The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-03-09

Ii
wanted to examine me they would ap-
point a subcommittee and come over
to New York to dol so. He came to my bedroom,
/ and told him to go into the sitting and
draw sketch of the proposed letter, and that
when dressed would join him, aud would
! write such letter as he wanted if could. L
wrote letter from the sketch of Tomlinson.
! The endeavor was to exculpate the Secretary.
| There was nothing in it untrue to the best OF
my recollection but it did not state the whole
truth. It was a very short letter. He took 1t
with the contract inclOsed. He said he would
take the letter and contract to Blackburn, who
would show it to the committee, and that would
be the end of it. He left my house at o'clock
Friday morning. At midnight Friday uight
was reused up and had the subpoena of the
committee served on me. Saturday morning
about o'clock, DIR. TomIinsOn again APP
peared. He said he had been to Washing
] ington. He wanted to know, the first thing,
If / had been subppnaed. / told MIN had
He began talking the whole thing over
again, still wanting me to say before the COM
mittee what was suggested at the Secretary's at
the interview on Thursday night. He wanted
me to telegraph to the committee before whom
I mad been subpanaed by telegraph to appear
the next morning (Friday) that my wife was
sick, and that could not attend. My wife
being sick, I consented, and did so telegraph
/ Recurring to the interview again on Saturday
morning, said could not make the statement
he desired. He said he had seen Mr.. Black
| burn in the interval, and had shown him the
letter of Thursday night. He then returned
| it and the contract ONE. said sDr. Tom
linson, have thought of this thing so much
that it has nearly made me crazy. | am not
! going to talk about it any more. We will go
down to my lawyer and consult him about it,
my object being to have lawyer to tell him
how ridiculous the story he wanted me to tel
would appear before the committee. We
went down and called on Bartlett, and
told him the whole truth in the presence of
Tomlinson. Bartlett said I could not manu-
facture any story if l wanted. and must not if
could. DIR. Tomlinson still insisted that if I
could swear that Gen. Belknap knew nothing
of the arrangement with his sister or Mrs.
/ Belknap (deceased), and could swear that at
the time was at her funeral I made an ar
rangement with Mrs. Bowers, the present Mrs.
/ Belknap, by which was to send her all this
money through the Secretary, that the whole
/ thing would still be settled. replied, II can
not state it, for it is not true, my impression
then being that at that funeral had said some
thing about the matter to Gen. Belknap. Mr..
Tomlinson said, eff you cannot swear to that
you had better leave the country" Mr.. Bart
lett said s'This is bad business. 1t is not
legal question you have submitted to
me- and in the position OF affairs the
Secretary of War should decide if you
should go to Washington or leave the coun-
| try" DIR. Tomlinson said he would return
to Washington. He prepared two formulas OF
kilograms which / would understand. One
was ''I hope your wife is WELL " and was to be
interpreted Leave the country The other
was, II hope your wife is better" which
meant Come to Washington" We then
parted, / going home in the street cars, think
| ing the whole thing over. About the conversa-
ton at time of the funeral, / made up my mind
that although had stated to Mr.. Bartlett that
/ thought had had some conversation at the
/ time of the funeral with the Secretary of War
about sending this money, yet was so unde-
/ cided about it that / was certainly willing to
give the Secretary the benefit of the doubt. |
thought would see Tomlinson and tell him.
] He vas to leave for Washington at 8 o'clock.
[ went to the depot and met him. and told him
that on thinking over the matter | was so I'M
! decided about the conversation with the Sec
| retarv at the time of the funeral that
would give him the benefit of the doubt.
/ He said, I" I am very glad to hear this, because
my sister, Mrs. Belknap, said this was the
fact" That Saturday evening l got tele-
graphic dispatch from Mrs. Belknap which
said: 'sCome to Washington to night. 1t is
necessary" received it in the evening. The
next morning Qast Sunday | received dis
patch from DIR. Tomlinson. 8 l hope your wife
| is better" which, according to our agreement,
meant, '.Come to Washington" In the after
noon I got dispatch from DIR. Tomlinson, as
follows: ''Come without fail. Answer" l
answered "I shall come tonight, without
fall" was very glad not to have to leave the
| W #
mind that it would do no good. reached
Washington yesterday morning at $50, and
stopped at the Arlington, my wife being with
me, and was shown to temporary room.
About o'clock I laid down, being greatly
| fatigued and about o'clock DR.. Tomlinson
| called me to the door of his room. He said he
| had seen Blackburn, and that he still thought
/ this matter could be fixed up without any
| trouble. He asked me if had the letter lad
written to the committee on Thursday night. I
said had not. He said Blackburn says you
had better write another of the same purport,
and send it up to the committee with note ex-
planning why it did not come sooner" did
! so. IThe note and letter were marked B. G.
| Shortly before p. m. yesterday came TO the
Capitol to meet the committee, and Dr. Tom
| linson found me in the corridor near the COM
mittee-room door. He said 'You are going
| before the committee, and want you to remem-
| Der that there was no arrangement with you
| and the Secretary of War at the time of the
funeral. and that the money you have always
| paid to Gen. Belknap WAS for Mrs. Belknap and
| by her directions" I told him | was going be-
| fore the committee to tell the whole story so
far as could recollect it ] said II had thought
of leaving the country, but was overruled, and
now shall tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth. He said, s. don't
want you to tell any lies. / only want you
| to tell the truth and that was the truth"
said THE truth shall certainly tell. and if it
does not hurt Gen. Belknap, no one will be
more reioiced than myself / entered the
committeeman about o'clock yesterday, and,
without being sworn, made statement to
certain members of the committee of the facts
in the case more briefly, but substantially as /
have now answered in reply to your interroga-
tories. When / returned to the hotel yester-
day afternoon DIR. Tomlinson was waiting at
my room at the Arlington to see me. He asked
me how l got along with the committee.
told him had told the story from beginning to
end, and at the request of gentlemen present,
was going to reduce it to writing Ind appear
before the committee to-day at 1890 with it.
He wanted to know how had stated the fact
that all these payments to tho Secre-
tary had been made in consequence
of the original agreement with Mrs.
Belknap. l said had stated the
facts as they were, according to my best recol-
lection and belief. told him would furnish