The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-02-23
TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENSE.


TESTIMONY FOR THE DEFENSE.
wILLIAMs's SPEECH - EVIDENCE OF GEN.
BANKS AND OTHERS ABOUT WARRINGTON
SOME NEW LETTERs-rHE coRREsPoNDENCE
OF HOGUE WITH BINGHAM.
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 16.-Immedistely upon the
opening of the United States Circuit Court
this morning, ex- Attorney General Williams
rose and addressed the jury, opening the
defense of Gen. Babcock. The court room
was thronged, the greater portion of the
audience being attorneys. Very few. of the
government witnesses were present, the
most OF those from Washington having been
discharged from service aud allowed to
leave the city. Gen. Williams devoted con-
siderable tiCle to an argument on the pro6a-
bilities in the case and to criti-
cism OF the evidence for the govern
ment, assuming that what the
government had pres ented was competent
evidence, which was by no means admitted,
Gen. Williams said that the case might pre-
sent some suspicious circumstances, but by
no means the ground on which to base
conviction. de then proceeded with some
explanations which would throw q different
light upon the communications between
Bsbcock and the ring. At that time, he said,
joyce and Mcdonald were trusted officials,
men of influence and possessing the conf
dence of good people. Baoecck, on the
other hand, was a warm hearted, confidinz,
generous man, who did not
give up a friendship once cemented
for the whispers of calumny. Everything
present ed by the prosecution was incom-
plete and could not but leave painful M
certainty in every mind as TO whether 1t
was to convey proper suspicion or to SIM
ply indicate a weakness of the Judgment,
to which every one was liable. The guam
tity of this kind of evidence, said Gen.
Williams, avsils nothing. A house is made
of bricks, but a million OF bricks scattered
over an acre of ground does not make
house any moBs than two bricks do.
Alexander p. Tuition then took the stand
and testified: l am supervisor OF the lu-
ternal revenue for the states of Penn
GylvaDis, New Jersey, Delaware, Mary
land and the District of Columbia.
I have been supervisor since 1863
am, 1 think, the oldest supervisor
in.the country. / remember an order trans
ferring the supervisors. In January, 1875,
such an order was made, and under it j was
10, be transferred fron Philadelphia to st.
Louis, aud ordered to,Seport here on Febru-
sryl 18th. L visited Washington in February
in regard tic this order, and reached
there on the I'd of the month The
witness proceeded: Il had a converse.
ton with the secretary. He directed
me to call on the president and state
whstI had said to him. 1t was sbout i'll
O'Clock A.. NJ. L called stonce at the execu-.
tive mansion and saw the president. said
that i had been ordered by the secretary to
report for duty attSt. Louis and 1t would be
very iDconPenient to me &c 60 and imPossi-
BILE, d the transfer was t0.continue fox any
length of time. L had property and per-
sonsi matters to look afsa- at home and
would not move my family to st.
Lsuis and would not come with
out them; that if this order was
enforced 1t would be necessary for mas to
resign. The pre- sident said thai he was sorry
that 1t would inconvenience ne, but il was
thought that a great deal of fraud was be-
ing com Bsitted in st. Louis and Chicago and
that the order was made to detect these
frauds; that whiIs he didn't saink the Of
ticers OF these places were involved, he did
think that
FRAUDS WERE BEING CONNECTED,
and that change OF officers was necessary
n order to suppress these frauds. that there
Brought to bear on him to induce hiEa to re-
woke the order. but he thought II necessary
to.carry II out TO prevent these frauds. He
thoEght the officers ofthe districts had to do
things in routine way and the distkl Tiers
knew their time of doing things and took
advantage OF that to commit the frauds;
that Il new officers were sent here thew
would change this routine and ran across
the frauds. / said it was a mere personal
matter with me, and il j resigned he had q
score Of men TO put In my place who would
be willing 20 60 to st. Louis. said to him.
L have views, If you have time to listen to
them. He said he had, and endeavored TO
repeat what had said TO the secretary.
told him that, Judging by my experiences,
this change &C uld not be productive OF good
to any extent; that notice had been
given through the press Of the |
change aud the parties in
terested, officers as well as distillers, had |
several weeks notice and whatever evidences |
of frauds there were would be covered up |
and all the evidence concealed. By the time
the new officers could get to the places, |
everything would be running straight aud |
no good could be accomplished, as far as
frauds that were already COM