The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-16


Ring was speedily formed for the specific
purpose Of plumber.
The Ring included THOMAS n. STILwELL,
an cx-Congrcssman from Indiana whom
JOHNSON had appointed United States Min
lister To- Venezuela DAVID NJ. TALNAGE OF
this State, the Commissioner on the part of
tho United States. and WILLIAM Z. MURRAY
of St. Paul. Mimi, SrfLwELLS brothcr-in-
law aud by him constituted Secretary Of
Legation Mt Caracas STTLwELL was shot
in Indiana four ycurs ago; TALMAGE and
MURRAY are still living. The last-namcd
person was n sharp and rather vulgar
Western lawyer before he entered diploma
cy. lie was the active agent In the opera
lions Of the Ring and the attorney for about
three-quarters Of the claims finally allowed
by the Commission.
By q trick ON the Russian Minister who
supposed that he was naming reputable
citizen Of Venezuela. STILwELL procured
the appointment Of boy OF eighteen ny uln-
pire The collision Of vILIAFANE. the Venc-
zuclan Commissioner, was easily purchased
blythe promise OF percentage of the spells.
The Commission began operations at Carac-
as by ordering that no attorney should
practise before 1t. MURRAY had Il monopoly
of tho business; and as he represented him.
self to be Secretary OF Legation, with init
mate and peculiar relations with the Com
missioners, he easily secured the manage
ment Of large majority OF the cases. MuR-
RAYS charge for presenting claims was ilfty
and, In some instances, sixty per cent. of the
amounts recovered. Claimants who refused
to enter into this agreement had their claims
denounced AZ fraudulent by the Commission.
and dsallowcd. The claims of all who con-
sented to divide their awards with the Ring
through MURRAY, passed without invcstiga-
ton and without ceremony.
As the Judges shared 50 largely in tho pc
cuniary results of their adjudicatioms, it
became their object to make the awards as
heavy as possible. The claim OF Mrs.
RAMIREZ DE WILLEv Is an example She
thought that the Venezuelan Government
owed her sb,467.66 MURRAY undertook To
collect the debt for two-iifths OF the money
recovered. In his hands the claim grew
from S5.a67.66 to $50, 70l.O7. For the sake Of
appearances the Commission cut down the
figures to sl4s,OO0 and actually allowed that
amount. The claim OF BEALEs. MOBILES, and
GARRISON for damages Tor breach Of con-
tract for steamship service was 100000
when originally presented to the Commits
sion. Under MURRAys skiful manipulation
1t grew 10 the enormous sum of S6l4, 200, and
the firm was finally awarded S2j0O0 or
$4,000 more than they had claimed!
The division Of this award Is explained in
n letter written by MURRAY TO Col. MOBILES
and which has now strangely come to light
to convict the conspirators and to corrobo-
rate the charges first made in TUE Sun. II
perfectly illustrates the workings Of the
Ring machinery. MURRAY reports to Col.
MOBILES the following facts:
Upon the arrival Of T.tN.st =, Caracas to get HIM
enlisted agreed to give him eighth OF the award
subsequently agreed to sive another party
eighth
The other party was STILwELL. for the
certificates in question We're found among
the assets OF the bank Of which he was Pres
ident. MURRAY continues:
"suhscq uenty I agreed to give another party one
eighth 10 secure the removal OF BRuzrn-
" rpon the appointment OF vILLAraSK promised him
s25,bDn he would give Us an award of s1DOsp
Finally agreed 20 give the umpire <.5t for
sa5oCoo award these several amounting To sii.
up paid the several parties a. agreed before lcn
Caracas. leaving sl37, SOD
The original contract you will remember
eighth and nccighth This atcrward increased to
one nan IN the event OF u SlO1up nwari herewith
over sluoOp, which YOU distribute among the par
ties ia interest The $3.50 retain as my Ice"
Thus. over his own name, MURRAY wrote
confession of the bribery of every member
Of the Commission and Of the United States
Minister The dishonest means adopted to
secure the award troubled the conscience Of
Col. MOBILES On his deathbed he told the
whole story to his brother clergyman,
"A 80.
as he saw 1T. In the meanwhile, TALMAGE
and STILwRLL had returned to America and
had hired GoDLovE s. ORTIZ to procure the
passage Of an act Of Congress declaring the
awards valid and final. ORTIZ had received
his pay In Venezuelan certificates. So pow
erful was the Ring at Washington that in
one OF his annual messages GRANT limited
at the possibility of n war with Venezuela
to enforce the payment Of the fraudulent
awards. And when the Rev. Mr.. MOBILES
laid MURRAYs confession before the Hon.
HAMILTON FISH, then Secretary Of State
that Spanish American statesman advised
him TO suppress it, and tried to irighten
him by an absurd threat of prosecution if
he made the document public.
The Venezuelan swndle has twice been
the subject OF Congressional investigation;
but until the discovery of MURRAY's letter
to Col. MOBILES, nothing Of Importance had
been added to the revelations made four
years ago by The Sun. Mr.. SPRINGER has
now introduced a bill recommending new
convention with Venezuela, and providing
for a rchcarng Of the claims passed upon
by the bribed Commissioners. This bill
ought to pass for the TALMAGE awards and
the ORTIZ act still stand to the nations
shame.