The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-08-01

to be dealt with by the local officers there.
Until about the 1st OF December, and In
deed, may say 1t was known absolutely
that Babcock had been indicted. the reia-
tons of Gen. Bristow. myself and the
president were passable, but as soon as 1t
was seen that Babcock was to be indicted
the idea of a military court of inquiry was
brought to the front to my knowledge by
Babcock and his friends. The idea of q
military court was preached before the
| indictment was found against Babcock,
and the tact that the president Of the
United States took the ground that a mil
itary court should supercede the proceed
! ings befor, the civil tribunals ut st. Louis
was taken by myself and by the secretary
| to be marked indication of his purpose
| to defeat the prosecution in that city. On
| the 81 or 4th of December l wrote let
| ter to Gen. Henderson advising him
fully of my views and indicating to him
the settled purpose of the secretary OF
the treasury to see by all honorable
means that the proceedings before the
| civil tribunal should not be postponed or
DELAYED OR EMBARRASSED
il he could prevent it by any proceedings
| to be Instituted or had before a military
tribunal. OF that letter l have not a
copy. but General Henderson 1 believe
has the original. In the next place it Ia
fact that | heard nothing from the
president of the charge that had put
spies upon him or of the forged letter
| which was adduced against me. as stated
| in my testimony on yesterday. until it
was seen and known that Gen. Babcock
was indicted. The conference between
the president and myself. which l think
stated on yesterday TO have taken place
late in November. took place, as l find
BY reference to contemporaneous docu-
ments. on the Sth of December. 1875.
1t will be remembered that in that con-
ference the president expressed himself
to me with regard to Gen. Henderson
and Mr.. Dyer with great bitterness, and
Immediately thereafter
from the prosecution. He was dismissed
in opposition to my written protest. adj
dressed to the secretary of the treasury,
in which called the attention of the sec
rotary TO the fact that was advised off,
cially by Eaton, of the counsel for the
government, that Judge Treat, the pre-
siding justice at the trial in which the
alleged Objectionable remarks of Gen.
Henderson were made. was said to have
declared to Eaton and to have requested
Eaton 10 notify the authorities here that
in his judgment Gen. Henderson's re-
marks contained no reflection whatever
on tue president. | also called at
tention to the fact that Eaton, Dyer, and
Henderson had all in writing informed
me that no such purpose existed on Hen
derson's part, and that on the contrary,
it appeared from the official records in
my possession at that time and now in
the treasury department, that Gen. Hen
derson went out OF his way in an argu.
ment in that case to state that in his
judgment the president OF the United
States was altogether above reproach. as
far as he knew, and to pay the president
compliment. said, therefore, to the
secretary of the treasury. that accepted
the judgment Of Gen. Henderson's col.
leagues and Of the court as conclusive on
that question. and that in my judgment
the president OF the United States ought
TO rise above personal considerations in
view of the fact that the public interests
imperatively required Gen. Henderson's
retention in the prosecution. The dis
missal of Gen. Henderson was in my
judgment
FATAL BLOW
TO the prospect Of successful prosecu.
ton in Gen. Babcock's case.
Q. (by PlaistedD. Have you the pro-
test to which you have just referred? A.
| have not. but it is now on the files of
the treasury department and will make
it an exhibit before / get through. By
reference to my private letter-book find
under date Of Dec. the following letter
written by me:
DEAR EATON: | wrote Gen. Hender-
son confidential letter last night giving
you the situation OF affairs at this end I'm
the "Sylph" matter. We do not know
here what you are doing, but presume Of
course you are doing your duty.
That is the letter in which l made ref
erence TO the controversy in regard 10 |
the military and civil tribunal. Another
ground was the presidents refusal to re-
move Jasper ID. Ward, United States dis.
-rict attorney at Chicago, until he was
confronted by evidence on the Sd OF De-
,ember, which showed that Ward was n
partner in the Powell distillerv. and had
improper
RELATIONS WITH JACOB REHM.
winch statement was made 10 the presi-
dent by Hon. Burton c. Cooke, of Cbica.
90. On that point said to Secretary Bris.
tow on Dec. 3:
DEAR GENERAL; Mr.. Cooke was lust
% 10 see me with some startling news.
ne saw The president after he met you,
inn was assured by the president that ha
would remove Ward promptly. and 10
that end he would ask w custer To namc
MS successor at once, but what was es-
pecially noteworthy was a letter to Cooke
from reliable friend in Chicago, attribu-
ting Logan's illness to sheer fright at the
charges that he is in il, and saying that
the atmosphere was full OF rumor about
"ard connection with the ring. his re-
iatlons with Distiller Powell, etc. The
i ireloseu from Brooks may interest you.
The Lord give You wisdom. Faithfnllv