The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-02-24

Hoge kept the ring pretty well advised of
the movements Of the revenue agents, and
was generally considered as working con-
scientiously in the cause in which he had
been retained.
j. j. Brooks, formerly Revenue Agent, but
now Assistant Chief of the Secret Service D-
vision of the Treasury Department, testified
and corroborated Commissioner Douglass az
count Of his efforts to unearth the frauds in
st. Louis in 1874, giving the same dates Of
consultations, interviews, letters, kilograms,
visits to Washington, Philadelphia, etc, by
himself and Hoge as were given by Mr..
Douglass.
kilograms in cipher were then offered in
evidence, which the defense claimed were
confidential dispatches between counsel and
client, and they were ruled out by the court.
Col. Dyer then offered what are known as
the Avery dispatches in evidence, and they
were admitted.
The case here closed on the part of the
prosecution, with the exception of the testi-
mony of a Washington witness who would
testify as to the hand writing of two dis
patches yet in DISPUTE, and who would take
the stand as soon as he arrived in St. Louis.
EIGHTH DAY.
Ex-Att'y.- Gen. Williams opened the case
for the defense on the 10Th, and after he had
finished, Gen. A. A. Humphreys, Chief of En-
gineer Corps, United States Army; David
w. Mahon, first officer of the Treasury
James G. Berrett, ex-Mayor and ex-Postmas-
ter of Washington, and Gen. n. P. Banks, all
testified as to Gen. Babcock's integrity and
good moral character.
Alex P. Tuition testified that he is Super
visor of Internal Revenue of the States of
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Mary
land and the District of Columbia; remem-
bered the order transferring the Supervisors
in January, 1875; had conversation on the
subject with Sec'y BristOw, who told him to
call on the President, which witness did; told
the President it would be very inconvenient
fer him t) go to st. Louis, and impossible if
the transfer was to continue any length of
time. The President said he was sorry that
it would inconvenience the witness, and
stated that it was thought that great deal
of fraud was being committed in st. Louis
and Chicago, and this order was made to de-
tect these frauds; that, while he didn't think
the officers of those places were involved, he
did think the frauds were being committed,
and tina q change of officers was necessary
in order to suppress such frauds; that there
had been considerable political influence
brought to bear on him to revoke the order, but
he thought it necessary TO carry it out topre-
vent these frauds. Witness then gave to the
President his reasons why he thought the Or
i ;,,1; o,1 ba 6pa 1lr
said that the more information he received
the better he was satisfied that this order
would not accomplish the purpose intended,
and he would revoke it that day (Feb. 81, and
did 80. On the cross -examin witness
said he saw Gen. Babcock while in Washing
ton, but the latter never said anything about
pressure being brought to have the order
suspended; did not then have talking ac-
acquaintance with Gen. Babcock.
Eight letters were then submitted by the
defense, and admitted by the court, the con-
tents of which show that ex-ReveDue Agent
Hoge, now in Canada, supplied g. B. Bing-
ham, of Indiana, steadily with information
from June, 1874, to the seizures in May,
1875, the defense claiming that Hoge became
corrupted several months before the prose
cution's testimony showed it to have oc-
Cured.
NINTH DAY.
Gen, W. 7. Sherman, Gen. James H. Simp-
son (of the Corps of Eugineers), Gen. w. s.
Harney, Capt. L. s. Babbitt commanding the
St Louis Arsenal), Gen. s. B. Sturgis Gn
command of the st. Louis post), the Hon. E.
A. Borie (ex-Secretary of the Navy, and Gen.
J. L. Fullerton Ia lawyer Of St. Louis), testi-
fed as to the good character of the defendant
Ex-Gov. Fletcher identified several letters
from Babcock to Joyce as those placed in his
possession few weeks before by Mrs. Joyce
Letters were then introduced, dated re,
spectively March 3 and March %, 1875, to
show, as counsel said, that so late as the date
of such letters there was no suspicion OF Gen
Mcdonald either by Deputy Com Rogers ol
the Department.
Several letters written by Col. Joyce tt
Gen. Babcock, and answers to the same, wert
introduced, all of which were of socia
character, and indicated that the writers o
them were on friendly terms, but such letter!
contain no illusions whatever to ring matters
| or anything connected with revenue affairs.
The dispatch of Dec. 5, 1874, and signed o
E. Babcock, saying: "Cannot hear that any
one has gone or is going," was ruled out by
| the Court, but the one of Dec. 3, 1874, to Gen
| o. E. Babcock, from st. Louis, asking " Ha
the Secretary or Commissioner ordered any
| body here?" was admitted.
Jas. Magill, a letter r-carHer in st. Louis
| testified that in the latter part of February
| 1875, Col. Joyce had accosted him on th
! street and requested witness TO assist him il
| recovering two letters deposited in tn
letter box on the corner of Pine and Fiftl
streets, which he (Joyce) described as beins
addressed, one to W. o. Avery Washington
! D. c., and the other to 0. E. Babcock, Wash
ington, D. c., and marked personal. Witnes
did as requested, and when he asked Joyc
for a receipt for the letters, and told him
he wanted to renal them he (witness) woul
| go with him and see it done, Joyce replie'
that it was all right, saying cts only
| blind" On the cross-examination, witnes
said it was frequent thing to return letter
on business routes; recollected this circum
stance particularly because it was off hi
beat; had opened boxes frequently on bus
| uCSo sllGCGs anu lCttii hCu lStiSis, poo NooA
| not recollect the names of any othe
persons for whom he had done so, but tnall
said he had returned letter to Gen. G. "
Fishback. Witaess was repeatedly presse
to recollect the name Of anybody else fo
whom he had taken letters out of the boxe!
but he could not remember one; he carrie
blank receipts and had receipts with hir
when he gave the letters to Joyce, but Joyc
refused to give him receipt, saying that
was only blind.
The deposition Of President Grant was rea
and admitted by the court in nearly its orig
inal form.
The defense announced tn cir case closed.
TENTH DAY.
George Gavin, the Secretary Of the St. Lou
Board of Police Commissioners, was calle
for the purpose of showing the record I
Magill, the letter carrier, who testified to re
turning two letters to Joyce. The witness
did not answer, and the District Attorney IL
nounced that the Government would put
no rebuttal testimony. Judge Porter, for IL
defense, sFtar citing authorities and prec