The Portland daily press., 1876-03-03

payments from 81 OUU TO spoUUO appeared. The
next time | saw the Secretary OF War he asked
me if had contract with Evans. told him
had. [ never showed it to him or any one
else until produced it here.
Q-After receiving the telegraph subpoena
from the Sergeat-at-Arms to appear before this
committee. which was on Monday, the 21st of
this month, did you come to Washington, and
if So had you an interview with the Secretary
of War. and where.
Al came to Washington on Wednesday the
23d of this month. L went to the house of the
Secretary of War and staid till Tuesday night
and returned Thursday morning. 1 showed
him the Geographic subpoena and asked him
what it meant. He said he supposed it was to
state before the committee what knew about
our transactions together. 1 said L did not like
to appear because 1 thought my testimony
him or give him trouble. He SAID he thought
not and advised me to stay and meet the COM
mittee
During that evening my conversation was
chiefly with his wife, he being present part of
the time and understanding the general drift
OF our conversation. She suggested that 1
could make statement which would satisfy
the committee and exculpate the Secretary.
She wanted me to 60 before the committee and
represent that she and had had business tran
sactions together for many years, and that all
the money had sent the Secretary was money
she had from time to time deposited with him
as kind of banker and that she instructed
me to send it to the Secretary for her. dined
there and spent the evening and stayed all
night, retiring about IL o'clock. The evening
was devoted to discussing this matter. told
her that the statement would not hold water
before the committee, and even il it would 1
could not make it, At the same time was so
wrought up and had such an anxiety, she
pressing and pressing me about it, and having
slept little since the receipt of the subpoena and
sympathizing with their condition, did not
give them a positive answer.
That night went to bed at II o'clock and
do not suppose slept wink. They seid
they would breakfast about nine. l came
down at eight and met the secretary at one, 1
told him thought had better leave and get
out of the country for would not perjure my
self for any one, that could afford to have my
throat cut but not to perjure myself. He did
not wish me to do that but thought that we
could fix it up some other way. said, 81
think had better leave the country" The
secretary said would ruin him if I left.
said 's1f go before the committee will surely
ruin you for 1 will tell the truth. He was
greatly excited when L came down stairs to
leave. He followed and asked me into the
parlor and said, Il want to make a last appeal
to you to stay longer" He said if L left he
would be ruined. 1 said would ruin him if L
went before the committee and left and took
the limited express for New York.
On reaching home l consulted my attorney,
asking him if the committee could reach me
by subpoena if | left the country. l stated the
cause to him [Mr. BARTLETT 12O Bloadway.) He
asked me if was Subp9naed. / told him
had telegraph despatch calling me to Wash
ington. He said that if a subpoena had been
duly served they could give me considerable
trouble, but on telegraph message they could
not reach me if was out OF the country. l
asked him how long would have to stay. He
said if the committee had leave to sit during
the recess I could not come back till the present
Congress expired. l then went home and found
A. e. H. M
er-in-law of the Secretary. Its purport was
not to leave, that he had good news, that he
was coming over. determined not to be gov
erned by it, but 1 was going; that they
only wished to fix up some new story, but that
would not be party to it, My trunk was
being packed to leave. --
About midnight on Thursday, February oath,
DIR. Tomlinson arrived at my house. He was
seen by Joe Blackburn, a cousin of mine, who
said he thought you (Marsh) would write let
ter like one of which he (Tomlinson) would
suggest. That there would be no further inyes-
tigation, and if there was they would ask no
questions that it would be difficult for me to
answer, and that Black burn said he thought if
the committee still wanted to examine me they
would APP lat subcommittee ard come over
to New York to do so.
He came to my bedroom and told me to 90
into the sitting room and draw the sketch of
the proposed letter, and that when dressed I
would join and write such letter as he want
ed if could. | wrote the letter from the
sketch of Tomlinson. The endeavor was to
exculpate the Secretary. There was nothing in
it untrue to the best of my recollection, but it
did not state the whole truth. 1t was a very
short letter. He took it with the contract en-
closed. He said he would take the letter and
contract to Mr.. Blackburn, who wonld show it
to the committee, and that would be the end of
it, He left my house at 2 O'Clock Friday
morning.
At midnight Friday night 1 was aroused up
and had the subpoena of the committee served
on me. Saturday morning about 8 o'clock Dr.
Tomlinson again appeared and said he had
been to Washington. He wanted to know the
first thing ii had been subp9naed. [ told
him had. He began talking the whole thing
over again, still wanting me to say before the
committee what was suggested at the Score.
tary's interview on THURSDAY night. He wanted
me to telegraph to the committee before whom
had been subponaed by telegraph to appear
the next morning friday that my wife was
sick, and that could not attend my wife being
sick. consented, and did so telegraph.
Recurring to the interview again on Satur-
day morning, 1 said could not make the state
mens he desired. He said he had seen Mr..
Blackburn in the interval and had shown him
the letter of Thursday night He then return.
ed 1t and the contract to me. l said: 'tDr.
Tomlinson, 1 have thought of this thing so
much it has nearly made me crazy am not
going to talk about it any more. We will 90
to my lawyer aud consult him about it." nv
object being to have lawyer to tell him how
ridiculous the story he wanted me to tell would
appear before the committee. We went down
and called on Mr.. Bartlett and told him the
whole truth 10 the presence of DR.: Tomlison.
Bartlett said 1 could not manufacture any
story if wanted to and must not if Tcould
DIR. Tomlinson still insisted that If l could
swear that Gen. Belknap knew nothing of the
arrangement with his sister, Mrs. Belknap de.
ceased, and If could swear that at the time 1
nf hnrf I do
with Mrs. Bowers, the present Mrs. Belknap,
by which was to send her all this money
through the Secretary, that the whole thing
could still be settled. 1 replied cannot state
IL for 1t was not true, my Impression then being
that at that funeral had said something about
the matter to Gen. Belknap. Tomlinson said
If you cannot swear to that you DAD better leave
the country.
Mr.. Barslett said this is bad business. It
is not legal question you have submitted to
me, and in the position of affairs the Secretary
OF War should decide if should go 10 Washing
ton or leave the country. DR.. Tomlinson said
he would return to Washington. He prepared
two formulas of kilograms which L would
understand One was 81 hope your wife is
welP' and was to be interpreted ITO leave the
country" The other was Il hope your wife is
better" which meant "Come TO Washington
We then parted.
On going home in the street cars and think
ing the whole thing over about the convention
al Ino tllno OI Ine funeral, made up my mind
that although had stated to Mr. Bartlett that
thought had had some conversation at the
time of the funeral with the Secretary of War
about sending this money, yet was SO unde.
cided about it that was certainly willing to
give the Secretary the benefit of the doubt I
thought would see Tomlinson and tell him
We parted at o'clock. He was to leave for
Washington at 8 o'clock went to the DEPOT
and met him, and told him on thinking over
the matter was SO undecided about the con.
versation with the Secretary at the time OF the
funeral that l would give him the benefit of the
doubt He said: am very glad to hear this.
because my sister, Mrs. Belknap said this was
the fact. That. Saturday evening got a tele-
graph despatch from Mrs. Belknap which said:
Come to Washington tonight; it is necessary
| received it In the evening The next morn
ing, last Sunday, 1 received despatch from
Dr.. Tomlinson, II hope your wife is better"
which, according to our agreement, meant
come to Washington.
In the afternoon got second despatch
from DR.. Tomlinson as follows: Come with
out fail. l answered, Il shall come Tonight
without fail" was very glad not to have to
leave the country, the conviction having grown
in my mind that it would do no good. reach
ed Washington yesterday morning at $50 and
stopped at the Arlington, my wife being with
me; was shown to temporary room about Z
O'Clock. laid down, being greatly fatigued.