New-York tribune., 1876-02-15
BEHIND TIE SCENES.
Inv TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.1

cock trial was begun promptly enough 'hiS
and a great stride was made by the prosecution IN
securing a favorable decision regarding the admls
sbil;ty of the kilograms as evidence Added to tins
announcement the prosecution are stiihuia'eu
somewhat by the result in the cross-examnatoh OF
the President. winch elected the fact that he knew
notbinr of Gen. BabeOcks clandestine correSpoll-
dence with Mcdonald. From that the prosecution
will make the point that Gen. Babcock was IN com
muncation with the cOnspratoTs concerning o"s'-
ness which could not have been OF an oticlal nature
else there had been necessity Tor conceaImeh'
from the President. On the contrary, had ire sub
iect of the correspondence been OF an oclal nature
the President must have been made cognzant OF II.
The deposition of the President covers about 90
pages of foolscap paper. Its general purport has
been published.
The prosecution will mako another strong point
tomorrow. Mr.. Bevis, of the firm OF Be'ls q
Frazer will be placed the stand. lie will testify
that when Joyce approached the firm on one occa-
siOn and tried TO induce them to engage IN the man
ufacture of fraudulent whisky, he endeavorcd to re-
assure their waverng spirit by exhibiting the
"Sylph" dispatch: Il have succeeded. They will
not come. viii write. Sylph." Mr.. Frazer still
hestated. In few days Joyce again appeared, and
this time exhibited letter signed Bab," TO which
the telegram is supposed to refer containing the as
surance that the detectives would not come 10 ST.
Louis. The firm retained the Bah" letter in their
possession two days d.ring JOyces proposition
Mr. Frazer then yielded, and the firm went into the
manufacture of illicit whisky again.
Both sides are now accusing each other of unfair
ness aud the prosecution specially indignant
ct the behavior of certain Government officials who
have allied themselves with the defense, and do not
scrupe 10 step considerably beyond the grounds Of
consistency and propTiety in their exertions and
demonstrations. 1t is asserted by the prosecution
that Post-Ohice official here whose name they
give is strenuously endeavOrng 10 find some letter
carrier whose retentive faculties are sufficiently
acute to enable him to remember that. after the
mailing Of the two letters by Everest containing
$500 each, directed to Gen. Babccck and W. o.
Avery, Joyce came 10 the POst-Ohco and took them
out. This the prosecution claim is simply covert
proposition 10 corrupt of the carriers who is will
ing TO pcrjure himself for money. Tic suggestion
has been freely circulated among the etteTcarrers.
From the prosecution also cones the allegation
that young man from New-YOrk named Sherman,
who is an assistant or clerk III the Dlstrct-Aitor-
news Office at thar city, is here as spy and informer
OH behalf of Gen. Babcock. Whether this is Of his
own will OF under the orders of his superiOrs they do
not pretend know. He came here some thrce weeks
ago with letters to the Dstrct-AttoIueys Office, os
toisiby to get information about iliIcit spirits
shipped to NewYOrk which had hCcn seized there, but
a. default was made and claim for the spirits has
been interposed, the pretenSc of taking dispositions
for three weeks, III case requiring 30 evidence at
all is too transparent. Mr.. Sherman was very aiix-
ious to examine Everest before he was put on the
stand as IA witness in the BahcOck 1t is further
claimed that Mr. sherman has procured lettera
written by John f. Hogue, the abscondng Revenue
agent, to John W. Bingham, and has turned them
over TO Gen. DabcOck's lawyers. One witness ex-
amined by Sir. Sherman states that the questions re-
Lated much more to Gen. Bdbcock than To the whisky
sent to Sew-York.
The defense claims that there is no truth in the
tatemcnt that nothing has been promised the Gov
eTiLnent witnesses wno have pleaded guilty, in the
way of communication oi penalties. Wnen referred
to Acknowledgement Perrpohts assertion that no
such arrangements had been made, one Of the de-
fendalts counsel remarked that their claim true
nevertheless, and that Mr PieTepont knows nothing
about IT.,
The prosecution have been exchanging commune
tations with the Department at Washington all day,
ana are in high spirits tonight the future pros
pccts 1t is thought that tomorrow will bring forth
exciting developments. The Distrct-Attorney is in
receipt of showers of letters from legal gentlemen
In various sections of the country, containing sug-
gesti0ns to references and authorities bearing on
the issues in the case. Some of the hints have
proved ~ be Of material aid
In regard to the documents sent from Springfield,
H., which, 1t was supposed, impicate Gen. Babcock
In the Pekin frauds, the following explanation is
gwen by special from Springfield Two letters
were found among the estennan distiery papers
lately seized by the revenue officers They relate to
sn assessment made upon Wcsternan of 1000 to
pay one Babcock This. however, was Col. A. &.
Babcock, who visited Washington in 1873 to lobby
for the passage of bill raising the tax whisk
Dstillers all the country contributed whisky at
% cents per gallon for the benefit of this lobby.
Peoria distlers gave 300 barrels for this fund for
Babcock and the rest, and of this WesterInan gave
80 barrels. The bill was passed i'll March, and
Westeman settled in cash at 81 ! per gallon Ill
stead Of the whisky. Dstillers, Of course, made a
great deal of money out of the increased tax, az
whisky at once went mp.
Orvn Grant has been summoned to appear be-
fore the Grand Jury at Springfield. aud tell what he
knows about Gen. j. Bloomfield, who was Supervisor
OF the Illinois District and was removed in Feb
ruary, 1871, it is supposed through Orvil Grants
influence. II is reported that documents found with
the Westerman papers implicate Bloomfield In the
irregularities Of some years ago.
LATER-It Is said tonight that the man Sherman,
referred to above, brought recommendations from
Attorney General Pierrepont to DistriatAttorney
Dyer He had not been here very long when Mr..
Dyer received letter from Solicitor Bluford VIII
con csutioning him that sherman was spy in Gen.
babcock's interest, sent here by Ar. Pierrepont