The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-11-30

with the Ring terminated seVeIal montus po'V'S'
have been acquainted with Avery and have had
good opportun ties to observe his manner OF i've
ing during the period he was charged with being
the reclpient OF several hundred dollars mohlh
from the whiskey Ring, and | know the exact
condition In which his family was LETT when ne
was taken To the penitentary, He owned mou.
est litlle house, on which there was mortgage oil
$3.50 two.thirds OF It's cost The house was neat
ly, not extravagantly, furnished, and his manner
of living indicated nothing not In keeping WIN
The position he occupied aud the salary he re-
ceiyed The expenses of his travel TO b. LOUIS
to attend his trial and the fees paid his attorneys
were about 81 800 and this consumed every dollar
he couln iaise and when he was taken to the PEN
itentiary IN April last his wife had not enough
money 10 buy meal for herself and little girl
and for weeks thereafter she was compelled 70 Sc'
cept the charity Of her neighbors' Avery was
like the average Government clerk, amah OF Dare
ly sufficient capacity to il the position he occu
pied without any intellectual independence nc
was like the great majority OF the OH ehoIdlhg
GLASS. susceptible to fattery, and fond OF the re-
copnitlon of his suDeriors. Naturally an obllging
officer. he disiRcd exceedingly to refuse any one
A favor. Joyce and he had been intimately &C
ouainted when Joyce was clerk along with him
I'm the Internal Revenue Bureau, and after they
both married their wives became intimate friends
also. Joyce was always on terms of intimacy NJ
the While House, ami was suggested by BabcocR
MS a suitable person to act as McDonalds chiei
clerk when that individual, very unexpectedly to
the politicians of st. Louis became supervisor OF
Internal Revenue for the District of Missouri, Ar
taneoe aud tho Indian TprritOry
A MAN OF INFORMATION.
Joyce is a bright, clever fellow, and soon be-
came politician ofsome Importance In Missouri.
He wrote cleverly. and at times furnished edito
rials for considerable part of the Republican
country press of that Stale. He kept up con-
stant correspondence with Babcock and when he
came to Washington was always a welcome visi'
tor at the White House. Whenever Avery met
Babcock, the latter invariably inquired after
Joyce and McDonald-always familiarly, as How
are the boys getting along at st. Louis% Levi 2.
Lurkey another of the Presidents private secre-
taries, was also friend Of AVery's and an &C
quainance of Joyce. Lucky is of no particular
importance. but was used by Babcock for his own
purposes. He received less salary than Avery but
lived faster and more extravaganty and all the
circumstances point to his connection with the
Whiskey Ring along with Babcock.
AT various times BabcoCk used his influence
with the President to secure small favors for Ave
ry. He had him sent to Europe along with Lucky
Oh Syndicate business, and also exerted his inHu-
ence with Boss shepherd to obige one or two
friends Of Avery who wanted contracts from the
Board of Public Works. 1t was important to the
Wht key Ring to have a complaisant tool in close
official relations with Secretary Bristow, and, ac'
cordingly, Babcock and LuGkey had Avery made
Chief Clerk of the Treasury Department although
Brlstow preferred another man, but, of course,
would not refuse the request Of the President in
Avery's behalf.
In this situation Of affairs 1t does not seem un-
natural that Avery should feel under obligation
to do anything he could for the friends who had
manifested so much zeal in his behalf He says
that Joyce was continually appealing to him to
furnish him with information In regard TO the
visits of revenue agents to st. Louis, putting 1t on
the ground that Mcdonald was an irascible fellow
who was hard to manage and possessed an extra
VACANT notion Of his rights as Supervisor, and
who was always giving great deal of trouble
special agents came there without his
If he knew Of their coming, urged
Joyce, be could manage everything to the salts
faction of all parties, and much more to his own
personal comfort Avery knew that Mcdonald
and joyce were favorites at the White House, and
he never suspected anything wrong about them;
still. he hesitated to furnish them with the infor
nation they requested, Joyce wrote to him re-
peatedly, urging it, and always insisted upon 1t
personally when in Washington, but Avery ayers
that he declined on the ground that 1t would not
be compatible with the public interests, and that
1t would not be right to do this in one case and
notin another, although he did not believe then
that the information was wanted for unlawful
purposes,
THE "oID MAN" SPEAKS.
Finally, after many solicitations and repeated
Joyce wrote him in the usual strain, and
after the same old arguments had been urged
anew, said:
If you have any doubt of the propriety of send.
ing this information, see Gen BabcoCk. If he is
not IN the city, see G,
This letter Avery sent to the White House, and
in due time It came back with the following en-
dorsement:
"JOyce and Mcdonald are reliable and trustworthy.
Let them hare the Information they lOant.
..... "U. S. GRANT"
After this, Avery gave himself no further tou-
BILE about the matter, but furnished whatever in
formation Joyce and Mcdonald called for. This
was during the time he was Chief Clerk Of the In
ternal Revenue Bureau, and in position to know
everything that occurred in regard to revenue
matters After he was promoted at the particular
request of the President to be Chief Clerk of the
IL hat ba
Gated with the conspi ators. Frequently, during
McDonald's visits to Washington, Avery says Nc
Donald would go to the White House, and drive
up to the north front of the Treasury in the Presi
dents carriage, and while the President waited
for him would come into the department to make
inquiries about the movements of special agents.
On one of these occasions he requested Avery to
write telegram to Joyce, giving him information
of his success in stopping contemplated raid;
that he wrote the despatch and signed 1t with his
own name, not suSpecting anything wrong. He
was q little slow, and Mcdonald said, Hurry up;
the old man is waiting for me- and sure enough
when Mcdonald left, Avery saw him get In the
Presidents carriage and the two were driven
away together,
A LETTER FROM BABCoCK.
Mle0 avery was HlIluCu Ou July ~ NhoS di III
dictment had been found againsthim, he realized
the danger he was In. He had been apprehe
sive for several weeks, because he knew his tele
grams to Mcdonald aud Joyce had been found
Moreover he knew that ali the distillers who had
been Indicted were mauifestng disposition to
turn States evidence. He was, moreover, uncer.
tain about Mcdonald and Joyce, and according.
ly in this frame of mind he wrote to Gen. Bah
cock, who was then at Long Branch, telling him
his apprehension and doubts To this he received
the following reply: ..
LONG BRANCH July 90 1875.
MY DEAR AVERY; team i believe that Joyce
and Mcdonald have done any such thing as you
refer to, believe them both to be good, reliable
officers. will do anything in my power to aid
YOU. Let me know all you see and hear: Keep
cool; you may depend upon me. do not believe
they could be used against anybody. Now find
ont il then can be used as witnesses, do not for
ward this, for saw Sc ut Smiths notice In the
PIst last night If you want TO send anything to
Joyce, enclose 1t to Mcdonald and enclose 1t TO
Major r. B. Grimes, Assistant Quarterm 'ster, 81.
Louis, Missouri with a simple remark, Please
send to Gen Mcdonald, and oblge one of his
friends" You need add no more 1t will reach
him, see no objection to sendlng 1t; undoubt;
edy these people act under legal counsel and
write to no one. The Secretary (Bristow) has not
been here and has not seen the President since
his wife sailed-not tn t / can find out. See