The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-02-12
The Babcock Trial.

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Grimes was introduced by the prosecu.
ton to show that Gen. Babcock carried
on correspondence with Mcdonald last
fall, while the latter was under indict-
ment for completely in the whisky frauds;
l saw Babcock when he was here last fall
with the Presidential party. He said to
me that be wonld probably want 10 send
some letters or packages through me to
other parties. He did not say TO whom.
After that he sent three letters to me, and
l got letter addressed to myself with
another letter enclosed in it. That was
some time after saw Gen. Babcock here.
The letter cnclosed in mine was In white
envelope, sealed and marked Mcdonald.
The note in the first letter was simply
"Please deliver the enclosed letter to Nc.
Donald" and signed o. E. Babcock. l
gave the enclosed letter 10 Mcdonald, !
think at my office. A few days later l re-
ceived another letter through the post
Office directed to me. There was no note
in il, but an envelope addressed in a
different hand from that OF the frst to
Mcdonald. There was no note to me,
but there was a piece Of paper wrapped
around the envelope. The third letter
was lust like the second. l delivered all
three Of the letters TO Mcdonald. When
one of the letters came he was not there,
and in trying 10 find him l met his broth.
er-in.law, Tom Walsh, and told him, but
! don't remember what Walsh did.
On the cross.examination Maj. Grimes
said he had known Gen. Babcock person.
ally and intimately, and that the latter
had been good friend to him. Witness
said that once, when delivering the letters,
asked him (McDonald) did Mr.. Babcock
have anything to do with this whisky
ring? And he said, Grimes, ldon't know
l don't believe he knows any more about
it than you do, and you know you don't
anything about it.
In the redirect examination Major
Grimes was asked, did Mcdonald in that
conversation say that he himself did not
know anything about the whisky ring?
Witness-Yes, he did. Laughter.
District Attorney-How did you come
to ask il Mr.. Babcock had anything to do
with the whisky ring?
Witness-I asked for the simple rea'
son that If Mr.. Babcock, who had been my
friend, had had anything to do with 1t, |
was going to drop him.
District Attorney-What reason had
you to suspect the General?
Witness-Nothing but the fact oi the
letters sent through me.
Mr.. Grimes was followed by B. II. En-.
gelke, the rectifier, who gave an account
Of his operations, referring particularly 10
the amounts OF money raised by. dislill-
cries and rectitiers for the revenue agents
to keep them still and obtain information
from them, all of which has been repeat
edly told. Witness also testified to hav-
ing seen in whole or in part, kilograms or
what purported to be kilograms in the
hands OF Joyce informing him Of the con-
templated visits OF revenue agents. Wit
ness always Strengthened up his house on
such occasions, and it almost happened
that the agents come out after information
OF their coming had been received.
II. C. Rogers, Deputy Commissioner OF
Internal Revenue, was called and testified
that in August, 1874, Mr.. Douglass, at
that time Commissioner asked him to
correspond with Revenue Agent Brooks,
in regard to making IN investigation Of
the affairs at Chicago and St. Louis. Wit
ness wrote to Brooks, who came 10 Wash.
ington for consultation. Brooks wished
Revenue Agent Hoge to assist him; be
was written to, and after considerable de-
lay he came to Washington, then he went
to Philadelphia to confer with Brooks.
They returned to Washington together,
and left again. Witness said that about
the 7th OF December, Gen. Mcdonald came
to my room aod stopped but few min
utes, then the next day he came in and
said; "Rogers 1 don't want you to tell
me anything, but / want to tell
you something, Brooks and Hoge are
going to St. Louis onSpecial business and
I protest against such secret investiga-
tions, If the officers there are ct to be in
office they need no investigation, il they
are not, they ought to be removed. |
then telegraphed 10 Brooks to delay the
investigation; W. o. Avery was at that
time chief clerk OF the Internal Revenue
Bureau; | received the letters about that
time from Mr.. Brooks; all tho lettsrs
were addressed to me personally as l In
tended TO destroy the correspondence; it
not being Of pature that l wanted to go
on the files; in the latter part Of Novem-
ber / received a letter from Brooks, it re-
ferred to the contemplated Investigations
and said nothing about the delays being
profitable 10 the government and salts.
factory to ourselves; Mr.. Douglass, the
commissioner, showed me copy Of the
letter in his own hand writing; l think
Mr.. Douglass said his attention had been
called to certain Objectionable expires.
sions in the letter and he was cautioned
to beware Of persons who used such ex-
pressions; shortly after this Mr.. Douglass
informed me that he would abandon the
investigation.
The witness was briefly cross.examin-
cd, but nothing new brought out.
J. W. Douglass, ex.Commissioner oi
Internal Revenue, was next put on the
stand. He said that during 1878, 1874
and 1875 efforts were constantly being
made to ferret out the frauds that were
being perpetrated. Several revenue agents
were sent to st. Louis in 1872, but | re-
ceiyed no information from them. Later
Brooks and Hoge were sent specially to
look into Bevis & Frazer's affairs, and
that firm paid the Government $40, 1000 as
compensation. When l sent Joyce to
California it was to get him out OF the
way Of the agents whom l sent here, and
who complained Of extreme attention on
his part, wining and dining them so that
they could not do any work. Mcdonald
never came to see me much when they
were in Washington. had n conversa'
ton with Mr.. Rogers in regard to the
Investigations in tue West. | remember
showing him copy Of u letter received
between the 10th and 10th Of December,
written by Brooks, saying that the delay
would prove equally profitable to the
Government and gratifying to ourselves
or something Of that kind. The copy ui
the letter was shown to me at the White
House by General Babcock, lie said a
gentleps9n had shown it to him, and he
was afraid that / was being deceived
by those men. He further said that
he would hold mo responsible for their
conduct. l told him that ! had great con.
fdeuce in them, and he said "what might
a scnsitive man like Logan say il he saw
that letter." Babcock told me the letter
had been given to him confdentially and
requested me not TO say where ! received