New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-13
from FIRST PAoE.1

TCONTMUED from FIRST PAGE
by Lindsay Murdoch, ex- collector of inter
nal revenue in Southeast Missouri. The
charges were against John A. Joyce and
John Mcdonald, respectively revenue
agent and supervisor. The envelope was
Endorsed by G. c. Sniffen. the Presidents
private secretary, showing that it hsd
been received at the Executive Man
sion, and referred to the Treasury De
partment Another Endorsement showed
the reference to the Commissioner OF ln1el-
nal Revenue.
Mr.. Douglass could not testify that he
had seen the affidavit in his once.
The district attorney said he proposed to
read an affidavit showing that IN 1913
charges against Joyce and MCDONALD ha9
been sent to the Executive Mansion, and
had gone through the departments.
The court only allowed the witness to
testify that the Endorsements showed that
such charges had been received and filed.
They were not read.
Nearly the entire morning session was
taken up in trying to trace, through the
telelegraph clerks of this city and Wash
ingtOn, and also by the dOoskeeper and
tain kilograms not yet admitted, to prove
that they we've received and sent back and
forth between Joyce and Mcdonald here,
and General Babcock in Washington.
Finally the defense waived the proof a. to
one dispatch, and allowed the following,
admitted to be in General Babcock's hand
writing. t. be read:
"WAsHINGTON, December Is, 1874.
General John Mcdonald, St. Louis, Missouri
Il succeeded. They will not 90. | will
write you. SYLPH.'
Before this was read Judge Porter an
nOunced that they proposed to make q
lengthy legal argument against the admis-
sion of the other kilograms, and perhaps
they might wish to include this "cylph"
dispatch among those objected to. The de-
tense wished to reserve that point.
Deputy Commissioner Rogers recalled,
ana testifed-I had . conversation with
of revenue agents. General BsbcOck said
he had heard that Mr. Douglass was about
to issue an order directing . transfer of
agents. / told him the order had that
morning been issued. He expressed his re-
greet, rs it would bring political
pressure on Mr.. Douglass. and he
would be forced to revoke the Or
der. and that would work disastrously to
him. Mr.. Douglass was at that time spoken
of a. candidate for Judge of the Court of
Claims. There would be more or less odium
on him, General Bsbc0ck said, on account
Of the failure of the enterprise, when the
order was revoked. That interview came
about by messenger bringing me either
note or verbal communication from Cen
erai Babcock. / had no previous converse
ton with him on this matter. l did
sneak to him before about the judgeship of
chs Court of Claims. There was not q
word said in the conversation with
General Rabcock at his house in regard to
breaking up frauds here. Mr.. Douglass was
not appointed Judge of the Court Of Claims,
~ there was no vacancy. In the converse
Roh I to1d I
should report the interview to Mr.. Douglass.
The opposition of the defense to the ad-
mission of dispatches alleged to have passed
between Joyce, Mcdonald and Babcock
was carried to the utmost extremity. They
would admit nothing clear proof of which |
could not be produced. They required not |
only proof of authorship and transmission |
actually placed in the hands Of the persons
to whom addressed. So tar the prosecution |
has satisfied the defense only in one in |
stance, that of the "Sylph" telegram.
The defense a'so objected to the relevan-
cy of these dispatches, and stated that they
would argue these objections at consider
able length, and with this view they re-
quested the prosecution to group all their !
dispatches together that the argument
might be made at one time rather than on
each dispatch when offered. The dispatch |
which met the most persistent opposition
is one sent from St. Louis on December 3,
1874 to General Babcock, Washington,
signed j.. and admitted to be in Joyce's |
handwriting. But it was not read, and |
therefore its contents are not known out
side of counsel.
The Deposition the President.
WASHINGTON, February I2.-The deposi-
ton of the President in the case of General
Babcock, now pending in St. Louis, was
taken to-day at the Executive Mansion
There we're present Chief Justice Waite,
Secretary BristOw, Attorney General Pierre
pont, Colonel William A. Cook, one of Gen.
eral BsbcOck's counsel and Mr. Eaton, who
represented the prosecution.
The examination was of considerable
duration, beginning at IL A. NJ, and ter
minating at two o'clock in the afternoon.
1t is said to have been very thorough, and
was characterized by the straightfOrw ard.
ness which marks the Presidents utter
ances. The oath was administered by the
Chief Justice. and the examination devel-
oped that General Babcock had not in.
fiuenced or attempted to influence the ex- |
ecutive in the selection of any official in
volved in the so-called whisky ring; that i
ne had not interfered in any manner t
TO cause Q suspension of the celebrated | 4
order for the transfer of supervisors, but I
That lts revocation was directed by the
himself, in order that suspicion
Oomg removed from the minds OF those en- |
gagged in the frauds, they might the more
readily be detected in their efforts to cheat :
he government out of the revenue in dis. g
Tiled spirite; that the President still has .
IMPLICIT confidence in the integrity of Gen.
raj BabcOck, and il satisfied with bis ex-
'lanatiOn of the dispatches which have
ormed so important an element in his .
rOsecutiOn.
The cr0ss-examination elected nothing of o
Importance whatever. Its object seemed to u
ave been more directed against the Presi.
ent than General Babcock. 1t, however.
eveloped the fact that it there has been q
nything wrong on the part of that officer, +
'hich the President emphatically stated he 8
I'd not believe, it was entirely without the "
knowledge of the executive. The President r.
.ated that during the twelve years General
'a0cock had been intimately associated
'ith him he had not learned ANYTHING C
to impair his confidence in bis in, 8!
egrty. The testimony, az a whole, is de.
Jared to be strongly in favor of General
abcock's honesty. 70
NEW YORK.
Died Of His Injuries. 81
NEW YORK, February l2.-John Henry
lush, assistant foreman of No. 30 engine.