The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-08-03
THE WHISKY WAR.
The True lnWardness Of the Admlnistra-
lion Revenue Fraud Combination.
Bluford Wilson Again on the Witness Stand
The Bug Under the Grant Chip Col
Gardner's Whitewoshing State
ment Not Sufficiently Thick.


WASHINGTON, August THE sub
committee on whisky frauds this even
ing examined Colonel Asa b. Gardner,
stationed at West Point as professor OF
law in the academy. Mr., Plaisell
called the attention OF the witness to
an extract from Bluford Wilson's tes-
timOny, touching BabcOck's alleged
loas In Black Friday transactions, and
creatingC Colonel Gardner, subsequently
Judge Advocate OF the military court
OF inquiry at Chicago, his trustee,
Witness said being in New York, as u
matter of pOliteness, he attended to u
real estate transaction for Colonel Bah.
cock. Witness did not think he had
any letter of communication from him
for three or four years. Before the or.
derinR Of the Babcock court of in.
qury Inst year General Butter
field, having knowledge of the
real estate, had furnished such
information to the officers Of the army
as enabled them to investigate. IN
1869 President Grant came TO New
York and Colonel Bubcouk accompa.
MED him. Witness then related the
of Colonel Babcock buy.
ing n piece oipropertJ offered for seven
thousand eight hundred dollars, wit
ness acting rs trustee, rs he had for
other army officers, in real estate trans.
actions. but receiving no compensation.
When Colonel Babcook paid for the
prop rty, deed was given him, and
he afterwards disposed of the property
to Mr. Holmes. The property was
originally owned 10y John Rogers. 1t
was not convenient for agent Butter
Held to purchase the property and he
mentioned II to Colonel Babcpck with
results mentioned. Witness said
that on the 18th day of February, 1860,
first payment on property, five hun
dred dollars, was made by Gen. But
terrified for Col. Babcock and at Gen.
Butterfeld's request the property was
first decided to witness, not as trustee,
hut absolutely, but afterwards decided
to Babcock by him. He was attend
ing to business for Gen. Porter at the
time, that the Government having
purchased two lots in the same locality
as BabcOck's property.
Representative Cochran asked wit
ness-Did be know whether Bah
cock ever paid dollar i3T the proper
ty. Answer-Not Of my own knowl-
edge. Question-Did you negotiate a
mortgage on the property with the
bank. Answer-Gen. Butteriield ne
gotiated with the bank for five thou
oabu uOliuiSi huu Wilutbb III iNlbHtI
answer to questions said the property
was purchased with the understanding
that Babcock should have in. Most OF
the arrangements was made by Gen.
Butterheld, with whom witness was
Oh duty at the time.
Mr.. Glover, of the committee, inter-
rogated the witness about the property
purchased by General Porter, from
which it appears the first payment
was five hundred dollars, which he
thought came 10y check from General
Butterfield, rs did the other payment
of seven hui.dled and fifty dollars.
The question was asked witness
whether he could say General
Porter or Babcock paid one copper.
Witnessed answered that he had
knowledge derived from mem oranda,
which states draft on Butterfield for
two thousand dollars. Witness was
reminded by Representative Glover
that he had said he was
not well enough acquainted
with Babcock and Porter To have the
drafts sent by them to him, and was
asked how, In view of this statement,
witness was entrusted with their real
estate transactions. Witness answered
he was well known in the army, and
this entire transaction, without the or
binary safeguard, was purely based on
the confidence Porter and Babeock had
In him as an officer and a gentleman.
Being closely INTERCEPTED as to how
Buttertield became mixei up In the
transaction, witness said Butteriield
was warm personal friend of those
gentlemen, aud was desirous of doing
them a Kindness, and therefore as.
sisted them in making the purchase.
Alex = Tuition, formerly supervisor
of Internal revenue, testified as to the
seizures of certain distilleries ut Chica'
go, and was questioned as to the grant.
ing of immunity to those implicated
in the frauds who should testify
there was nothing specially new in hi
evidence. ....
Ex-Secretary Of the Treasury, Blu
ford Wilson, again testified before tn,
committee on the st. Louis whisky
frauds to-day. His testimony wa
mostly in explanation OF his privat,
papers, and their subsequent examina
ton by the treasury officials. Hi
statement is substantiated by the afii
dayits of Messrs. Winslow and Dixon
private secretaries Of the witness, VIII