The New York herald., 1877-02-28
respondent and mado s.atcmou. substantially as fol.


lows
Last nigh. on going home TO my room, which
meets with an adjecent apartment by means OF simple
wooden door that Is kept locked. 1T cigar and sat
down at the fire to take q smoke before retiring
TO bed. was quite uoiseess in my move
men's and had lett the gas turned down;
presently heard loud knock at the outer door OF the
adjoining room, aud response to the invitation to
come in man entered who said quite boisserousiy:-
"where's Jim? ?" The occupant OF the room
answcred:-'Ho hasn't been here tonight"
The other continued :-'weli, IN bet he's
somewhere around town and can
bnd HIM" The occupant of the room then inquired.
"but have you found when he's going TO start!"
'why. Wednesday night, you fool. don't you know
he has his reception on Wednesday night Al the
better, am glad OF IL; they viii have better chance
TO do the job IN Columbus, and I'd rather they'd do 1t
there than along the line hope thero viii be no
need 10 put our fingers m the pie here"
The conversation which had been quite audible so
FAR, thanks 10 the intervening door, now carried
on in lower tones, II the necessity OF caution had
suddenly struck the two men, and for some time
could not be distinguished. At last tho
ond man, whose tongue indicated that hc
was somewhat under The innencc OF liquor,
spoke up again and said, swell! I'll go out and lind
him" and left the room. Al interval OF silence
o'clock, when tho man returned, bringing
with him third. The nrs. man. who
had remained In quiet occupancy Of the
apartment, inquired almost The others had
come "wel, do you know how he will start ?"
No. answered, ''On Thursday, most likely, II the
count Is over then"
The voices now became low ana the conversation al
most ipaudibc again, ana the impression given was
that they had drawn together and looking over
a map, occasionally word or sentence uttered
loud enough to be distinguished, and among them
heard the expressions, 'swtch "branches" ''cating
station, ''dining room," "hcs the best engineer
the road" 'aro you cocksurc OF hms" "he could
pick him OF with ca-bInc us he came through tho
station, jump on his locomotive aud got away"
Hero tho voices descended again, and for a
siderable time inaud,bic At length No. / asked, "Do
you know whero he's going to sop" and received the
answer, That's not dead thing yet" to which
ho reoincd, ave might have fourd out whether he's
gong to stop at a hotel or not"
The voices dropped again, and the conversation was
not again distngushable until at tho breaking up OF
tho conference, when the parting injunction given,
"3e sure you take caro- OF those horses"
This of the story the mysterious guest
oftho National Hotel had to tell. He persisted In re-
fusng to give his name md took his departure Tho
references he says he overheard to "switchcs'
and seating stations arc taken to apply to either tho
Relay House Grafton Station, on the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad supposins that the implied conspiracy
contemplated mischief to Governor Hayes during his cx-
pccted trip from Columbus to Washington that ne
Tho may have misunderstood or exaggerated she
conversation ho ovc-hcard that 10 " he really heard
In any shape, and have given II the tragic shape
which he repeated It.. Ho may be like the Columbus
mana fraud or lunatic; but the coincidence OF the
two stories is remarkable. Hc could have hardly
got his from the HERALD report Of what tho
Columbus sad Tor there barely time read tho
papers after ITS arrival before he called the HER
correspondent, and he could not DO tho man
for hc would not have Tad time TO get here from
Columbus. Besides. he mentioned several incidents
outside OF tho conspiracy story which went TO estah
lish his GOOD faith; and he spoke. acted and was
dressed like quiet plain Of modest social stand.
inc.