Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-02-24

house recommended making Illicit whisky
On cross-examination witness said he was
pretty well acquainted with Hoge, the
revenue agent to whom the ring money
had been paid, but could not tell just when
he began 10 serve the ring, nor how he was Sc
duced into the service. The witness received
various letters and kilograms from Hoge,
some Of the letters signed " Bixby." He rec
objected going to Cincinnati to meet him on
one occasion in response to a telegram
Hoge kept the ring pretty well advised of
the movements of the revenue agents, and
was generally considered as working con-
scientiously in the cause in which he had
been retained
J.J Brooks, formerly Revenue Agent, but
now Assistant Chief of the Secret Service Di
vision of the Treasury Department, testified
and corroborated Commissioner Douglass ac-
count OF his efforts to unearth the frauds in
st. Louis in 1874, giving the same dates of
consultations, interviews, letters, kilograms,
visits to Washington, Philadelphia, ETC., by
himself and Hoge as were given by Mr..
Douglass.
kilograms in cipher were then offered in
evidence, which the defense claimed were
confidential dispatches between counsel and
client, and they were ruled out by the court.
Coz. Dyer then offered what are known as
the Avery dispatches in evidence, and they
were admitted.
The case here closed on the part of the
prosecution, with the exception of the testi-
mony of Washington witness who would
testify as to the hand writing of two dis
patches yet in DISPUTE, and who would take
the stand as soon as he arrived in St. Louis
EIGHTH DAY.
Ex-Atty. Gen. Williams opened the case
for the defense on the 16th and after he had
finished, Gen. A A. Humphreys, Chief of En-
gineer Corps, United States Army; David
w. Mahon, first officer of the Treasury:
James G. Berrett, eX-Mayor and ex-Postmas-
ter of Washington, and Gen. n. P Banks, all
testified as to Gen. Babcock's integrity and
good moral character
Alex. P. Tuition testified that he is Super
visor of Internal Revenue of the States of
pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Mary
land and the District of Columbia; remem-
bered the order transferring the Supervisors
in January, 1875; had a conversation on the
subject with Sec'y Bristow, who told him to
1871 W
the President it would be very inconvenient
fer him to go to st. Louis, and impossible if
The transfer was to continue any length of
time. The President said he was sorry that
1t would Inconvenience the witness, and
stated that it was thought that a great deal
OF fraud was being committed in st. Louis
and Chicago, and this order was made to de-
tect these frauds; that, while he didn't think
the officers of those places were involved, he
dld think the frauds were being committed,
and that change of officers was necessary
I'D order to suppress such frauds; that there
had been considerable political influence
brought to bear on him to revoke the order. but
he thought it necessary to carry it out to pre-
vent these frauds. Witness then gave to the
President his reasons why he thought the or
der was inJudicious, and the President finally
said that the more information he received
The better he was satisfied that this order
would not accomplish the purpose intended,
and he would revoke it that day (Feb. 81, and
did so. On the cross examination witness
said he saw Gen. Babcock while in Washing
ton, but the latter never said anything about
pressure being brought to have the order
suspended; did not then have a talking ac-
acquaintance with Gen. Babcock.
Eight letters were then submitted by the
defense, and admitted by the court, the con-
tents OF which show that ex-Revenue Agent
Hoge, now in Canada, supplied G. B. Bing-
ham, of Indiana, steadily with information
from June, 1874, to the seizures in Nav.
1873, the defense claiming that Hoge became
corrupted several months before the prose
cution's testimony showed it to have oc
Cured
NINTH DAY,
Gen. w. [. Sherman, Gen. James H. Simp
son (of the Corps of Engineers, Gen. w. S.
Harvey, Capt. L. s. Rabbit Commanding the
st. Louis Arsenal), Gen. s. B. Sturgis lin
command of the st. Louis post, the Hon. E.
A Borle tex-Secretary of the Navy, and Gen.
j. l.. Fullerton Ga lawyer of st. Louis) testi-
lied as to the good character of the defendant
Ex-Gov. Fletcher identified several letters
from Babcock to Joyce as those placed in his
possession few weeks before by Mrs joyce
Letters were then introduced, dated re.
spectlyely March and March %, 1875, to
show, as counsel said, that SO late as the date
OF such letters there was no suspicion of Gen
Mcdonald either by Deputy Com. Rogers or
the Department
Several letters written by Col Joyce to
Gen. Babcock, and answers to the same were
introduced, all of which were of a social
character, and indicated that the writer's of
them were on friendly terms, but such letters
contain no illusions whatever to ring matters
or anything connected with revenue affairs
The dispatch of Dec. 5, 1874, and signed O.
L. Babcock, saying: Cannot hear that any
one has gone or is going" was ruled out by
the Court, but the one of Dec. 8, 1874, to Gen
Q. Z. Babcock, from st. Louis, asking "Has
the Secretary or Commissioners ordered any,
body here?" was admitted
Jas. Magill, letter-ca in st. Louis,
testified that in the latter part of February,
1875, Col. Joyce had accosted him on the
street and requested witness to assist him in
recovering two letters deposited in the
letterbox on the corner of Pine and Fifth
streets, which he (Joyce) described as being
addressed, one to w, o. Avery, Washin gton.
d. c., and the other to 0. E. Babcock, Wash
ington, D. c., and marked personal Witness
did as requested, and when he asked joyce
for receipt for the letters, and told him if
he wanted TO remail them he (witness) would
60 with him and see it done, joyce replied
that it was all RIGHT saving To- o,I,-