National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-08-01

resorted to by them to escape punishment.
The ST. Louis conspiraters, with the utmost
cunning and shrewdness, began this game
Immediately they were caught 1t was
their threats and menaces against Wash
ington officials which brought out General
Grants famous LET no guilty man escape"
Endorsement. They tried Avery, Holt,
Babcock, Fred and Orvil Grant, Casey and
even the President himself They con-
jectured that there had been sufficient COM
munication passing between some of these
gentlemen and the st. Louis officials to in
culpate some of them if it were adroitly
manipulated and tortured into the worst
and most suspicious Interpretation. They
knew that Dyer had no great love for the
Administration, and that Henderson was q
personal enemy. Henderson was en-
ployed by Dyer, who had been fooled into
allowing the chief conspirators to turn in
formers and take the direction of affairs.
Wilson was befooled in turn by these same
confessed felons whom he trusted further
and believed before and above those honor
able officials whom he had known for
years as above reproach in both military
and civil life. Meanwhile the conspira-
tors who had turned informers, State wit
nesses and chief directors of the prosecu-
ton established agents in Washington,
whose business it was to supply the De-
tective press with scandalous rumors affect
ing the good names of those whom they
wished to intimidate.
Mr.. Wilson appears to have become the
tool of these chief conspirators and their
agents. He allowed them to divert his at
tention from the thieves to their victims.
The former plead guilty and all implicated
the latter. This result was the very
achievement for which they had labored
from the outset. 1t was their objective
point from the start. If they could con-
vict some near and confidential friends of
the President, or even succeed in befoul-
ing and besmirching them they felt that
their own disgrace would be greatly less
ened. As their project developed they
claimed the entire credit of the alleged
exposure Of frauds in high places for Bris-
tow and Wilson, and held up before their
befogged visions the executive power.
The latter were bewildered by the dazzling
view and fell into the trap. They forgot
their former asseyerations that no hitherto
honorable and unsupported man should be
convicted upon the unsupported testimony
of confessed felons and perjurers. They
protested when the Attorney General wrote
to Dyer calling his attention to this we'll
settled principle of law governing the rules
of evidence. The detective press, at the
instigation of the conspirators, denounced
the letter of the Attorney General as most
unwarrantable interference with the course
of justice. Mr.. Wilson was quietly in
formed by the President that he deemed it
fully as important that no innocent man
should be wrongfully convicted as that no
guilty man should escape. This was some
thing which Mr.. Wilson had quite forgot.
ten then, and which he appears to have
failed to remember in the preparation of
his patchwork testimony for the ex Con-
federate House committee. He says, to be
sure, that the President lnstanced as a
reason for his great confidence in General
Babcock the fact that he had had charge of
important trusts and large appropriations
which he had executed with such fidelity
that he could not credit the allegations of
confessed thieves, perjurers and felons
against him. But all this seems to have
had no effect upon the narrow mind and
obtuse intellect of Wilson. Ambition
blinded his vision and he saw only that
which he wished to be true.
This little Mephistopheles was all smiles
and apparent sincerity to the face of the
President while he was filling the columns
of the Sun and Tribune with the vilest of
accusations, either open or implied, affect
ing his integrity or that of his friends, rela-
tiyes and official family. He never appeared
in person as accuser. He was not manly
enough for that. He Illuminated his poi
soned shafts through Newspaper Row.
When the Detective Press was lacking q
sensation Wilson rarely failed to come to
its rescue. Finally, having been disap-
pointed at Cincinnati he knew that the
President would learn the false and treach.
erous part he had played, and that he would
have no further use for him as solicitor.
His present object is to advertise himself
as martyred ''honest reformer." He has
the shameless effIontery to 60 to an ex-
Confederate committee as the medium.
This is to prove his true Republicanism.
lis effect on Republicans will be, Goa the
contrary unite the 70 NO rcn >,