The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-04-05
DETECTIVE BELL.
His Character is Declared Bad by
Those He Implicated, but
Dyer Confirms His Tes-
timony.
A CONFLICT OF EVIDENCE.

A CONFLICT OF EVIDENCE.
rATEMENT OF LAWYER sroRRs-AN IN
TER-OCEAN SPECIAL PLAINLY FALsE-|
DYER'S TESTIMONIES FAR AS HE KNOWS,
BELLS STORY Is TRUE.
CHICAGO, April i -E. A. Storrs, who was
he leading counsel for Babcock, was in
terviewed by a Tribune reporter relative
to Bells story before the Clymer commit
tee yesterday and says that Bell Is mis-
erable dead beat detective. He also makes
the following disclosures in repIy to ques-
tions: Do you know Mr.. Bell? Well, /
should rsther think i did. Who is he? A
dead beat detective. Did he make any
proposition to you concerning the Bah
cock case? Yes. He came TO me at Wash
ipgton and said that the treasury
department had employed him to
steal certain papers in the cases OF
Avery and Babcock. What did you tell
him? told him that he was welcome to
all the papers he could steal from as, and
If he got any they could not do him any
good. What did he sag to thai? He still
insisted that he had been engaged by the
treasury department to do as he had
stated. What further did you tell him7
told him that If he could produce any
written contract to that effect, / would
talk business with him. What did he say
then? He said he would see and let me
know in Say or two. Did
yoC see him again? Yes he came
back and stated that he couldn't get a
written contract from the treasury Off
cisls, but he produced an affidavit written
by himself duplicating Bluford Wilson,
Dyer, Bristow and other treasury officials
in such a scheme. What did you do about
itS 1 cross-examined him pretty closely
and found out that he was fraud, ready
TO sell out to anybody for five dollar bill
if he couldn't get more, and I bounced
him. Did you make any proposition to
him to clandestinely corral any documents
belonging to the prosecution in the Bsb-
cock case? Such an idea never entered
my mead, and l never made any PROPOSE
tion to him whatever, except
TO GET THAT CONTRACT
between himself and the treasury depart
ment, which he boasted of having made.
Where is that affidavit now? 1t is in safe
hands and will be exhibited to that inves-
tigstiDg committee at Washington. A
Washington special to the Inter Ocean
furnishes the following additional evidences
of Bells being a fraud and OF the Clymer
having been sold with fiat,
in December he was in want of a good de-
tective, and mentioned it at a cabinet
meeting, ir rquiring of the other members
of the cabinet If they had not some one
TO recommend to him. Some days
alter the president told Chandi,r that
a man who had been q spy in his service
during the war and was a very good detec-
tive was In sesrch of employm and that
he (the president) had sent him to Chand-
Ier. Bell called on Chandler and sent in
his card. General Hurlbut, ofIllinois, wss
il the room aud saw the card. He said to
Chandler: "Iknow that man. He was a
spy in my employ during the war and did
good service" Chandler then sent for Bell
to come in, agreed to take him
on trial and referred him to the
chief of special agents, Mr.. Lebarnes.
but he asked a few days time that he
might fix up some matters he was en-
gagged in. Lebsrpes granted it aud Bell
was away for a month. When he came
back he wanted his pay, saying that he
had been in the service of General Bab-
cock. Lebarnes refused to pay him and
referred the matter to Secretary Chandler.
Mr.. Chandler refused to pay him, unless
he would bring certificate from General
Bsbcock that he had been on government
service. Some how he got Gen. Cowen to
certify to bis service while Chandler was
gone and got bis pay. Then he wanted to
be assigned to duty at st. Louis, because
his family was there, and Lebarnes, hsv-
ing some cases to work up there, gave him
a lot of
FRAUDULENT PENSION PAPERS.
Bell had not been away many days when
the president told Chandler that he had
reason to believe that Bell was a bad man,
L., tha l. L. a
better be discharged. Babcock was con-
suited about the service Bell claimed to
have performed, and said it was a myth.
So Bell was given his discharge. Chandler
says that neither Luckey or Babcock ever
spoke TO him about Bells app ,intt- i,
ment, and that, to his knowledge, |
Bell was never paid a cent by the
although the vouchers show |
that General CoweD, then assistant secre-
tary, ordered that he be paid. Chandler
will go before the committee. Colonel
Luckey says that Bell came to him several
times. and, protesting to be a friend OF
Gen. Babcock, gave him what he claimed
were the secrets of the prosecution, but he
never employed him. District Attorney
Dyer, of st. Louis, is in Wash
ington and says that Bell is a.
fraud, aud that he had come to him
Babcock's movements and was willing to
expose tnem for money. At one time he
intended to put Bell on the stand at Bah
cocks trial, but dared not do Ii. Judge
Krum, Bsbcock's attorney, is also here
and says that Bell never was employed in
the case to his knowledge. 1t is stated on
the aut hority of member Of the judiciary
committee, which is investigating the
whisky trials, that Bell came to them and
offered to tell what he knew for $1,000.
The congressman from Mississippi all
knew Bell, having been mixed in politics
down there some, and they unitedly de-
Q ared him to be a rascal and professional
blackmailer.
DYER's STATEMENT.
WAsHINGroN, April 1.-The committee
on war expenditures to-day heard Col. d.
T. Dyer, district attorney at st. Louis. in
reference to the testimony of G. s. Bell,