The Portland daily press., 1879-01-29
THE CIPHER TELEGRAMS.
The Committee Discovers How the
Tribune Got Them.
w. e. Chandler Responsible for
the Disclosures.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2S. - Assistant Postmaster
Brady testified before the Potter committee to-day
that be suspected the package given him by the clerk
Bullock Of the elections committee, and opened it
and had copies made. He then gave portion of the
originals, relating to Florida, to VIM. e. Chandler
and sent another portion anonymously to Whitelaw
Reid Of the New York Tribune. The balance were
given to Mr. Chandler and Mr.. Hiscock. Mr.. Evans
of Indiana, in giving Brady the package merely re-
quested him to take charge Of them. Some time af-
ter his curiosity was so great that he opened them.
As near as be can remember, he mentioned the con-
tents to William E. Chandler first The witness also
testified that he sorted and took out in the Senate
committee room those kilograms which passed be-
tween Tyner and himself If he could find the tele.
grams sent and received by him, he would produce
them. The witness had 1000 from Zach Chandler,
when be left for Tallahassee which he turned to
William E. Chandler upon his arrival. 1t is under
stood that William E. Chandler paid the expense of
some witnesses in Florida. The witness advanced
$1,000 to defray the expenses of the party and the
amount was refunded by z. Chandler.
VIM. e Chandler was the next witness. He was
first examined by the chairman. he testified he left
the major part of the kilograms given him by Gen.
Brady in the private Office of Gen Bntler, that gen.
tleman not being present at the time. He had not
had any previous arrangement or had ever spoken of
oupoS4uOhsiJ
package from Brady which was taken to his house
and examined. Afterwards he took it to the WASH
ington office of the New York Tribune, sealed and
addressed it to whtelaw Reid, to be forwarded to
New York. Chandler had frequently looked over
the dispatches while they were in the custody of
the Senate committee on Privileges and Elections
He recognized some Of these dispatches when he
subsequently examined those in Brady's possession,
He understood that Bullock had given the kilograms
to Brady.
Q-Had you the slightest idea any of these tele-
grams were of such character as to in any way in
jure the Republican party?
Al did not know of anything the Republican
party had done the record of which would injurious
ly affect the party. knew there were Republican
Dispatches in the packet.
Committee then went into secret session.
In secret ses it decided that Judge South
ard and Tyner be called tomorrow.
Mr.. Chandler being recalled stated he was unable
to say from whom he got permission to look through
the cipher dispatches while they were in the COM
mittee room. II might have been Senator Morton
Senator Mitchell He understood the Republicans
willing let the investigation of the dispatches
remain where it then was. was desrous that the
fullest Investigation be made. When Chambers and
Tilden's bank books were about to be called for
derstood stopped by representatives of Tiden.
Mr.. McMahon-How did you come to go to the
committee room to look for those dispatches?
Witness replied that he had heard from Gov
Stearns that some telegrAphers HAD testified that
while listening to the they had overheard mes
sages relating to money or troops passing between
Stearns and Oh an Witness was confident there
were no such dispatches and wanted to verify his
opinion. He made search but failed to find any.
Being asked how he came to know the cipher de-
spatches in the hands of Brady, witness stated
that Eugene Hale informed him because witness had
made bitter complaint from the spring of 1877 to
that time, with regard to the stopping of the invest
cation of these dispatches. He was bitter because
the dispatches he had sent had been printed while
the bonanza which he was sure could be discovered
if the other dispatches had been allowed an nvesti
cation was lost. Witness had no knowledge of any
abstraction of kilograms from the time they went
into the committee room to the time he learned that
Bullock had obtained those the committee are now
investigating There was no rumor that any of those
dispatches had been distracted or taken away. AS
to the dispatches he recently sent the New York
Tribune witness took no copies and his impression
was they related to Oregon, Florida, Louisiana, and
perhaps South Carolina elections The original de-
spatches Brady sent the Tribune never came into
witness hands. Butler had nothing whatever to
do with furnishing the copies the originals to the
Tribune that he had any knowledge of Witness fur
nished them IL or Is copies which they returned He
afterwards forwarded to them all the Florida copies.
Subsequently they received by way of Mr.. Hiscoek
all remaining copies of kilograms. THESE did not ia
clude the second bundle of kilograms which was
sent to Brady himself.
Mr.. McMahon-Why did you not formally offer the
dispatches to the committee.
Al liked Butler better than any ether member Of
the committe. (Laaughter) He was the only
member he could find willing to investigate the
Wormley conference and therefore he thought him
the best to initiate the inquiry into the cipher
dispatches.
Butler observed that he afterwards laid the de-
dispatches before the committee but none of the
members seemed de:irous of taking them up.
Mr.. McMaton to wtness-Why did you tnrn them
over to Rutler without notifying him?
Ale was not in his Office at the time,
Never told him afterwards that left them. 1
think he suspected it though. informed Hiscock
that left them with Butler. If had seen Buffers
reputation likely to be compromised by the pos.
session Of these dispatches should have promptly
informed the world that placed them there.
In reply to Hiscock, witness stated that when he
went to Tallahassee he received from Zach Chandler
check for $1,000 Paid to Morgan, chairman Of the
Florida campaign committee and it was used by him
to secure evidence for the canvassing board.
Witness also received $1,000 from John Brady and
few thousand dollars in some other ways, about
$4,000 in all. $1,000 were paid by him to Gen. Morton
and dsbursed by the latter The other $1,000 witness
himself dsbursed in counsel fees and some minor
bills and legitimate expenses He had already stated
that the work of preparing testimony for the can
wasting board was protracted and 1aborious They
took the testimony of thousand witnesses and the
case was got up very cheapy and thoroughly pre-
pared.
Butler-Did not you hear from various sources
open declarations that 1 had received these tele.
grams?
Witness-You yourself spoke to of the fact that
you had them, talked about getting them descipher-
ed and said you knew it could be done, but it would
cost some money.
Mr.. Mem ahon- And yet in all those conversations
he asked whether it was you who left them on
his desk or not? .
Answer-Not word. knew left them there
and suspected that he thought had.
Mr. Butler AS you said nothing about it thought
I'd better say nothing, for if you wished me to know
you would have told me?
Witness-We perfectly understood each other
General. %ts
Mr.. Evans was called and asked if he had found
the original letter from Bullock, copy of which was
read before the committee Monday. Evens replied
he had, and wished to know who wrote the COPY,
The chairman explained how he came by it. Some
weeks ago man called upon him and said he had
seen the letter which showed where the missing