The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-05-02

l.
ington at the time.
Yours very truly,
JOsEPH c. STEWART.
Gen. Thomas Ewing, Of Ohio, who is
also quoted in this matter as witness,
having knowledge Of some fearful facts,
wrote to me, quite recently, the following
letter:
LANCASTER, O., March 20, 1876.
TO Hon. J. G. Blaine, Warrington, D. c.:
DEAR sIR:-I am surprised to learn
that some persons are reyiving the long
since exploded story Of your having ac-
quired an interest in the Leavenwo orth,
Pawnee & Western Railroad Company,
and afterwards in the Union Pacific
Eastern Division, and now in the Kansas
Pacific. -Four years ago this charge was
set afoat, and | published a card denying
It. l was Director Of the Company at
the time when you were accused OF hav.
ing acquired IN interest and until
some time in 1868, and l knew that you
had no interest whatever in the Company.
The report referred to seems to have
originated in the fact that your brother
John E. Blaine, one Of the early settlers
Of Kansas, and clerk ofour court at Lev
cnworth, held stock in the company, which
was legitimately and properly acquired
long before you were ever a candidate
for Congress, and with which you had
nothing whatever to do. There was
no interest in the company, held directly
or indirectly in your name. The
similarity between the names of J. E.
Blaine and ]. G. Blaine, must have led to
confusion on which the allegation was the
based. In that possible mistake l can see
some excuse for the origin Of this mistate-
ment. But see none for the persistency
which urgesit after frank and full denial
Very Truly Yours,
THOMAS EWING.
Three years ago the Knowlton story
was told in the New York Sun. A. NJ.
Gileson, then rs now Washington CORES
pondcnt OF that paper, wrote me n few
weeks since the following letter.,
-- WASHINGTON, March II, 1876.
Hon. james @. Blaine: j' 9''
DEAR SIR-In February, 1873, tcle-
graphic dispatch from Washington was
published in the New York Sun charging
that you had received in some secret man
ner some bonds OF the Union Pacific Rail-
road Eastern Division) from Joseph b.
Stewart at his law office. The man who
was understood to be responsible for the
charge was James w. Knowlton, then cor
respondent Of the Chicago Tribune, and
who had been law student in the office
OF Stewart & Riddle. On the evening Of
the same day that the dispatch appeared
in the Sun, Mr.. Knowlton called on me to
disclaim all responsibility for it, and
said there was no ground for max
/ Ing the charge against you, and
that he was satisfied that he had
been entirely mistaken in saying that he
had even so much rs seen you in Stewart
& Riddles Office, and II called upon would
have to testify to that effect. l was so
well satisfied that there was no founda-
tiOn for the statement made, that at
once contradicted the same. | also ad-
vised Mr.. Knowlton to go ard sec you,
which he afterwards told me he had done.
Very Truly, &c, A. NJ. GlBsoN.
Mr.. james Mcfarland, a we'll known
correspondent. furnishes the following
statement:
WASHINGTON, March 10, '7G.-When
the statement was made in the New York
Sun about Joseph Stewart delivering
some bon,ls TO Hon. J. G. Blaine ] was
Washington correspondent Of the Phila.
dclphia Pfes Mr.. James W. Knowlton,
then correspondent OF the Chicago Tri-
bune, since deceased, occupied the same
office with me. The day after the article
appeared in the Sun, with Knowlton as
lis presumed authority, lie came to me
and asked me II ! would accompany him
10 Sneaker Blaine's residence and intro
luce him, as he had m important com.
munication 10 make 10 the Speaker. l
accordingly went with him, and in my
presence he assured Mr.. Blaine OF his
great regret that such a report should
have got into circulation on his apparent
responsibility, and he had come to repu.
diate it and TO assure Mr.. Blaine how
much he regretted that any annoyance
should come to him /" this way. He un.
equiyocably withdre" charge in my
presence, declaring there was no iounda'
tion whatever for il, assuring Mr.. Blaine
that he had taken the promptcSt measures
to prevent, "a FAR as he could, any other
papers publishing it or even referring to
1t. Mr.. knowlto1 spoke 70 mc very ire'
quently aiterward" a1ouL IN" ha.aef, US
we were IN daily anu nuns ss assocla'
tion. lie always expressed 1'' keeheSs re. ,.
gret that II should IN any way
have been quo1ea lot = uanae
ing rumor that hau no Iounuai'on. We
The attempt 70 revive nus o,u' ,nS nv
ioa"". asa ';,,'-H ics mating Ills sta,ement by
rsh;"% rJ ' ,Sn ;ns,;ce 10 living and dead
VIZ" rS;aaodI III '' J,s SfcFARLANp,
! t''S"e"l :,
do not think any further contradic,
ton is needed OF a story tina: never had
the slightest foundation Of truth, but
which has been most eagerly y AMI indus
triously circulated as twin scandal TO
the $4,000 ialsehood. My excuse for
trespassing thus briefly on the kindness
Of the House Is the fact that desire to
give the widest possible publicity to
my disproof to the story that has been
circulated far and near, and YET mostly
in secret and never with responsible
author. | now dismiss i with possibly a
groundIess hope that those who have
sought to injure me by repeating 1t will