The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-22
BELKNAP AND PENDLET0N.
WHAT GEv. BUTLER KNOWS fBOUT
SUPPRESSED TESTIMONY.
John =. Rvans's Negotiations with Caleb T..
Marsh Paving $1,000 for nm Introduction
10 DeIhnnp- el2, 900 u y cor TO Mnrsh.

WASHiNGTON, March H.--Tho infOrma-
tion furnished the Committee on expenditures
In the War Department Yesterday bv the cor
respondent Of The Sun In regard to the facts
which tho two Republican members of that
committee had received from prominent Re-
public lawyer and wero trying to keep from tho
Chairman and his Dem cratic es WAS fully
corroborated to-day. At the suggestion OF rHE
Sun correspondent last evening u subpoena was
issued for Ben Butler aud this morning. In
obedience thereto, he appeared before the com
mittce and told his story. 1t was to the effect
that being In New York city a week ago last
| Saturday he learned from II. j. Jayne, late
| special agent OF the Treasury Department,
that hc had heard from a certain
woman that another woman knew something
about payment of $4,000 to Mrs. Belknap by
Geo. II. Pendleton. Butler said he told Jayno
that this was important information II It proved
true, and advised him to run the story down to
Its original source and report the exact facts
at as early a date as possible. Jayne
at once acting upon this advice saw his inform
ant and arranged with her for an interview with
her informant on the following wednesday.
| Butler came to Washington, accomp panied by
| Jayne and on Tuesday night the latter went
back to New York TO keep his appointment on
| Wednesday with the woman referred TO. But
| Ter told him that n he needed hls assist
ance, or thought 1t important for him
|
| over. On Thursday Jayne sent him a cipher
| telegraph informing him that the persons whom
| he was to meet had left for New Orleans on
Iuesdav night. under these circumstances"
| said Butler, " communicated the information
to Mr.. Danford a. have told It to the committee.
said 1t is evident that somebody has been tam
| pering with those parties to send them AWAY 81
suddenlv sald u you can get your oommltlee
alarms TO deputtze a man Will name to 10 to
New Orleans % ,hinH they can he caught hi.
Friday evening. nave not seen Mr.. Danford
since"
ruE NAMES CALLED ron.
| Mr.. Cymer asked Gen. Butler II he had any
| objection to communicate the names OF the
witnesses who were supposed to he running
mittoe. IN order that they might take
ppIompnt ppn. steps to to have them arrested, and
not. gave them to Mr. Dauiurd and Bass sim-
ply because had the hp or Il their ycquant
that was to secure the presence before your
committee OF persons who might bc Important
| witnes .es'
Mr CNmer did not know thnt the cor
| respondent OF the New York Ercntpg Post WAS
going TO publish enoueh OF your stOry to give
| all tho persons due notice ~ what thty might
| expect-a SUBJ pua from tins committce1
Gen Butler-Wcll, thai is not hard question
70 answer. would not have given the fact' 10
| MIR. smith II thought he VS. going to publish
them. because 1t would have prevented getting
the testimony. | never did tell newspaper
man anything but what he pua lishcd IL, but at
| the same time ought to have known better
for there are newspaper mon whom | would
| when | told Nj. Danford to get a subpoena I
told him 10 GET tt in blank hecau4o IL ina names
| were flied IN, some entcrprsing newspaper an
| would get the Information from the committee
| or the Seigeant-nt-arms, and publish the same.
| Gen. Butler then wrote tho names aud ad-
| dresses OF the two women who were u have
met Jayne. rhey were a. given IN THE sun
| Gen. Benton, and Mrs. Coles.
THE POSITION of BASS And DANFoRD.
II appears from MI this that Messrs. Danforth
and bass knew on Frinay evening last that per.
lis AZ All ii IL nN 4
deuce In reg rd To Penal toms la,ment of
| money 70 Nr Relknap ha1 lett on Tuesday for
New Orleans with the cYticut pdrdpse of getting
! Qut oi the way of the Sergeant farms Il tho
| House, ana yet they did 4 t"he any steps to
| have -uht1n = si-~ued frr them. rney knew that
II tncy lrit New York ON rucsday night they
couid not have more than refched New Orleans
and therefore they uisnt nave been utorca ~ ed
by teiecraph. lhey Gid not even mention the
matter to Mr. CNmcr ur any ~ the ID IN. ctats
l'utlcr's advice To- ask for blank sunpuuas. Their
excuse now 10 that they did not believe tnat
TINS is altogether too thin. ILey both knew
that Mrs. Ben'on or Brooks vas the pos-essor
| of many important secrets and that 1t was
| slrewdly suspected that sho could tel many
| Things about the sale Of arms t. toe Frrn Il
Government IN $50 II winch would prove OF the
| tncy thought sue might tell too much, and
therefore wished her TO get out Of the country.
JOHN 3. EvANs's TESTIMONY.
After Gen. Buffers testimony was concluded
John > Evans. the person to whom haNh sold
| tne commission Of post trader at Fort Sil', was
| examined. lis testimony W. very Important,
because II showed that there was an evident
arrangement To sell out these post ira
acrships before tho act Of 1870 was
| passcd, with his credentials from the officers Of
the post Theie were three traders there tn H.,
| ono ~ whom was } ohm e.. Dent, Grant's brother
tn-la~, and he wanted to get the monopoly OF
the business. lie expected that John c. Dent
would be tho most likely man to yet
the place. and therefore he had opened
| negotiations with him to form IA copartnership
| IN the event Of his being tho fortunate
! Ia i'm
| self. and he thought with the endorse
men,s he mad from the officers that he ought
| TO have no trouble getting It. As soon as the
law passei he nl.a ms nlpeT win ihe
| taking any action thereon. Evans fol-
lowed hin to Iowa, but could get no
/ sau faction ont ~ him there. lielKnaa said ne
| woild not act until h" retu ned to Washington.
Evans followed him back to Washington, aHd
tienar n 'G 'iqend 0oi Of scRnsp to ''G 70 Vim VII nI Inn
| the Var Department lnev saw tho secretary
who told nm that the place was promised TO "a
| ri nd Of his, Mr. Marsh Of New IuIK. Evans
rel resented to the Secretary tho Io3iuon
he Was IN. hat II he was forced 10 leave tLc post
lie woaid be a ruined mhn, ana asked i'ciknap
| To advise him what 10 do, whetler II
wouli Da well to see Marsh, and whether he
thought Marsh would buy him out at "a
| would be IN the city the next DAY and he could
see INN. The next dly Marsh came 10 Wash
| iugton ana hunted Evans ~ and began 10 tell
| S2OO0O a year nt nrst, but finally cnmo down
| that nisht, aud there tho bargain WAS made
| rho best terms Marsh would giya HIN was
| $4,000 year, payable quarterly, in advance. 1t
| w"s N absolute necessity WIN him to make
| some aTraugrm, Which would allow him 10
| remain ON the reservation. lie was 900 miles
from cylliz .tlon, WIN SiOO,OJO invested in
buildings aud goods, winch could MT bo re-
moved Without almost II totl loss. and thero-
| fore no was willing to nay the big bonus
$l,OOJ FOR An lNTNODuCrION 10 DLIkNAP
Alter he had made tue arrangements with
| Marsh Evans returned to Washington, where
| Gen. Rice struck hin for $1,000 ior Introducing
| him to the secretary OF War. Rice wanted Sl,JJO
| at first, but Evans thought no ought not 10 paY
SO much, and finally thoy compromised
| on Sl,0.O. lie was In tho hands OF tho
| Philrtines, and thought lao was doing vol to
| get out at all. The payments To Marsh were not
| always satis isfactOry to that individual, and ac-
| cOrdingly "A letter was received from Marsh along
| In 1872 or 1873, In walch Evans was told that II
| the payments were not made in moro satisfac-
| tory way he might set his house III order, for
| there would he trouble In tho camp.
| Senator Hitchcock was also examined In re-
| gard to certain oh argos which had been made "
| amdn who had been connected with the Omaha
| Tribune 4 the time Hitchcock was elected to
| the Senate. lt was said that IN consideration
| Of that paper supporting him for the
| Senate he WAS to get all the editors
| sutlershps that tho paper supported
| him on these terms. ana after ho was elected
| went back ON them, and gave as an excuse for
| 30 doing that Grant had gono back on him and
| would not come around right without
| el00OOO Tho Senator denied all and