Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-03-03


table building. -,
He asked me if was suble ed. told him
T had tecgraphic dispatch calling me to
Washington. He SAID that it q subj &C IA chad
been duly served they could give ue coosdera,
BILE trouble, but on telegraphic message they
could not reach me it | Was Out oil the country.
I asked him how long would have to stay.
| He said if the committee had leave to sit dur
inc the recess | could not come back until the
present Congress expired. then went home
ard found there dispatch tr u Doctor William
Tomlinsou, the brother III law OF the Secretary.
Its purport was not 10 leave, that he had good
news: bat be was coming over. Determined
not to be governed by it; that l was going !;
that they only wished 10 tx up some DC"
story, bu, that | would Dot be party to it.
My trurk was being, packed to leave. AT
ahuut midnight of thursday, February "a,
DR.. TomiI<on arrived at NY house; said he
had seen Joe Back burn he was cou-
sin of nipe who said ne thought You
Marsb) w,uId write IA letter sInetnlng like
one Of which he (Tumlinsou) would suggest;
that there would b, 20 further investigation,
and # there was they would ask no Questions;
thai it would he difficult for NE TO answer, aud
tina, Dir. Blackburn SAID he th ught that If the
committee still wanted &c eX.m:ne me they
uruId apuoint subcommittee aud come over
TO New York to do so.
He came to my bed room and tod him to
20 into the sitting ruom and draw the sketch
of the proposed letter, and that when DR. s'ed
T would ioin him, and | would write such a
letter as he wanted if | could | wrote the
letter FROM the sketch of TrmlinsoD. The en
deavor was to exculpate the Secretary. There
was nothiug n Ii untrue to the best II my re
collection but it lid not state the whole trulh
Il was very short letter. He took it with
the contract enclosed. He said he won i take
the letter aud contract to Mr.. BIa,kouru, WHO
would show it to the committee, and hat would
be the end of it. He left my house 1t W.
o'clock Friday mornIog. A, midnight trliay
oipht | was reused up and had the sub; e "a Of
the committee served on me. Saturday morn
ing about eight 0 clock DR.. TOun,on agalu
appeared. He said hc had been to W tshlng.
tou. H. wa tod to know the first thing it |
had been SUBJ 90 ed. Fold h'n had. n
began talking tie whole fnlng ~ r again, It Il
wanting me 10 say before the committee what
was suggested at the Secre'ary's. Al the H.
teryley 90 Thursday night he want i me to
telegraph t, the committee before WFou had
been subj eled by telegraph IT, appear the
next III Jrnlug (Frlday,) tha! NY vile was sick
and mat | could not attend. Ny vile being
sick | consented and dld 50 telegraph. Recur-
Ing 10 The Interview agaig on Saturday sal:
could not MAKE the sta cmcut hi desired. H.
SAID be had see. Mr. Backourn IN the inter
val, and had shown BIN the letter Of Thursday
niybt. H. hen retu I'D il and the Contract
to me. | said d. Tnmll1sun, have
thought of this ttiug 81 much Ii has nearly
made M crazy. | am not going tt talk about
it any morc We will 60 downto ms lawyer aud
consult him about it. my object being to have
LAWYER TO tell him how ridiculous the story
he waited me to tell wJuId appear before the
committee We went down aud called on Alr.
Bartlett and told him the w!o!e truth 10 the
preseuce of DR.. Toulinson Bartlett said
could not manufacture any story | ed. aud
must DOT If could ToulInson still Insisted
that il | could swear that Gen. Bciknap knew
Dothing Ut he arrangement 3ith his sister,
Mr.. B.lkuap, deceased ,ani II c 'uli swear that
at the time was h funeral | made au ar
raugrment with Mrs. Bower, the preseut Mrs.
Belknap, by which was to send her al this
money through The Secretary, that the whole
thing could still be settled. | replied Il can
not state it tor 1t Is not true, MY impression
then pc!ng that 1T that funeral hat SAID some.
thing abuut the matter 10 G"r. IS 'knap. joui'
linson said that il you cannot swear t tina: you
had better leave the Country. Mr.. B2rtlctl
| u
question YOU have suUm tied to me. and III the
uositiou OF affairs the Secretary Of War should
decide if you should go 70 Washington or
leave the country.
Dr. Tomliuson said he would return to Wash
ingtou, He prepared two formulas Of teIe-
grams which wuuIi understand one was Il
hope your vile Is we'll. and was to be lnt"r-
preted TO leave III" c,u1try The other Was Il
hope your vile ls better, which meant come
: 10 Washlugton. We then parted. On g'lrg
home 10 the street cars, thinking The whole
thing over about the conversation al the time
of the funeral, | mad up my mlnd that al
though I had ated 70 Mr.. Bartlett that l
thought | had had some conversation at the
time of the tuoeral with the Secretary OF War
about sending this money, yet Was 30 unde
oided about 1t that | was certainly willing to
give the Secretary the benefit nt the DOUBT.
/ thought would see Tomliuson aud tell hm.
We parted at one clock. He'wls to leave
for Washington at three O'Clock. L went to
the depot and met him aud told hlGi that on
thinking over the matter Was So undecided
ahout the conversation with the Secretary at
the time of the funeraI that would give HIM
the benefit of the doubt. He said am very
glad to hear this, because my s'Stsr, MrS.
R.lknan. said this was the fact. That Saturday
evening got lGe3lapiiiO uiSp"'e" ~ 'L! - :.
Belkuap, which said "Come to Washington; it
is necessary" | recelvei it in the evening.
Mex, morning. (last sunday | received dis
patch from lomliusou, II hope your wife Is
better" which according TO our agreement,
meant come TO Washington"
10 the afternoon l got second dispatch
from DR.. romIiusoD as follows: Come with
GU, fail; answer" answered, Il shall come
tonight without fail was very glad not .
have to leave the conutry the CONVICTION haV.
ing grown on my mlud t1at 1t would do 10 goOd.
4 | reached " ashngtou yesterday morning al
6: 80 and stopped at the Arlington, NY wife
being with me- Was shown to temporary
room About clock l LAID down, boug de
cidcdIy fatgued, aud about y clock d.. lom-
inson called me to the door OF the roum. He
said be bad seen Blackburn, and that he still
thought this mattcr could DC fixed up without
any trouble. He asked me II had be lett r
had written to the committee Oh Thursday
night. | SAID | had not. He said Blackburn
saws YOU had better write auother Of the same
purport aud send it UP to the Committee with
| :.