Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1878-10-24
THE WHOLE STORY.
Revie " Of The Democratic Cipher
Dispatches.

to his residence by them. The story
in detail has been told; the story as g
whole needs only few references tC
the dates which fit the several parts to
gether.
Within a few hours after the result
of the popular vote was known, GER
;ain confidential agents notorious foI
skill in the use of money were on theiI
way to four distant States. Mr.. Smith
NJ. Weed, the noted lobbyist of Alba
ny, and Mr.. John F. Coyle, the noted
lobbyist of Washington, went south on
the same train, one TO South CarOlina
and the other to Florida. Mr.. Patrick
went with Senator Kelly to Oregon,
and Mr.. WOolley went with eX Cover
nor Bigler to Louisiana. All of these
agents were provided with secret CT,
pliers known to No. 10 GrameIcy
Park, and communicated privately by
means of those ciphers with Mr.. Til
den himself or his nephew and conti'
dental Secretary, at No. ID Gramercy
Park, Mr. Tilden's private residence
1t is in evidence that cipher dispatche:
were addressed to Mr.. .Havemeyer only
As blind; and were really sent to No
10 Gramercy Park. A few dispatches
were sent to Geo. w. Smith, either al
No. 10 Gramercy Park or at No. 1:
Wall street, but he was Mr.. Tilden':
confidential clerk T.so or three were
sent to NJ. X Kag, clerk of the
Democratic CoiumItteP, at the Everet'
House, who reported directly to Mr.
Pelton. Much the greater number
were addressed to Col. PeltOn himself
but some of these and others were ad
dressed inside the cipher to Russia
Mr.. Tilden himself. 1t is in evidence
that, while none were openly address
ed TO Mr.. Tilden, a great many were
by direction delivered to him IN per-
son.
Mr.. Smith NJ. Weed, a person trust
ed then and ever since by MIR. I1lder
in his most confidential work, and Sc
lected by him only last month to leaC
his forces in the Democratic State Con
vention, was the first to manifest tht
purpose for which such trusty agents
skilled in the Use of money, had beer
selected as soon as the election wa,
over, and sent into the doubtful States
armed with secret ciphers. He report
ed to No. 10 Gramercy Park that Soutt
Carolina had voted for Hayes, but il
electoral vote could be bought for $780,
600. The reply received from Gram,
ercy Park caused him to start at onc'
for Baltimore to get the money, which
ne had requested to have sent to tina
city in three packages of greenbacks
one of S65, 900, one Of $4,000, and on
of $1,000. Whether he Was deceived
in the belief that the votes would b.
delivered for the sum named, O
whether corrupt members of thu
Board feared bad faith because OF dc
lay and the action OF the local court
certain it is that they amazed Mr.
Weed by deciding for Hayes while Mr.
Weed was absent.
He then telegraphed at once to Flor
ida in cipher that antagonism of tn,
Board there should be prevented a
any cost. Ccyle and Marble had al
ready discovered that the majority OF
the face of the returns was not mor'
than 100 either way. Woolley hat
come over from Louisiana, unsuccess,
full there as yet, and reported tina
"forces should be held in readiness TO
contingencies in Florida or Louisiana.
When Gramercy Park had discovered
on the 24th that South Carolina wa
gone, precious time had been lost IL
Florida by crediting the assertion o
local managers that the State was real
ly for Tilden, and more precious time
was afterWard lost in the hope that re
turns which had been held back unna
turally would be so manipulated as Il
show majority for him. When tina
failed, propositions to buy votes were
teIegraphed by Marble and WOolley
These came, after the delay and hag
cling incident to all negotiations with
Gramercy Park, in this shape, thai
$50. 900 in cash should be paid for the
vote of one Republican member OF the
Board, or his assent to a Court decl
sion preventing the casting of any
electoral votes by the Republican elec
tors of Florida. Gramercy Park au-
thorized the payment of the S5O,OOO
but the order, strangely delayed II
transmission, arrived too late.
This was reported by Mr.. Marble
and Mr.. Woolley to Gramercy Park
on Monday, December 4. There Is
evidence that an immediate and fran
tic effort was made to buy Republi'
can elector in Louisiana. The testi-
mony of Judge Levisee, as to the pro-
posal made to him, and by hin refu'
sed, will not be forgotten. But Gram
ercy Park sought other and cheaper
solutions of the problem.
An arrangement was made in South
Carolina by which it was hoped to Sc
cure Democratic majority in both
branches of the Legislature, to declare
the Republican electors not lawfully
chosen, and to imprison them separ-
ately so that they could not meet on
the day required by law, and to create
by legislative authority new electors
who would vote for Tilden. To this
end. $40, 900 Was needed for the pur-
chase of enough members to uake a
Democratic quorum in both houses,
and Gramercy PARK Was asked to
supply half that sum, or $4,000. On
December 4, the very day the failure
in Florida was known, authority was
to use that amount of
money, but the required votes could
not be had ia season, and that scheme
fell through.
Meanwhile, Patrick and Kelly had
as early as November %,
that they could get the Governor OF
Oregon to appoint Cronin, but must
purchase one Republican elector to
recognize and act with him" (Cronin),
and for that purpose wanted $1,000. 1t
Was amazing to them that Gramercy
Park was so slow in answering. The
delay caused infinite veXation and
hard swearing, and in the end caused
lefeat of the arrangement, if, indeed,
it had ever been possible to purchase
the elector needed to recognize Cro>
1in's vote. But we now see that
9ramercy Park was waiting all that
weary week, first, to hear from Mar
ole, and learn whether "half hundred
best United States documents" had
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