Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-10-18
The Frauds in Florida.


of mass of cipher dispatches alleged
to have been sent, Immediately after
the Presidential election and pending
the count, between leading Democrats
in the South and in New York City. 1t
has now commenced their publication
in regular order of date, accompanied
by translations, and the tale they tell is
a startling one. In Mondays Tribune
were given the keys to the ciphers and
the manner in which they were discov-
cred by the patient and persistent la
bors of an expert in deciphering crypto-
graphs. The ciphers used in the South
ern series of dispatches were vastly
more difficult than that employed in
the notorious Oregon correspondence.
They combined the systems of trans
position and substitution, and there
were ten series of transposition ciphers
employed with frequent combinations of
these and occasional variations. But
it is an axiom among experts in
cryptography that no cipher is so perfect
but that it can be deciphered IN time
by skill and patience, provided there is
sufficient material for comparison and
analysis. AS there are about 200 of the
cipher dispatches there was no lack of
facilities for such examination. The
published keys can be fitted to the ci-
pliers by anyone, and their accuracy
ascertained beyond shadow of doubt.
Tuesdays Tribune contained the dis
patches relating to Florida, numbering
over seventy. The principal parties to
the cipher correspondence are Tilden's
nephew, Col. Pelton, and his intimate
friend, Henry Havemeyer, in New York,
and his confidential agents, Manton
Marble, of New York; c. w. Wooley,
of Cincinnati, and John f. Coyle, of
Washington, in Florida. Mr.. Marble
needs no introduction. Messrs. Wool
ey and Coyle were gentlemen having
experience in crooked transactions.
The other persons sending or receiving
cipher dispatches were local Democrat
ic politicians in Florida. The story
begins with an open dispatch, Nov. 9th,
two davs after the election, from men,
bers of the Democratic State Commit
tee to Abram S. Hewitt, asking him to
"send good man here to represent
your committee, with an understood
cipher" Mr.. Hewitt replied on the
same day: Telegram reed. He has
gone on" That night John F. Coyle
left Washington for Florida, in obedi-
ence to instructions, with an "under-
stood cipher,n in which he reported to
| Havemeyer his progress and requested
funds to be placed at his disposal On
the 14th Woolley telegraphed Have
meyer that he was en- route to Tallahas-
see and could reach there next day.
Two days later Mr.. Marble was on the
| ground and sent long cipher dispatch
! to Col. Pelton in which he expressed
his confidence in a clean Democratic
majority. Marble s frequent dispatches
| for the next three or four days show a
continued belief in that result, but on
! the 21st he became discouraged, said
he had but Just obtained a knowledge
of the whole situation, and pronounced
the local imbecility to be almost past
belief. From that time not line was
sent by Mr. Marble or any other of the
Democratic operators in Florida, even
in the most secret ciphers, intimating
a belief that the State had gone fol
Tilden. On the contrary, it was evident
preparations were making for some
thing very different from securing {
true count of the votes cast.
On the 22d of November Mr.. Marble
telegraphed Colonel Pelton, "Woollel
asks me to say, Let forces be got to-
gether Immediately in readiness fol
contingencies either here or in Louisi
ana" A dispatch from New York tC
c. w. Woolley, dated November 23d
asked, ''Is party from Europe yol
pointed out to me here as an old shut
fier of cards trustworthy, and do wha
he professesp" Marble became sus
picious of Woolley, and in cipher dis
patch of November 9th to PeltOn, pro
nounced him "a nuisance and impedi
ment, trusted by nobody" adding, 4"
decline to commit Tilden with man 81
indiscreet." Commit Tilden to what
The explanation can be found in tn
subsequent dispatches. The day afte
the dispatch Marble telegraphed Gov
ernor Grover, of Oregon, to refrail
from issuing certificate to an elector il
that State until advised thereon, ant
at the same time telegraphed to &C
w. Smith," at Tilden's residence i
New York, to obtain and send Grove
an opinion from O'Conor. At thi
point matters became somewhat CON
plicated. The parties at Is Gramerc
Park were carrying on independent Sc
cret negotiations of an exceedingly cor
fidential character with both Marbl
and Woolley, and each was getting i
the others way. Marble had requeste
,, Woolley's recall, and Wooley, on tn
/, lst of December, asked Hayemeyer
''stop Marble from making proposition
. to the enemy" On the same day thi
dispatch was sent from Woolley to Have
, meyer in cipher;
TALLAHASSEE, Dec. l..
; II. Huvenseyer Is West SeVenteeth street, Ne
York:
} Board fetch may make necessary expense {
q half of hundred thousand dollars. Can yo
I say will deposit in bank Immediately
[, agreed
To this reply was Immediately r.
= ! ceived as follows;
r New YORK, Dec. l.
@. W. RoOIley, Tallahassee, Fla!
Telegram received. Will deposit dolla
y agreed; (you) cannot, however, draw befo
r vote member received.
n The day following a cipher dispatC
: was sent from Coyle to Havemeyer,
e which the following is translation;
It TALLAHASSEE, Dec. 2
II He.ry Hagen'eyer, Is West Se0e"fee'A sire
MY hope small. Votes about as report
/ Yesterday. Africa (probably McLin) satish
3 by Bavaria (probably Cowgtll(, and fear th
l. America Drew understands II. Nothing b
n cash will avail. Answer my first OF to-day
"a once. THOMAS CoYLE.
n Marble telegraphed on the same d.
le in cipher.
20 ITALIA, Dec
u, Col. Peltolt, Is Grdmercy Park.
q Have Just received proposition 70 Ia
~ over at any hour required Tilden decision
a. Board and certificate OF Governor for $50
m 600. MARBLE
r An agreement had already been ma
IN with Woolley at a quarter OF the hgu
IN and the answer to Marbles propositio