The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-08-04
THE WuISKEY RING.
-v,>T., FRIENDSHIP FOR BABCoCk.

GRANTS TRtENiShif f"> nAh'"'A'
,..,,y>r>, rNCES OF BLACK FRipAf-EAB-
,,.k.> KTAL-E>TATE TRANSACTIONS
,.,,-r,rDVvn.SnNA AGAIN ON TIE STAND
,,,g. irE PACKED IF Ills PRIVATE Pa
MN. ND HON GRANT SEIZED THEM
-rr,r MYSTERIOUS WoMAN-RAScALITT
.- wIllTELY-AN OLD MlSTERf-AN-
.,.;n1. l\STAINEST OF INTERESTING
HISTORY.
f.t,, >oI-Ccmmiltcc on Whiskcy Frauds
"Wednesday afternoon examined Coiohcl
,.4 T.. Gardner. who testified that ne Is
...,inn.d III West Point rs professor OF law
f., Dr.. Academy. Mr.. PlaiStcd called the
..r.,..-ion o! the witness to the following cN'
.r..,. jr,a Eluford Wilson'S testimony
..ug sunday night. February 21tl, state
,..u.- we're submitted to the President OF
49,. United states by which ii appeared that
,.r, ,.lr T.. Eabcock, private secretary OF the
pre- lrll. had been engaged in the 'Black
I.r.Jgy' gold transaction; that he and
,...r, lost in that transaction $4,000; that
,f..,uunvv WAS lost 10 Jay Cooke N Co.; that
.,,,.k.. GOOD his own losses and that OF his
.,,.ncj4tr> Rahcuck made q trust-dccd or his
,,r,w.rly. creating Asa Bird Gardner, OF
W., Point subsequently the lud%e-advo-
cate vi the military court OF inquiry ordered
=, Chicago. his trustee
The witness then circumStantially related
the, circumstances Of Colonel Babcock buy
iI.,i liicrc oi property which had been OF
f.rrd him for S7,SO0. the witness acting rs
,~,,.,rc. rs he had for other army officers III
real estate transactions, but receiving no
CONDENSATION for doing 50. When Colonel
panrock paid for the property deed was
accordingly wivcn to him, and he a1tcrWard
di>po>rd oi the property TO Mr.. Holmes.
The property WAS originaly.owned Dv John
Hov,r>. |; WAS not convenient lor Gcneral
E,lttrrlicld Iui the New York Sub-TreaSllryI
10 purchase the property, and the dcslrapic-
ur>> ui the investment was mentioned 10
Colonel Hahcock. with the results above
mentioned.
\ FRIENDLY TRANSACTION.
EcnyrScntativc Glover. OF the committee,
intrrroyatrd the witness about property
purchased hv General Porter, from which
il appears the first payment was S'oo. which
he fhnu.ht came hv check from General
Huitcrticld ~ 10 the other payment,
S-lJu, the question WAS asked OF tue Wit
nc>, whether hc could say whether either
Porter or Rabcock paid one copper. The
witness answered he had knowledge OF 1t
derived from mcmol andI. which states that
they sent a draft to Ruttcrtcld for $1,000.
Th,. witness WAS reminded hy Representa-
tive Glover that liz had said he was not well
enough acquainted with Babcock and Por-
ter io have a draft sent by them to him,
and Was asked how, in view OF this state
ri-nt The witness was entrusted with
their real estate transaction. Wit
ur>> answered that he was well known in
The army and this entire transaction, With
Oh! ordinary safeguards. was purely based
on the confidence Porter and Babcock had
in him IL IN officer and gentleman. Being
,In>,.ly intcrroeatcd aS to how Buttcriield
l,ccainc mixed up all the time in the trans
actions. witness said that Butteriicld was Il
warm prr>ontl friend OF those gentlemen, and
was dc>iro,lS OF doing them kindness, and
therefore he assisted them in making the
purchase.
RlrFoRD WILSON, AGAIN.
Tho examination OF Bluiord Wilson. eN-
Solicitor Of the Treasury, before the Com
mirtcc on the Whi>kcy Trials, was contn-
ucd.
Mr.. Wilson explained that he requested
hi> confidential clerks to pack up his private
pa,rcr> after his resignation. He left the
work entirely 10 them. Before establishing
himself in Springfield he was summoned
before this committee, and finding 1t would
hc nc0nvcncnt to get Immediately ut the
different parts Of the records in the Depart
mcnt he asked Robinson [the Assistant
solicitorl to have his boxes containing his
private memoranda, records ana other pro-
1ertv sent 10 his hotel Robinson said he
would. William b. Moore was present, but
whether he heard what passed witness does
nr-fDIf1
witness il he knew where the Barnard
letter was containing the Presidents en-
dorScmcnt. Witness answered he did not.
Wnsow and Dixon [the clerks] both sub
s.qucntiy affirmed that they did not remem-
bcr packing it in either OF the boxes, but
thought it was at the Sccretary'S office.
Robinson expressed some considerable en-
talrassmcnt about giving up the boxes, and
witness proposed to send for Wlnslow and
Dixon and let him go through them. That
vas the situation last Friday night when he
va, taken sick. Meantime the records in
The Department were got together, and on
Monday hc spent the day reading them.
EXAMINATION OF BOXES.
In the evening he proposed to Robinson
70 examine the boxes, but he said 1t was too
late i'll the day, and proposed it should 60
over TIL morning, Witness then said that
no examination should be made until the
boxes were delivered to him.
on Tuesday morning he had CONVERSE
ton with the President and asked him for
an order on the Secretary for the boxes,
saying il he found the Barnard letter he
would promptly hand it over, but the Pre-
Sidcnt refused, but said he would see the
Secretary. subsequently wrote note to
The President proposing L. S. Grant, sc Jr.,
and General James Wilson (brother Of wit
ncss) to examine the boxes. The President
answered that he had no objection to Gen
cral Wilson being present, but that the
party for the Treasurer should be the new
Solicitor, or some one designated by him.
Called on the Secretary OF the Treasury,
who was fully advised, and said he could
not accept the Presidents suggestion, the
adoption OF which he would regard as sub
uniting to an indignity. The Secretary said
he had understood he (Wilson) admitted
there were public papers in the boxes.
Robinson was his authority. Robinson was
sent for, and denied having made any such
statement.
BABCoCk'S BLACK FRIDAY OPERATIONS.
Witness subsequently sent mutual friend
to the President and obtained an order on
the Secretaryto submit the boxes to this
friend and Robinson for examination. They
were examined, and they contained, AS he
had said, his own original drafts OF Lis ope-
rations against the whiskey ring and Safe
burglary, The Barnard letter was also
found by himself. Itwas marked "Priyate
and confidential," and had been overlooked
iJ the other gentlemen, and was doubtless
0serlooked By the young men who did the