The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-06-14
THE CLAIM CONSPIRACY.
An Expose of the True Inwardness
of the Indiana Ring Formed
to Rob the Venezuelan
Government in the
Matter of Claims.
A RECORD OF WRONG.

THE CONNECTlON OF ONE ORIA AND ONE
MORTON WITH THIS CONSPIRACY EX-
POSED.
The Chicago Times of yesterday pub
lIshes three column letter from a special
correspondent in this city, who recently
visited Anderson for the purpose of work
ing up the connection of Orth and Morton
with the Tom Stilwell-Talmadge Vene-
znela claim steal. The letter is too long
TOR our columns, but a synopsis of the iu-
troductoTy portion is given below, fol-
lowed by the conclusion, which touches
he Lafayette lime-kiln and the great war
governor most closely in full.
SUMMARY OF THE INTRODUCTORY.
Anderson is a pleasant little village in
Madison county, Indiana, whoss chief dis
tinction and peculiar luster comes from
the fact that it was the home of the late
Thomas N. Stilwell, kind of latter
day Lorenzo, the msgnifiesBt and West
ern Jim Fisk, who concocted mighty
financial schemes, and carried on stupen-
dous swindles there until an asssssin's
bullet ended his career and left multi
tude OF smashed bubbles and ruined
friends to mourn hin.S This Stilwell dab
bled a little in politics when he
could make it pay. He was an active Re-
publican politician and Morton clsque
| After the treaty with Venezuela tor the
settlement of the claims of American cili-
zens against that natior, Stilwell scented
A profitable Job, aud through the influence
| Of Morton obtained the appointment as
minister there. This brought him upon
| tho commission for the settlement
I those claims, the other members
OF which were ID. NJ. Talmsdge, an unscru
oulous New Yorker, and j. q. Viilafane,
a weak uDprincipled Venezuelan, ready to
| sell his country and throw himself in.
Another Venezuelan Judas, Juan Micba-
10, served as umpire for the commits
/ sion. or course in such hands, a
Job wss toregone conclusion.
And the job was big one. Some SS5, 900
in Venezuelan bonds, which now form
part or the Stilwell estate, were his share
in the swag. Talmsdge has large share
in them. J. A. S,ein, Orth's brother-in-
law, got $1,000 in these bonds. All these
fac are we'll known in Anderson. and
have formed the subject of common
conversation in the streets there at various
times. Just at present, however, every
one there has been
SEEN IN THE INTEREST OF MORTON
and Orth, and it is not easy to get at the
bottom facts. AL Kline, cashier of Still
wells defunct bank, was interviewed
! by the writer on the subject,
and talked freely except when the matter
Of Orth's connection with the case was
touched upon, when he shut up like 8
clam. He let fall the ungusrded sdmis-
sion, though in speaking of STEMS con-
nectioD, with the case as attorney, that "he
couldn't do anything without Orth." The
true in srdness of the latter's part in the
Job seems to he that during the session OF
| 1871 ~ he lent helping hand to the enter
prise as 6 member of the committee on
foreign affairs. In the election of 1872 9
| ring was formed to secure his election as
congressmsn-st-lsrge, for the express
purpose OF giving his influence in aid
of the Venezuelan job, which then hung
| fire, on account of the protest OF Venezuela
| and suspicious which had been aroused on
the part of the state department that all
was not right. In this connection Is given
letter from the brother in-lsw (Stein) },
which was given to the reporter by Mr..
Edgar Henderson, of Anderson. 1t reads
as follows:
Col. T. N. STILwELL-DEAR SIR:-Indiana
will be entitled TO two congressman -at-large.
See the editor of your Republican paper ana
| have him urge Orth name on the cOnven-
ton, as be would be of great assistance TO us
| in our affairs. j. A. STEIN.
Several other letters bearing upon the
ubiect are supposed to be in existence in
Anderson, but the widow of Stilwell and
other parties in whose possession they
were refused to communicate any facts
concerning them.
CONCLUSION OF THE TINES ARTICLE.
Among the staunch old practitioners OF
Madison county, known and esteemed
widely through the eastern part of the
state, is Judge W. r. Pierce. He is q
thessurus of Anderson's past days and
people, and was very intimate with Still
we'll. He used to write his political
speeches, and remembers the ancient his
tory of the bonds, and all the Anderson
gossip. The Judge spoke freely when ap-
preached. He knew Mccullough had let
ters which people would like to read to-
day. and felt confident that the old man
would not dare TO burn them. "If cir
c1mstantisl evidence was required you
could pick up more than enough here to
smirch not only Orth but Morton. I've
heard Tom say more than hundred times
that Orth was watching the bonds in the
Hduse aud Morton in the Senate. You
see we understand things better now in
the light of the present, and much that
seemed peculiarly unreasonable in Tom
In those days is clear now that he is
dead, and we have found out what his
financial condition really was. He
never at loss for expedients snd ex-
cuses to
DELUDE PEOPLE ABOUT HIS WEALTH,
bat when favorable news would come
from Washington the reaction was too
much for his prudence to bear. It would
send his nerves up to fever heat, and then
be got them up to blood heat with whisky.
BE needed the money, and went hawking
The good news about the streets and
ssloons. The names of Orth and Morton
we're eternally on his lips. Morton was
on the foreign affairs committee in the
Senate and 9th in the House. They were
both afraid of that watchdog Sumner.
have seen no less than dozen kilograms
frDm Morton to Tom about the matter,
principally while the fight was going on
| In the Senate after the sWindle had been