Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-06-23
kilograms to The Star.
THE CALDWELL DISPATCHES.
The Mystery Cleared Up.
Mr.. Blaine and Col. Scott sxonsrated
SHARP FIGHT WITH The SIOUX.
THE CALDwEI BLAINE DIS
PATCHES.
The Matter Cleared In


The Matter Cleared Tn
NEW YORK, June 2S.-Mr. James c. Reed
publishes the following letter, dated June
Z2;-"Three years ago 1 was Mr.. Josiah Cali.
wells confidential clerk. To day am sim
ply bis friend. On May SYST / called a. Col
SCOTS Office IN Philadelphia 10 notify him
that expected be would very soon receive a
cahlegrsm from Mr.. Caldwell, because had
cabled BIN the day before from Philaielphfa
10 .'cable nobody excepting Scott" / also
explained to Col. Scott that on May I7th
had mailed TO Mr.. Caldwell, at London, a
newspaper excerpt giving Col. SCOTS evil
dence before the judiciary COMMITTEES; that
on Its margin had penciled "Let somebody
hear rom you" somebody" meaning NJ
Saldwells friends In Boston, Col. Scott in
Philacelphia, or myself I'm New YORK; that
as was likely TO stay at the Centennial
until the Army OF the Potomac reunion,
June 9Th, and my office In New York would
be closed during my absence and Mr.. Cald-
wells lawyer in Boston probably absent I
had Thought 1t best, 10 prevent any cable
gram from Mr.. Caldwell being lost, 10 direct
II toward Col. Scott by the above dispatch.
Col. Scott thereupon showed me the follow
Ing telegram which he had that day received
from Mr.. Caldwell:
"LoNDoN, May 81, 1S76.-Your statement
10 the congressional Committee on the 10th,
relating TO Fort Smith railway bonds which
you purchased of me, is perfectly correct. /
can more fully substsntiate IL, IL necessary
Upon seeing that Mr.. Caldwell's telegram
fully corroborated Col. Scottis evidence,
expressed regret that Mr. Caldwell had not
addressed IL TO the Judiciary Committee:
and calling bis attention 10 Mr.. Caldwell's
offer TO more fully substantiate il IL neces-
sary, proposed 10 Col. Scott, very properly
think, to telegraph Mr.. Caldwell the exact
situation INTO which affairs had drifted since
The day after Col. Scott had testified, In fact,
and ask him Mr.. c. to cable direct TO Mr..
Knott the fuller denial which he offered 10
make. estimated that this plan would re-
quire about three hundred words and cost
upwards OF $3.50, an expenditure which was
lot prepared TO meet, and which, as Colonel
Scott has written, 1 asked him TO pay. He
declined 10 do so; In fact, as he has stated
he refused 10 have anything to do with it.
Under the circumstances, In the face OF the
eonhrmatory cablegram and the offer OF
fuller denial which he had just received
from Mr.. Caldwell, the proprieIy OF Colonel
SCOTS refusal was not apparent TO me, and
so IL happened that in the discharge of what
considered an act Of Justice TO Mr.. Blaine
OF my own volttion, at my own expense,
without consulting anybody, went direcI
to the telegraph Office in PHILADELPHIA and
accepted Mr.. Caldwell's offer TO "more fully
substantlate" what he had that day cabled
Colonel Scott, by telegraphing him TO say,
by wire, To the Judiciary Committee,
exactly what judged from mis- cable
gram 10 Colonel Scott, and from the
slight knowledge had OF his Euro
pean engagements, he could truthfully
say. The time books OF the Western Union
company viii demonstrate that all the dis
patches l refer 10 moved IN the order state
that several hours after Mr.. Caldwell's vol
untary denial had reached Colonel Scott's
hands cabled him to send a fuller denial
by cable TO the Judiciary Committee. Some
unfavorable comment has been made upOn
The fact that in ny dispatch to Mr.. Cali-
well prescribed his reply TO the Commit
tee. believe that method is OF common
usage with people accustomed TO sending
long distance costly kilograms. Ii Col
enel Scott had provided the means per
haps L would have adopted another and
more elaborate manner; but chose TO die
i fhnnChf al
could and should say; simply because the
money 10 pay for my telegram came from
my own pocket, and the form elected was
Inc briefest, hence cheapest, way of indicat-
ing the ground his reply should cover; for,
be II observed, on May 3ist Mr.. CaIdwell's
latest newspaper advices were Of May I7th,
and variety OF events had occurred In the
interval. used our ordinary business key
word from the same motive-economy NOT
secrecy. II Mr.. Knott had Inspected the ca
Ole code book OF the Western Union he could
easily have discovered that "Favo" signified
exactly this: "From Jas. G. Reed. 1913 Broad
way, NY, to Josiah Caldwell, No. lis Can
non street, z. c., London" To save the cost
OF single word In my telegram to Mr.. Cald-
well, i wrote Little Rock bonds, which a
stranger might construe to mean the NUM-
cipal bonds OF that city, and an intended
bubble. Mr.. Caldwell, in his telegram 10
the committee, changed IL so as TO read, al
never gave Blaine any Fort Smith railway
bonds, an expression of more explicit mean
ihg. 1 also wrote In my proposed dispatch
that be was las then supposedly building
three European railroads" A comparison OF
the two dispatches will show that he changed
this into, "Have three foreign railway con-
tracts upon my hands," which is "A very
different thing. / think these alterations
sufficiently prove that Mr.. Cald well
did not blindly follow my dictation, and
mat Ia adopting the other parts OF my pro-
posed dispatches from him TO the COMMITTEES
he made them entirely his own, only be-
cause they were strictly true. have to day
read that the telegraph clerk, TO whom I
= mn "a ~ Ia NfCx
titled that the sender declined to give his
lame and address, because IL was not ne
cessary. That has very mysterious look;
out think that he VIII remember that
said IL was not necessary because he could
get both from tue company's signal code
oook, II he was very curious about IL, add
l Jobp as ne says AMAZINGLY iF Maze it
Yes; can get your real name
and address up stairs IL we need it.D In
had intended secrecy in this matter I wouii
have ea6led Mr.. Caldwell anonymously and
not have used Our ordinary Eey-word, which
gave certain clue 10 the fullest particulars
OF my name and address; nor would / so
openly have introduced Mr., Biaine's name
in my dispatch, because at that time, as
EneW, It's appearance therein was certain To
attract the inquisitive attention of every
operator who handled the message. IL / had
said "Mr. Brown" Mr.. Caldwell would not
nave misunderstood my meaning, because
my first words despatch received" connect
ca It's purpose with the one Col. Scott had just
10 the telegraph clerk, / SAID: 81 doa't want
you 10 suppose there is any thing secret about
this" He will remember that. I don't
believe anybody could have then anticipated
that the telegram which proposed 70 Mr..
Caldwell for transmission TO the Judiciary
Committee would have any more effect than
properly belonged TO such brief unsworn
denial. Whatever force it subsequently ex-
erted, think IL acquired by lying Ia Mr..
knotfe pocket for few days. How Mr..
Blaine learned that Mr.. Caldwell had cabled
the committee do not know: he certainly
low for the nrst time learns of me Its origin.
Nor Old 1t ever through me transpire how
The longer "Favo" dispatch originated; bat
the greatest mystery Is how did Mr.. Knott
Know II was bogus, and was It?