The Portland daily press., 1876-07-29
THE WHISREY PROSECUTIONS
More History by Bluford Wilson.

feet that the President was himself charged
with being party - defraud the government
of its revenues. L have no doubt that the Pres.
ident made his endorsement as much with ref.
reeDce to that fact and that allegation as with
reference to the allegation that Babcock was
party and that "Jim'' Casey, the Presidents
brother-in-law, was openly asserting that the
Secretary of the Treasury would not hold his
office 80 days.
By reference to letter addressed 70 me by
Gen. Brlstow, under date of Aug. 18th, written
in the Treasury department, l find that the
Secretary OF the Treasury had addressed an
official communication to the President ask
ing himf or permission to publish that endorse
ment, and at that date aug. 7th) he had re-
ceived no answer.
/ or the purpose of fixing the date when the
''Sylph" telegram was discovered, refer to a
letter OF Gen. Bristow to me, written Aug 8,
1875, and which have no objection to make a
part of the record,
The letter cautions Mr. Wilson to be careful
with whom he talked as the time was approach
ing when he must make square fight with the
thieves. He also informs him that Porter and
Babcock are disturbed because they have heard
that Bristow had seen the "Sylph' despatch.
Bristow also expresses determination to fight
the thieves. He asks that Webster be request
ed to write the President a letter setting forth
the facts about the whiskey ring
The Secretary of the Treasury and myself
having been ordered by the President to see that
no guaty man should escape if it could be
avoided, on consultation it was virtually con
cluded that the President could not go back on
that injunction without stulifying himself and
placing his officers in false position, and
therefore we resolved to leave the whole matter
of Gen. Babcock's alleged connection with the
whiskey ring at st. Louis to be dealt with by
the local officers there. Until about the first of
December and ay msay until it was known
absolutely that Babcock had been indicted, the
relations of Gen. BristOw and myself with the
Pros noe Sah1 q I'm o9 tyUac
seen that Gen. Babcock was to be indicted the
idea of a military court of inquiry was brought
to the front, to my knowledge, by Babcock and
his friends. The fact that the President of the
United States took the ground that that mill
tary court should supersede the proceedings
before the civil tribunals at st Louis, was TAX
en- by myself and the Secretary to be marked
indication OF his purpose to defeat the prose-
cution in that city.
In the next place, it is fact that L heard
nothing from the President of the charge that
had put spies upon him, or of the forged
letter which was adduced against me, as stated
in my testimony yesterday, until it was seen
and known that Gen. Babcock was indicted.
Gen. Henderson was dismissed in opposition to
my written protest addressed to the Secretary
of the Treasury, in which 1 called the attention
of the Secretary to the fact that was advised
officially by Eaton of the counsel fbr the gov
eminent, that Judge Treat, the presiding
justice at the trial in which the alleged objec-
tionable remarks by Gen. Henderson were
made, was said to have declared to Mr.. Eaton
and to have requested Eaton to notify the
authorities here that in his Judgment Gen.
HendersOn's remarks contained no reflection
on the President; that Gen. Henderson went
out of his way in an argument in that case to
state that in his judgment the President of the
United States was altogether above reproach so
far as he knew. and to pay the President a
compliment. The dismissal of Gen. Hender-
son was in my Judgment fatal blow to the
prospect of a successful prosecution in Gen.
Babcock's case.
Another ground was the Presidents refusal
to remove Jasper u. Ward, U. S. District
Attorney at Chicago, until he was confronted
| by evidence on the Sd OF December, which
showed that Mr. Ward was partner in the
Powell distillery and had improper relations
with Jacob Rehm, which statement was made
to the President by Hon. Burton G. Cooke of
Chicago.
On the 18th of December, while in the city
of st. Louis, L wrote the President of the
United States this letter:
| My Dear President
Pardon me for troubling you to read the
enclosed clipping from yesterday morning
Chicago Tribune. l might under ordinary cir
cumstances have been quite content to let the
matter rest where Mr.. Wards explanation
leaves it, and to permit that gentleman and
Hon. U. u. Farwell to settle their own differ
ence in their own way.
In view, however, of many misstatements to
myself that have reached you, and of the fact
that did not care to go into the matter with
the reporter, wish to say to you that the whole
story of Mr. Farwell as it relates to me is ut.
terly and unquafiedly false. Even as joke
Ia poor one at the best) it is wholly without
Foundation or warrant in any word or act of
mine in reference to any case, either inside or
outside the whlskey ring suits. Ii it comes in
your way, will be obliged if you will show
this to Mr.. Farwell if he has been to you with
his complaint against me. 1 will take it as
favor if you will call bis attention to my ans
wer The situation here at Chicago seems to
be satisfactory. return to Washington to
night
(Signed,) BLUFoRD WILSON,
wrote that in reply to a charge which Far
we'll caused to be telegraphed to the Chicago
Tribune that had, on the occasion of a Ger
tain visit to Chicago, said to j. d. Ward while
he was District Attorney, that he must lndict
Farwell and Logan, and when Mr.. Ward ask
ed me for evidence l said to him, "Damn the
evidence, indict then first and find the evidence
afterwards
The Tribune article was submitted to Mr..
Ward under Mr.. Farwell's consideration upon
Farwelrs statement that Ward would confirm
it, and upon Mr.. Wards confirming and cor
roborating it, that it should be published
Upon its being submitted to Mr. Ward how
ever, be repudiated it in toto, and denied ever
having any conference or conversation with me
upon Which any such Interpretation could be
PidoCus LII IuTGner response 10 bQo question OF
the committee, Wilson said both the Secretary
and myself were very early lead to entertain
grave apprehension as to what the issue would
be in the Babcock matter learned from the
President, from G. S. Bell and from the Attor-
hey General that it was in contemplation to
employ Bell to so to st. Louis aud report not
TO Mr.. Dyer, bnt directly to the Attorney Gen
eral, and that the reason for his retention was
that the President understood that Dyer and
Henderson intended to implicate him in the
frauds if possible,
When learned that it was in contemplation
to send this man, Bell. to St. Louis, L induced
them to reconsider their proposed action, and
he wos not employed. 1t is a fact that the
President was intensely earnest in the Bah
cock matter in opposition to the views of the
Secretary and myself.
On the 18th of December he sent for me and
confronted me with the charge that it was re.
ported to him that l was trying to have his
brother Orvlle and bis son Fred in.
dIcted for conspiracy in the frauds and
be again asserted to me his irm conviction in
Babcock's innocence and his sense of the great
outrage that bad been perpetrated upon him by
Henderson and Dyer 10 refusing to send to the
military court at Chicago the orgingl evidence
contained in the records of the civil tribunal at
ST. Louis. Col. Grant told the reporter of the
n. Y. Herald in December that Babcock's in
dctment was the result of a conspiracy between
prominent Treasury official, naming myself,
and Carl Schurz. This state, because the re-
porter, Mr. Meeker, told me SO the same even
ing, and because brought the attention of the
President himself to it and on the I'd day of
January the attention of Col. Fred. Grant
Mr. Wilson in response to ques tions by Mr.
Cochrane of the committee, said there had
been differences between the President, the
Secretary and himself in relation to the Cali
fornia matter. There were reports from agents
sent thitber that some of the officials were in
efficient and these facts were made known to
the President 10y Commissioner Pratt, Mr..
Yaryan and Mr.. Wilson. After this there was
no further open rupture and renewal of war on
Mr.. Yaryan and himself
state frankly that the Secretary and myself
had decided as early as June or late in May to
resign just as soon as we could do so without
having our motives questioned. 1t was thought
best both by the President and Secretary that
the resignation should not take place till after
the Cincinnati Convention.
L never received a reply to my letter of re-
signation from the President do not know
that it has been accepted except seeing the an
nouncement of the name of my successor
The conversation between the President and
myself was brief. The President received me
coldly. L said, 81 do this by the advice of
friends and also for the reason that [ wish to
put an end to the embarrassment and annoy
ances to which you are subjected on my ac-
count" The President said, Very well' He