The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-04-07
DETECTIVE BELL.
Testimony of Attorney General
Pierrepont.
What Bradley, Babc0ck and lucky had
to do with Bell.

WASHINGTON, April 6-Attorney General
Pierrepont testified before the Clymer commit
tee to-day that about the middle Of December
last man named q. S. Bell sent in his person.
al card to his office aud subsequently called
with card from the President. This card was
Inislald, lost or thr0wn into the waste basket
1t read something like this: The bearer
wishes to get employment. thiAk ne might
render valuable service" Bell lnen sald tnat
he wanted employment in the secret service,
and as high wages as were paid in that service.
Bell seemed to talk in commanding way.
Witness told him he would see the President
first. Next day in the the cabinet meeting he
asked the President if he knew any thing about
the man. The President answered that he had
either known or heard of him during the war
as a scout or detective and he now wanted an
appointment in the secret service. Ball called
next day and asked if he was to be employed.
Witness questioned him as to what service he
had done heretofore. He answered that he
had been employed by the District Attorney at
st. Louis because OF the extraordinary means he
had of getting at some papers IN the possession
Of Joyce. He SAID he left st. Louis because
Dyer had not the means to pay him. lie SAID
that as soOu as Dyer would write or telegraph
that he wanted to employ him, witness would
act promptly in making the appointment and
| preparing the instructions. Bell came in the
next day or day after and showed despatch he
had sent to Dyer to the effect that if Dyer
would sanctod it. There was an interval of a
few days during which Bell did not call, but
meantime the witness had talked with the Sec
rotary of the Treasury and the Postmaster
General and found that his record in those de-
partments was very bad. He never knew of
Bells existence before he first presented his
card and has never seen him since. He re-
fused to give him his appointment. Neither
Babcock nor Lucky had spoken to him about
Bell. Witness said that the interview Bell
Sppalxc Of in hiq testimony entirely jmap-
| mary and denied every part OF Bells evid enee
| referring to him where it conflicted with this
| statement.
A. C. Bradley. the lawyer, related his rela
| tons with Bell as follows: Babcock had been
| telegraphed to from st. Louis to go down there
| in November last, as his name had been used
| in connection with the whiskey frauds. Bah
| cock requested him to 90 to ST. Louis for him
| as he could not leave the White House At
| St. Louis he met Col. Lucky who informed him
| that Bell had engaged in the Avery case, and
| Bell bad promised Lucky to get the Hogue des-
| patches. Lucky said Bell had represented him.
| self to have the run OF the District Attorneys
| Office and had proposed to him to steal the pa
| pers in the Babcock case. Lucky added that
| Bells proposal was so astounding that be put
| no faith in him, and Bradley agreed to this.
Subsequently Bell got the Hogue dispatches,
| aud Lucky brought Bradley into Bells pres
| encs Bells statements we're always wander
| ing and he always thought Bell drew largely on
| his imagination. He represented himself as
| friend of the President and desirous of pro-
| tecting Babcock from the unjust prosecution of
| Dyer, Brstow and Others Bell said that Bris-
| tow had wanted Dyer to put the Babcock des-
| patches into the Mcdonald trial; that Hender-
| son and Dyer were at loggerheads because Hen
| derson wanted to ruin and indict Grant, and
| Dyer wanted TO spare Grant because he had a
| head to lose, &c, &c. All this was a month
before Babcock's Indictment, and at thai time
| he was naturally anxious to learn what evidence
| Dyer had against Bahcock. He never author
| lied him, however to steal or destroy evidence.
| All he asked him to do was 10 obtain such in
| formation as he could as to the evidence there
| was against Babcock, ard for that purpose to
| get him such copies or papers as he could OBJ
tain.
Luckey was always distrustful of Bell and
| only listened TO him out of regard of his duty
| toward the President Gen. Babcock never
authorized him to employ detective or to do
| anything improper, and Babcock had never
| represented himself in any way except as an
innocent inan. Witness believed Babcock
| was as innocent as he bradley was himself
Col. Luckey testified that he was not sent to
St. Louis by The President He had written a
| statement while 10 ST. Louis last tall as wit
ness for Avery. He met Bell who told him of
| the great conspiracy against Ba5cock and
Grant by Bristow, Dyer, Henderson aud others
| and Of their hopes to make BristoW President
| by breaking down Grants administration.
Luckeys account of Bells rascalites, which
| was very long, agreed closely with that given
by Bradley, even to the finest details. Luckey' S
| explanation of the cipher was that he wanted
to have a safe way of communicating with
| Bell in case the latter discovered that forged
| letters were to be used against Babcock, and
Bell had represented that kilograms and let
! ter to the President informing him of the fact
| might be interpreted by Dyers minious.
He (Lnckey) went to St Louis without a
| suggestion from the President or Gen. Bah
| cock Luckey contradicted Chandler who
testified that Luekey never spoke 10 him about
~ L. AZ -
but when it was pointed out to him he said
| that he was not quite sure Of having spoken to
Chandler. Perhaps he did and perhaps he did
not. All his dealings with Bell were in the in
| terest of the President because Bell represent
| ed that he would expose conspiracy against
| the President. He never informed the Presi-
| dent that Bell had proposed to him to steal the
| papers.
Mr. Robbins-Then you still left the Presi-
/ dent un6er the impression that Bell was faith
| full and honest man?
| Mr.. Luckey-Thats position don't ike to
| be in, but at the time the proposition was made
to me Babcock had not yet been indicted.
| Mr.. Robbins-Bad as he was you were willing
| to use him.
| Luckey-Yes as detective.
| Mr.. Danford-What did you tell Bell WHEN
he made this proposition?
| Luckey-I referred him to Mr.. Bradley. L
| did not know whether it would be wrong or
| not to have that done in Gen. Rabcock's case
| Gen. Babcock then gave his version. Luckey
| aud Bradley when they returned from St Louis
| reported to him Bells statement, and on the
| advice of Luckey he saw Bell on his return
| from the Chicago court OF Inquiry, when Bell
| repeated these statements. Babcock thought
| that if such conspiracy against him and the
| President existed, it was very important and
| he got Bell TO make an affidavit as to the facts
| he pretended to show. Bell urged his pressing
| wants, and Babcock gave him $4,000 for his SER
| vices. Bell said that Biuord Wilson would
| give him an appointment to get evidence
| against Babc0cB, and be told Bell that unless
| he would show such an appointment he would
have no use for him. He only saw him once
| more, when Bell met him at the War Depart
| ment and told him that he was going to New
| York and might give him important nforma-
| ton. January 18th he received a message from
| Bell asking. him to lend him $40 SO that he
| might 20 to New York for important purposes
| but Babcock would not furnish the money He
| learned few days ago that Bell was negotiat-
| ing for his present statement, and was willing
| to sell it for $4,000.
| The enc hundred dollars paid Bell was for his
| affidavit, the substance of which was tn 1T be
| (BelD became acquainted with District Attor-
| ney Dyer his assistant, Bliss, and Mr. Hender-
| son, special counsel IN November. Dyer prom
! Used to employ him as a detective in regard TO
the case OF Ho9ue, a revenue agent, who was
| bribed and fled The country. Mr. Chapman of
| the Internal Revenue Bureau, said that he
| would be well provided for by the department
| Bell said that there was conspiracy on the
| part OF Brlstow, Bluford Wilson, Dyer and
| Henderson to eutrap Babcock and Luckey, so
| as to make a strong blow at Grant and keep
| BriStow in the political canvass that he had
| seen Luckey in ST. Louis and told him this,
| and that Luckey had very little to say about it.
| Bell says: felt it my dute to do this, and
| could not countenance a conspiracy then in
| progress against persons L believed innocent,
when the whole armus sprang froma political
intrigue He charges difference between
Dyer and Henderson, which he says grew out
of desire on the part of the latter to hurry up
things and get the cases through because he
did not expect they would keep him in office
long. This was before Babeock was indicted;
that Dyer told Henderson he did not wish to 90
SO fast because he had head to lose; that
Henderson rarely went to Dyer's Office, but
that on the day the 'Sylph'' telegram was pro.
duced in court he met Dyer in his office, and
further words we're had III regard to Hender-
sons precipItancy, Dyer seeming to fear that
be would be held accountable for Henderson's
acts.
On the evening Of Nov. 29th he saw Dyer at
his Office alone. The latter shut the door and
pulled from his coat pocket some papers and
kilograms. He seemed jubilant and excited.
Look at this said Dyer pointing at the papers,
first Babcock then q. S. Grant" l expressed
surprise and repeated the remark. There was