aud all tho timo he hold no Gov
ornment Office, md tho case ia reported at length
in tho ninth volume Of tho Court Of olaima
reports. -.
In brief was thls, In tho spring Of 1866. aftez
tho battle OF Nashville, when Con. Thomas
Was preparing for sudden and extensive
uoyo Into tho South to corporate with tho othor
afmIos, ho found it necessary to procure thou
sand mules, with tho least possible delay III order
This purchase Waa put into tho hands Of largo
Kentucky firm, whose agento WcEe spread over
large portion OF the country, who had great
f0oilisioa for performing this husnese. They
Immediately gathered up q Thousand mnlco. bad
delivered few. had aomo othcra upon tho train
and the roat Ia thoir possession, wlen Richmond
surrendered, and tho Confectionery collapsed, and
tho mulos Of tho varioua armies wero y
THROWN UPoH TIE COUNTRY.
The QuarteKmastes declined to rocoive tho mules
not delivered, and they deptaoiatod gEehsly
upon tho hands Of tho owners, and tho suit
was TO recover tho dl1ereuce Ia tho psico for
which TIM Government agreed TO- recoivo thom
and tho price as which they wcre finally disposed
Of. In tho Government arguments there wore
no tutimattonB that the case WAS fraudulent, nor
vas there any iutimation Of this character In
tho dissenting opinion Of Judge Drake. Tho
Court sustained thu. claim In 4 strong do
ciuion. Judge Drake dissenting on the
ground that no written contract was mado at the
tino. aud tho further grounds that no ordnr OF
the Commanding General had bosn lasIed which
Nould authorize tho purchase Of supplies In tho
tary hai nothing whntever to do with any work
10 tho Department pertaining to thls claim, nor
did he eyor ontcr any OF tho Departments In
connection with it. He simply argued tho case
DO With any osher feature OF It, and for this ho
received
FEE or 10 TEN CENT, ..
tho usual foo In this city for serTices of this
character. I1o bad nothing TO do with my Of
Tho papers connected with the final sott!oment
OF tho case, nor with the papera pertaining to
this demand, and hls nano does not appear
upon any Of them.
REPRESENTATIVE BLACKBURN.
familiar with tho character Of tho gontemon
WHO naado this CHIN, and that thore III
no doubt whatovor TINT tho claim waa
moro uays shet this Is tho only cass so far % he
knows, in which Mf. U11stoW eYer appeared in