Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-06-02
Investigation of the Charges
Against Mr.. Blaine.
Mfe. Bl.AINE,s STATE.
MENT.

Washington, June /. At the conclusion Of
Mulligans examination, Mr.. Blaine made the fol-
| lowing statement, under oath:
This witness opened his statement this morning,
by detailing some facts IN regard to the possession
| by him of certain letters which came INTO my pos
| session. To begin where be did. received thro'
a third party, a telegram, on Monday. stating that
Mr., Fisher and Mr.. Mulligan were on their way
as witnesses the latter unirlend'v. } 1t al that
time my mind conside, adj, .ii,d " III TIE
story about the Northern Pacific matter, which
had come out through the letter of Mr.. Aquila
| Adams, who formerly connected with Mr..
| Fisher in business and when | ascertained on
what train Mr.. Fisher coming, | sent SER
want with a note to his hotel, saying that would
like TO have him and Mr.. Mulligan call at my
house at their leisure, in relation to the Northern
Pacific matter and Mr.. Adams's letter. Mr. Fish
er called, but Mulligan not willing to call. |
called at the Briggs House, and found him sit
ting in BARRIERS chair. shook hands with him.
| We are not new acquaintance. | have known
| him - years, and said, as had been in the hab-
! it Of doing:
| flames, they report that YOU are here an enemy
of mlne"
| He made some iocular rather evasive answer
and then said that he did not want to come to my
| house because he did not want to converse with me
here, in any way, about this matter before he tes
tilted.
| had little conversation, afterwards, directly
with Mr.. Fisher, in which Mr.. Fisher said to me
that Mr. Mulligan had a good many Of my private
letters. but that he did not know did not think
/ that they were upon the subject of Investigations
but thai they embraced large portion of the bus
/ mess, which, for number OF years, had been 60
ing on between Mr.. Fisher and myself.
Mr.. Fisher has been an intimate acquaintance
of mine for more than 20 years. He was for
siderable period, associated with my wifes broth
er in business in Boston, and MIR. Mulligan was
the confidential clelk for many years of another
brother of my wiies, in business that know
! the parties intimately.
a. NJ a.
letters, and without distinctly saying so, he gave
me to understand that he was not the least reluct
ant to get them all out whether they bore upon
the matter under investigation or not
| did not converse with Mulligan at all until
Yesterday when discovered, thought very
great readiness on his part to travel out of the
record and tell great many things relating to
my private business which did not belong at all to
the subject of vestigation, and seeing that did
not want to 90 into those matters until l could
have a little conversation with him on the subject,
| thought it was highly improper and unjust that
he should do so, because it broadened the field of
examination and prevent my having report or
verdict upon the case particularly on hand, so the
committee adjourned by Judge Lawrences
request, after had spoken with him.
After the adjournment called on the three gen.
tlemen. Mr.. Atkins, Mr.. Fisher and Mr. Mulligan,
at the Briggs House, and in the parlor Of MIR.
Atkins | had some conversation with Mulligan
about these letters, and asked him to show them
to me- lie did show them with some apparent
reluctance. l said to him, "Why, you are not
afraid of my keeping them, are you : and he
said "No," and banded them to me. l looked
them all over and discovered that there was only
one letter in the list that at all bore upon the
question before the committee and even that only
by forced construction and not IN reality.
handed them back to him. The conversation then
became somew hat general before the four gentle
men, including myself. in the room. After little
while, Mr.. Mulligap went up stairs to MIR.
/ Fishers room, right overhead. | was talking
with Mr. Atkins and Mr.. Fisher for a few min
utes, and then | started up to Fisher $ room and
knocked at the door, and was admitted; aud
there talked with Mr.. Mulligan for some time.
| NAV have been there think the better part Of
an hour, but the form that he gives the interview
about my Offering him aconsulshp, and about my
being ruined and all that sort OF things, was mere
fancy. Nothing of the kind occurred | talked
n. calmly as | am talking this morning. Very
soon | SAID to him would like 10 see one letter
among those. | wanted to the letter on which
he based his testimony.
lie handed me the package. l looked them all
over and said to him. l said afterwards in
the presence Of Mr.. Fisher and Mr. Atkins, Now
you keep that letter which you think bears on this
matter" That is the letter that he testified to this
morning 81 am perfectly willing you should
keep that, but here is a mess OF my private cores
pondence, covering many years and detaillhg
matters that have nothing to do with the subject
of the investigation, which it would probably be
embarrassing to me to have published, Is any
mans private correspondence would be, and
don't want these letters published. You ought to
give me these letters y GU have no right to them.
There are only two persons in the world that have
right to them, one is the writer and the other IS
the person to whom they were written. NOW, II
you will give these letters 10 MIR. Fisher, Will be
abundantly satisfied They will then be in the
ightful owners hands; they will be in safe
hands"
Mr. Fisher had be fore, himself, in my presence,
required that they should be given to him. In the
first conversation in the lower room, Muiilgan re-
fused; he said he didn't know what might trans
pIe in his examination to day, and he said with
good many "By Gods" that he was going to hold
these letters for his protection, his vndcation.
said, when you get through with the examlna
ton will you give them to me then! lie SAID
"No, if anybody impugns my motives he pro-
nounced it in that way, "or in any way questions
nv veracity in the papers, shall publish these
letters" i said, you do not think would attack
you in the papers. lie said, well, If anybody did
he should publish them. l have been running
over the letters for some time, but the first time
when he handed them to me he had shown re-
laetance and as have stated, l remarked, you
are not AFT aid OF my keeping them; and he an
swered, ooh, no." and handed them to me with
out any assurance at all or without anything peing
said about it, and had no idea of doing anything
else than handing them back, until he announced
his purposes and determination that no matter who
should question his testimony or impeach or I'M
pugn his veracty he would publish the letters.
sad, tneSe letlers 10 udttctS na'c ~
more connection or relation ship with the exami-
ne'ion now going On before the Judiciary com
nittee than the man in the moon and 1t would be
grossly unfair that you should treat my private
correspondence in that way. l then said to him.
will you ring the bell for servant, and tell him
to send Mr.. Fisher up from the lower room; he
did So and very soon Mr.. Fisher came up, and we
had little conversation, in which repeated be-
fore MIR. Fisher what Mulhgan had said hls de-
claration, or rather his menace. | said, this is
very grossly unfair Mr.. Fisher; then said that
would be glad if Mr.. Fisher would take charge
Of the letters that they were rghtfully in his
possession, or rghtfully in mine. but not in any
third pe,son's Mulligan repeated again in Mr.
Fishers presence this declaration that he would
feel himself at liberty to publish these letters al
any time he saw fit ii any body should provoke
him into wrath by any CONNIE mt on his testimony
ard owing to the somewhat enlarged facilities IN
the American press for making criticisms upon
every body, found that my private correspond
cree hung by the thread Of his taking offence al
any of the thousand and one paragraphs thai
might be set afoat in the papers, aud SAID te
hrn under these circumstances | viii not give
these letters up and in order that he might not bt
mistaken as to the ground of my action. called
Mr.. Atkins from the lower room, fol wanted 70