The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-06-29
FROM WASHINGTON,

Congress having adjourned there is nothing
to relieve the dullness of the capital except the
dcving of the investigating committees.
The Matthews committee, appointed by the
senate before its adjournment to whitewash
Stanley Matthews, however, made short work
of it, They summoned Jim Anderson before
them, but i'm proved refractory He refused
to answer questions unless allowed to be at
tended by counsel. To this the committee de
clined to accede. Then he made it condi-
ton of answering questions that Matthews
should 90 before the Potter committee and also
answer questions. This the committee could
no more concede than the other condition.
Then the committee finding itself without pow.
err in the absence of the senate, to punish wit
nesses for contempt adjourned, to meet again
on the call of the chairman.
The Potter committee meets with no such
trouble. Its witnesses seem only too eager to
talk The eceat of the week, however, in the
committee was the appearance of Mr. and Mrs.
Capt. jerks. We give the substance of the Ia
dy's evidence, with some comments, elsewhere.
The only point in the husbands evidence was,
that his wife had gone to Washington in De
ccmber at the earnest request of Senator Kel-
logg because she had in her possession dOcu-
ments that might greatly help him in his fight
for a seat in the senate. Though nothing could
be got out of man or wife as to what these docu-
ments were, as Stanley Matthews soon after her
arrival became a staunch advocate of Kellogg's
admission, the inference is irresistible that the
documents must have been the famous Sher-
man and Matthews letters to Weber and An
derson.
All day Saturday and most Of Monday the
committee were occupied with the vivacious
and volublc Mrs. jerks. Her story, however,
which related mainly to her exhoneration of
Sherman from the authorship of his damaging
letter to Anderson and Weber, is impossible to
be reconclled with the anxiety she is proved to
have shown to get the Sherman letter from
Mrs. Weaver 1t is evident that in this she
failed, and 1t is confidently asserted that the
original of the Sherman letter is in existence
and will yet be produced
The only witness examined on Tuesday was
Boyntoa, of the Cincinnati gazette. He had
asked Hayes why man like Anderson should
be appointed to u foreign consulship, and
Hayes said It was because he had rendered i'm
portant political services. Boynton was afraid
Anderson knew more than was safe to reveal.
On Wednesday Marshal Pitkin and A. G.
Haley were examined. MY dear Pitkin" was
afraid to undergo verbal pumping, and told
what he had to say in written statement. He
tried to make things as smooth for the repub.
licans as possible, All Haley had to tell was
that he had seen letter from her husband to
Mrs. jerks In January, telling her not to take
less than $4,000 for the Sherman letter.
On Thursday Bill Chandler and Minister
Noyes had hearing. Chandler evidently had
known great deal, but when it came to tick
lish points he was singulary forgettul Noyes
showed that he was fully aware of the injus-
tice of the Florida count, though he seemed
very unwilling to say so outright.
From present appearances the committee
will be occupied all summer.