Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-03-16

BY express. Being In Washington at Z
funeral. some weeks after this, had q con-
yersation with Mrs. Bowers to the following
purport, as far as can now remember, but
must say that just here my memory is ex-
ceedingly indistinct, and judge in part per-
maps from what followed as to details OF the
conversation. went upstairs in the nurs.
cry with Mrs. Bowers to see the baby. I
said TO her: This child will have money
coming to it before great while She said
les The mother gave the child TO
me, and told me that The money COM
ing from you she must take and keep
for it / said An right and Il
seems to me said that perhaps the father
ought to be consulted. say it seems so,
and yet can give no reason for it, for -
Tar as knew the father knew nothing Of
any money transactions between the mother
and myself. have faint recollection Of Q
remark OF Mrs. Bowers that il ! sent the
money TO the father that it belonged to her,
and that she would get it anyway. / GER
tainly had some understanding then or sub
sequently with her or him, Tor when the
next payment came due and was paid sent
one-half thereof to the Secretary of War,
and have continued substantially from
that day forward to the present
time to do the same. About.
after the commencement of these payments,
reduced the amount to 5000 per annum.
The reason of this reduction was partly be-
cause OF combined complaints on the part Of
Evans and his partner, and partly, so far as
now remember, in consequence Of an arti-
Gle in the newspapers about that time re-
Meeting on the injustice done 10 soldiers at
this fort, caused by exorbitant charges made
necessary on the part Of the trader by reason
OF the payment OF this bonus. To the best
ofmy knowledge and belief, the above Is .
true statement OF all the facts in the case,
and as complete as can remember the oc-
currences OF so many years ago"
In reply to questions, the witness further
stated that subsequent to the death Of the
former Mrs. Belknap, in 1870, the pay
ments were sent according 10 the in
structions of the SECRETARY of War,
sometimes in bank-notes by express, some
times by certificates of deposit, and some
times he had paid the Secretary in
person, in New York. The payments
thus made would aggregate about SO, 600.
The witness further stated that, in response
to the summons to appear before the COM
mittee, he had, on the 23d of February, been
at the Sccretary's house and spent the night
there. He then detailed at length the efforts
made by himself, the Secretary Of War and
Mrs. Belknap TO contrive some plan by
which full exposure would be avoided, his
own proposition being TO leave the country,
which act, the Secretary said, would ruin him
lBelknap). To this the witness responded
that, If he went before the committee, II
would also ruin him, for he (witness) would
tell the truth. After returning to his home
in New York, witness received dispatch
from DIR. William Tomlinson, brother -in-law
OF the Secretary, telling him not to leave the
country, as he had good news. Thinking
they only wished TO fix up some new
story, witness continued his preparations
to leave. DR.. Tomluson subsequently
called on the witness and suggested
that he should write letter, which
witness did, endeayoring to excupate the
Secretary. II was very short letter and
contained nothing untrue, but did not tell
the whole truth. Arrangements were after
wards made by which witness was not to
leave the country, and he was summoned to
Washington, with the results now made
public.