Omaha daily bee., 1877-01-19
CAUGHT AT LAST.

~ ooNAoSh -
disclosures revealed by the leglsIa-
tive investigating committee yes
terday, at length reveal in an un-
mistakeable manner the character
and desperation of the most cor
rupt ring of public pluaderers that
ever infested q State. New York
has had a Tweed, Kansas a Pome-
roy, and Nebraska will In the future
point to the records that she has
had q Hitchcock. The boldness
and shamelessness Of a scheme un-
q~uestionably gotten up in consulta-
ton with Miller to serve as a thun-
derboit wherewith to drive men like
sheep to Hitchcock's support when
In a fever state of excitement, has,
thanks to q conscienoe-stricken
abbettOr in crime, been thwarted,
and the public are permitted to gaze
UPON the true inwardness OF this
high handed scheme. The revela
lions develop the fact that, presum.
ing that the Il & M. railroad COM
pany was, like himself, using money
to advance the interests of some par
ticulsr candidate, Senator Hitch.
cock determined to get some au-
thentic clue in order to Use it as evil
dence whereby he might turn the
public in the important moment
from his own terrible record, mask
his own bribery resorts, create a
sudden sentiment in his favor
] before it would be too late
to overcome the shock. To
accomplish this he set his hIrelings
to work with money to bribe a poor
clerk with sufficient inducement to
betray his trust and to steal a sup
posed document for the furtherance
of corrupt ends. Unfortunately, and
to the credit OF the company, no
such effort bad been made, and no
such documents were in existence.
With the inducement OF a thousand
dollars, however, before him the
young man gave way to Its enticing
allurements and committed the
double crime of forgery and perjury.
That he could not Lave been entire
lv lost to a sense of honor, IS EVIL
denced by his confession which he
sent to be delivered to Superinten-
dent Irving, sitter be considered
himself ssfe on his journey. This
confession wss the thunderbnIt that
struck back with double force at
the c~onspirators. Mr.. Irving, recog.
nizing the Importance of quick &C
ton in the matter, took the bearer
of the clerks message on a special
train for the scene where the TRACE.
dy was to be contaminated. With
truth as fsis weapon ii did not take
long to upset the sudden disclosures
of the purchased forger es. 1t was
now the opportunity for the oppo-
nents of corruption 10 turn the tide.
With scarcely a moments notice
an nves tigatIon was ordered, the
Senator'S private secretary forced to
the witness stand, aud before he
had an opportunity to betbir K him.
self, his testimony was secured
from him. Its purport as
shown by the dispatches was a sur
prise to even the senator's most SAN
guine opponents, 1t was the direct
evidence of the senator's guilt and
proved him to be q most shameless
villain How any one can support
this man in the ace of such a dis
closure passes our comprehension.
No man who will do 1t ~ be pos
sessed Of the faintest spark of hon.
esty or self respect, Oe he Republic
can or Democrat, and deserves the
eternal ~execration of all honorable
citizens. We hope the records will
produce no evidence OF such de-
PRAYED characters.