American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1879-02-08
INVESTIGATIONS.
The Potter Committee:


The Potter Committee:
The cipher dispatches, $40 in number, have
been placed in the hands of the committee hy
Gen Butler, who made a statement that they
We're placed upon his desk last spring by
BY the committee that the dispatches be
verified. A resolution that Mr.. Tildcn be
allowed to be represented by counsel before
tie committee was tabled by vote of the
the resolution. Gen. Butler was the only
member of the committee who opposed the
investigation of the dispatches.
st. Martin, formerly Deputy Sergeant-at-
Arms of the Committee ut New Orleans, was
called and testified regarding the affidavit
reeentls made by him, fharr,ne Representa-
oerats with the bribery of witnesses. Being
questioned at considerable length by Gen.
gers name appeared by mistake il the
affidavit; that it was Maddox whom
he refsrre" to. and as soon as he saw
and had it corrected. Being further pressed,
he said that he had no intention of doing Mr..
stenser an injustice; that 1t was a mistake
and not lie. Other portions of his affidavit
were declared by witness to be tr..e. witness
was then cross examined regarding his for
mer evidence before the committee at New
Orleans, and testified that il was false in
nearly all essential particulars.
Clarence Carey, attorney for the Western
Union Telegraph Company testified certain
teiegrans were placed in his haids Vter ii
was proposed to issue subptnnas for their
production before tile Investigation Commit
tee. The purpose OF placing the kilograms in
his possession vas to avoid, If possible, their
delivery for puplic inspection 1t was thought
Il subpoena would not be issued to him, 0w
ing III his position. He was finally, however,
directed ny the Executive toriti.,ttt"e 70 de
liver the messages to Capt. Whitney. Man
ayer OF the Western Union Telegraph Com
puny, Washington, ID. C:
Captain Whitney, the Washington man.
ae6r, IN compliance with a request by Nj,
Potter, produced a schedule showing over 300
kilograms delivered to tine Morrison Commit
tee He thought Morrison returned the dis
patches Other schedules were produced
showing kilograms delivered to the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Elections. When
the latter were returned to witness schedules
previously prepared were not verified by the
contents of the trunk, it being Immediately
0rton. Mr.. Nam Horne RF peffntendi,ntS aays
verbal orders in his tWnitney's) office to col
lect all political kilograms from the files and
forward them to New York:
James o. Green, an employee Of the New
York Office, testified to the burning of the en-
tire contents of the trunk containing the teie
grams as received from Washington Mr.
Mcmahon asked the witness if he knew any
thing of any kilograms being kept back from
those furnished in compliance with subpGnas
of committees? The witness said he knew of
some telegraphic correspondence being col
lectr'd ~ Tor to the issue Of suDDtHnas between
james NJ. Tyner and John ". Foster, the lat
ter of indianapolis. AT the request of lresi-
dent Orton, the witness sent the kilograms in
question either to Orton or to Capt. Whit
ferred to political matters, and the
impression formed by witness was that they
referred to the sale of some political office.
Witness subsequently remembered that one
of the messages referred to was a telegram
from Ty1ier about making two appointments
in the Interior Department. at salaries of 81 500
each, and asking Mr.. Chandler to do this, and
bank, so TINT it might be drawn in Indiana
polls by the Republican Committee. The
telegram also contained the names of the per-
sons to be appointed He could not remem-
Der what those names were, but he believes
one was Martin. Mr.. Chandler telesraphed
he had deposited the money as requested
Mr.. Brady, Second Assistant Postmaster
General, testified that he received lot of the
cipher kilograms from Evans, Representative
from Indians, W no received them from George
+. Bullock, messenger of the Senate Commit
tee on Privileges and Elections. bullock Is
deavoring Intellectually to decipher the dis
patches. TURNED the most of them over TO
william b. chandieE Copies OF some n Of the ne
the New York Tribune In the course OF
his examination, Brady said that he
count; went there at the request of President
Grant and Secretary Chandler, to "see a fair
count" was there about Il month and drew
pay the same as if he were on duty; Morton,
an agent of the Post offce Department, was
also there for the same purpose; witness
paid the hotel bills for his side of the party,
amounting to 81 ,0O0 for which he was rein-
bursed by Zach Chandler.
VIM. L. Chandler testified that he laid the
major part of the dispatches received from
Brady the same day on a desk in General
Cutters ONCE 1T MS nOtises NO one
was in the room at the time. Witness sup
posed that the General would have been very
careful of them and still thought so until he
saw them recently published. [Laughter.I
This was in the summer. Witness admitted
that he sent number of the dispatches to
Whitelaw Reid of the Tribune.
First Assistant Postmaster General Tyner
testified that the cipher, dispatches passing
between himself and John W. Foster, appa
rently referring to the sale of certain offices,
and between himself and u. Chandler, refer
ring to the appointment OF Indian agents, re-
lated wholly to raising funds in legitimate
manner in aid of the Republican campaign in
Indiana. Witness produced the telegrams
referred to and translated them for the Com
mittee. Foster went to Indiana prior to the
October election and endeavored to effect an
arrangement for securing the support of
some of the leading Greenbackers, for which
the sum of 5000 was appropriated by the
National Republican Committee. together
with $1,000 additional for general expenses.
A project to buy up the indianapolis Sentinel
was considered, but fell through. These Fos-
ter kilograms, it was shown, related eNclu-
sively to the development of the plans here
indicated. The Chandler kilograms were
sent pending the November campaign, and
referred to the furnishing of additional funds
by the National Republican Committee, Sl0,-
600 being secured at this time.