The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-23

name, not suspcc'ing anything wrong. He was
q nttio slow, and McDonali said, Hurry up;
the 'old mau Is waiting for mc;' and sure
enough, when Mcdonald left Avery saw him yet
IN the Presidents carriage, aud the two we're
driven away together.
A LETTER FROM BABcocz.
When Avery was notified on July - that an
Indictment had been found against him, he
realized the danger he was In. IIo had been APP
prchensivc Tor several weeks, because he knew
his telegrans to McD maid and joyce had been
found. Moreover he knew that all the distillers
aud subordinate distillers who had been indict-
ed we're mauifcsting disposition to turn states
evidence. lie was, noreove-, uncertain about
Mcdonald and joyce, and accordingly Ia THIS
frame " mind he wrote to Gen. Babcock, who
was then at Long Branch, telling him his apprc-
hensions and doubts. To this he received tie
following reply
LoNG BRANCu. July -, 1875.
MY DrAn AVERY ! eonnot bei,cye sncS ,ttSt 5Hst
ia you icf,rto. | believe them both to be good.
reliable officers. 1 viii do 'nythng in my power
| 10 aid YOU. Let me know all YOU see aud near.
| Keep cool: you may depend upon me- DO not
| helieve they could be used a.unst anybody;
| do not forwrrd this, for I saw scott smiths no.
tice In the Pos, last night. II you want to send
eiciose it to Major Il. Il. Grimes. Assistant
Quart irmaster, st. Louie. Missouri, Win asimple
| Ia.
ohilee one OF hls tiiends." You need add no
more II viii reach him. see no objection TO
legal counsel and write to 10 one. Ine Secre,
tary ODrstow) has not been here anu mas not
| seen the President since his wife sailed-not
| that ran nnd out. See Luckey, and cunnde In
| hun. Luckey Is IA true friend ana mas eN,,@@"-nt
sense. Trust to his judgmer'. and tell MIN
everything, and we W.. -sc you through. Keep
cool. Give the ;rieErams that you sent those par
ties and what they were signed and those which
they accused you OF sending; may oe able 70
see something. II an actual Indictment should
come, get good. clear-heaheed lawyer aud make
n suuare ngnt. | will do all can. | repeat, ktep
'oO' a' ''u '""' ''-'1'' o. f. BADcocK.
p. s.-Keep memorandum Of all you. write
those parties. " L. D.
FACTS TO NOTE.
There are few important facts to note In
connection with this letter. w TO this date,
July -, Babcock did not know that the Sylph
telegram had been found. That he feared 1t
had Is shown by the passage in his letter TO
| Avery, where he says: " Give the kilograms Ito
LucKey) that YOU sent those parties, and what
they were signed, and those which they accused
you OF sending" Bv reference to the te.ti-
mony OF District Attorney Dyer heretofore
quoted, II viii be seen that, until some time In
August, It was supposed that Avery sent the
Syiph despatch. Dluiord Wilson, In his testi-
mOny on this point, says: 1n August we dis
covered at the Treasury Department the cele-
brated Syph telegram to be in the handwriting
OF the Presidents private secretary, Orville f..
Il bcock." There were rumors, however, that
the leading spirits OF the whiskey Ring in st.
Louis we're openly boasting that the prosecu-
tons would not be pressed to the bitter end,
because II they were they would reach the
White House. In the famous letter written by
W. d W. Barnard of ST. Louis to the President,
the following passage occurs:
Col. Normeie, prosecuting circuit attorney,
Mcdonald and Jolcr's conndrntial tn"ud,
asked IN. SATURDAY how lar matters were going
to tie pushed toward them; said thousht
until the last man made restitution TO his W
ms, "o,S m 70 w 1nc c, TsfS Insngn d 10 3bsS rn
duty. lie replied that both had told him that
day when seeking bail, that YOU could not give
them up or BibcOck was lost.
This letter was written on july 10, and Grants
famous endorsement thereon, Let no guilty
man escape II II eau be avoided" wa m ide on
july - Neither the President nor Babcock at
that date knew OF the discovery or the Sylph"
desuatch. Dabcock was nevertheless ill at ease.
and nls letter to Avcry plainly indicates the
state OF bis mind. IL doubtless felt pretty se
cure Of the fidelity ~ Mcdonald and joyce, hut
hc trembled lest Avery might weaken under the
manipuhtions Of Bfistow and wilson; hence
hi repeated assurances that hc would stand toy
nm ana see MIN through. But that he might
have trusiy friend constantly near MIN to en-
courage and report the state OF his mind, h0
recommended Avery to counde In LuckeS. lie
also recommended Avery to write to Joyce. and
to Mud out II MELON Id and joyce we're standing
sold, and Il they could "be used m witnesses
against whom2 Babcock, Of course. And he
VS. 10 send the letter enclosed In one t. Me
Donald, and this enclosed TO Major +. II. Grimes
Assistant Quartermaster 1t 81. Lous.
WHERE MAJOR GRIMES CONRs IN.
, Ibis was before any suspicious had been d
rccteu against Babcock, and only few days
after McDOnald's indictment, ana yet he had AZ
arrangen en made with Quartermastet Grimes
through which he could safely communicate
with the Whskey Ring conspiratoIs. 1t IA alsC
important to notice here the testimony Of
Grimes Ia the BabcOck tnal. lie was called 10y
tue prosecution to prove the flct Of the secret
correspondence through him between BaboocL
and Mcdonald. lie did not tell the whole truth
AS will lie seen hy his testimony because h,
i fixes the date at which Dabcock made this ar
raugement for the clandestine communicate
lafe In the fall. after Grant had left Lon.
Branch and was In st. Louis, accompanied b,
Dabcock, attending the state fair. Grimes tes
tinsd as follows;
saw him In 1874 at the fair and the hotel saw
= him last fall at the hotei ana at my once anC
: always considered him as my best friend.
IN iSaysr'r''p the % I'm "e f%InF IN s yi
his sending me packages or letters Tor othe
, U.-What was the convers ,tlon as you recol
lect, Lad between you and Gen. BsbcNck AZ that
timer Al think as nor aS can recellect
/ GEN Bibco,k said To me II VIII piObahli
:. want to send you some packages or letters to
some other parties, to deliver to some othe
paTtle-.'
4 Q-what else did he say to YOU in mat con
b.. vtrsatiunt A.-NOthiug in regard to thAt.
Q.-Io whom did he say he desired 10 senC
5 packages or letters Ale di1 not say. Tina
il WIS all the conversali ion that had with him IT.
A reference to II. After that, II recollec Alright
he seLt three letters to me; that Is | suppos
he sent them. ! am not certain that he did
D ine letter gIt was enclosed ~ another letter
~. have not gul the letter that WE addre ard Il
10 mc. DESTROYED II as DESTROY numbers Ot pri
10 Vate letters thHt receive weekly ana monthly
rot letter from Gen. Iiaboock saying, Pleas
deliver en. lused letter to Gen. Ned maid.
am not certain when TINS WAC but think II wa
, alter he Wa- here.
The letter to Avery Of july -, above given
" shows that long before the date fixed 10y Crime
there was an understanding between himsel
and Bahco, IN regard to corrosp spondcnce will
~ Mcdonald. This is important because II show
that before the Sylph despatch wa found, be-
-, fore SUSPICION was directed toward him by th
Developments made b, the Grand jury Btbcoc
had thought II prudent TO arrange for secre