The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-05-23

| hIlhItd Vi Iub AIthlb ibblNNA ~ 'A'NAN' 49,
and was repeatedly examined before the
Congressional Committee appointed tc
investigate the matter, At first he de-
MED all connection, claiming innocence
and expressing amazement and indgna'
lion at such charge against him. When
he thought himself safe, he came out II
a card, entitled-"Does Calumny PayT
But let us quote from volume;
THE CASE OF vIoE.PREsIDENT coLFAV.
When the charge was made that Mr.
Colfax had been purchaser Of Credit
MoLiier stock from Mr.. Ames, that gen
tleman denied it, and in speech al
South Bend, Indiana, said "Never iu
my life having a dollar of stocks Of any
kind that did not pay for, CAIN the
right to purchase stock in the Credit Mo-
biIer, or Credit Immobiier, if there is
one nor do know of any law prohibit
ing it. DO l need to add that neither
Oakes Ames, nor any other person, ever
gave, or offered togive me one share, or
twenty shares, or two hundred shares in
the Credit Mobilier, or any other rail-
road stock, and that unfortunately have
never seen or received to the value of a
farthing ont of the 27O per cent dividends
or the 800 per cent dividends, in cash
stock, or bonds you have read about for
the past month, nor 100 per cent, nor the
tenth of one ser cent. l have said that
If twenty shares Of it could be purchased
at par, without buying into a perspective
lawsuit it would be good investment,
# as valuable a stock as represented; but
never having been plaintiff nor defend
ant in court of justice. l want no stock
at any price with a lawsuit on top of 1t"
In short, Mr.. Coliax's statement
amounted to this: He had never bought
the stock from Mr., Ames, and had never
received any dividends upon it.
This sta ement Mr. Colfax confirmed
by declaration under oath before the
Poland Committee. The substance of
this sworn statement may be thus stated
In MT, CUllaX B own WOTus:
~ state explicitly, that no one ever
gave, or offered to give me any shares Of
stock in the Credit Mobilier or the Union
Pacific Railroad l have never received
nor had offered me any dividends in
cash, stock, or bonds aCCruing upon any
stock, in either of said organizations"
Mr.. Ames had from the first included
Mr.. Colfax in his list of Congressman
who had purchased stock from him. Up
on Mr.. Colfax's denial of the charge, he
declared his ability to prove his asser
ton.
On Jan. oath, Mr.. Ames testifes that
he had purchased twenty shares of Cred
il Mobilier stock for Mr.. Colfax, in Dec.
1867, at the request of that gentleman.
Mr. Colfax not having the money at the
time, Mr.. Ames advanced it. Soon after
this eighty per cent dividend was declar
ed in Union Pacific bonds. Mr.. Ames
said he had sold these, and applied the
proceeds to paying for the stock bought
for Mr.. Colfax, after deducting the inter. |
est. Mr. Colfax thea gave him check |
on the Sergeant alarms for 1884 70, the
balance of the purchase money. Mr.. A.
further stated That in June there was
cash dividend on the Credit Mobilier of
$1,000 which he gave to Mr.. Cofax by
check payable to IS. G. or bearer, drawn
on the Sergeant.at.Arms of the House.
Mr. Colfax emphaticaIly denied Mr.
Amess statement, and declared he had |
never received the $1,000, or any of the |
stock or money to which Ames referred |
The books Of the Sergeant at Arms were
produced and shown to the Committee. |
1t was found that in June, 1868 Mr.Ames |
had drawn a check on the Sergeantat |
Arms to s. G. or bearer, and that it had |
neen paid to some one. This much of
Mr.. Ames's statement being sustained, |
Mr., Colfax found himself obliged to show
that the check in question had not been |
paid to him. He utterly denied having
received the money, and cross question.
ed Ames rigidly, to learn if he (Ames)
had drawn the money on this check.
Ames declared he had not, and intimated
uis belief that the money had been paid
to Mr.. Colfax. The Sergeant. at Arms
was then examined by Mr.. Colfax. He
stated that check drawn by Cakes
Ames to S. G. or bearer for $1,000 had
been paid at his Office in June, 1868; but
as he did not cash the check, he could
not say to whom it was paid.
At the close of this davis session, the
matter stood thus: Mr.. Ames charged
that he had paid Mr.. CoIfax a cash divi
dend of$l200 on Credit MObilier stock,
The payment being made by check for
$1,000, drawn on the Sergeant.at Arms to
). q. or bearer, and dated June Goth. Mr..
Colfax, on his part, made oath that he
had never seen this check. or received
any of the money upon it. The state
ment of Mr.. Ames as regarded the draw.
ing of the check, and its payment to some
one, on June 2lst, being confirmed by
the books of the 'Sergeant.at. Arms, the
committee decided to examine the ac
counts of the First National Bank of
Washington City, where Mr.. Colfax's
were kept The books were
produced before the committee on Jan.
28th, and Mr.. Colfax's account examin-
I'd. There appeared a credit of Sl968.
SO, dated June %, 1868, two days after
the date of Ames's check to S. c. on the
Sergeant-at- Arms, and one day after that
check was paid. This furnished only
presumptiye proof of the dep sit of 81.
200 but all doubt was removed when the
cashier produced a deposit check, bear.
ing Mr. Colfax's signature in which the
Sl968 SO were itemized $1,000 being cash,
aud the remainder drafts or checks"
The production of this account placed
Mr. Colfax in terrible position. Ames
had sworn that Colfax had bought Credit
stock of him; Colfax had denied
it under oath. Ames had sworn that this
stock had Welded in June, 1868, divi.
dend ofSl2O0, which he had paid to Col
fax by check drawn to S. c. or bearer
on the Sergeant.at Arms. Colfax had
denied all knowledge of this check, and
had denied having received any money
on it. The books of the Sergeant-at-
Arms had shown that Ames had drawn
a check to s. G. or bearer on June 2Oth,
as he had stated, and that this check had
been paid to some one on June 2lst
Uolfax's bank account had shown that,
on June 22d, the very next day after the