New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-11
vYSrFEJ0US DySAPPEAR1NCE.

MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARAACE.
In 1876. MIR. George w. Smith was the per-
sonal clerk or secretary of Governor lllden.
1t appears in evidence that he was on duty
nj the residence of Governor Tilden, in Gram
Grey Park, during the month of November.
Late evidence in the Marquette Mine case has
established the fact that Mr. Smiths relations
with Governor Tilden arc so confidential that
cipher dispatches of great importance, inyoly-
ing Mr.. Tidcns private interests to very
large amount, "a well rs his personal reputa-
ton, were sent by Mr.. Tilden'S attorney at
the West to George ". Smith, THOUGH obyl-
Dusty asking orders from Mr.. IiIden, and
werc answered as If by Mr.. Smith. though
conveying orders from MI. Illdcn. Mr.. Smith
himself. Young man apparently ahout tive "
three years OF age, tc-tiGed on Saturday that
the Marquette tclcgiam>, though addressed 10
him. were opened by Il director OF the COM
"panv." and he might rs well have Sald
probably, hy Governor 1ildrn.
Now, it j. q p1nf,l fact That certain tclo-
ol:.m, addressed to George u. Smith, during
the Prc-iIrntii contc-t H. 1876, appear 10
have my-tcrjcrsly disappeared That they
were ,ont from the South. and referred 70 IN
other di-.atrur, LuoVn to have been received at
Ncv-N OILS, J.. beyond question. ! ha. they were
actually received by somebody in tins city Is
capahir at plopf. Hrt Gr9f@c W. Smith, Mr..
I5,a- clerk being under oath, testified that
hc n.r.e received Them nor saw them. He
Va- unable to .ay Who H1d been ta.ing lIbcr-
ties with hi tclc.r1phic correspondence, but
~yorc tint lr bad MOI gwen auybOdy author
i.v to opcn message. directed to him, and did
80. know hat a}t.dy had done 50. More
oyc~. ne sworc that ice did not possess the eli
lhcr used By Mr. Marble ia Florida and by
Nr B,glcr il, Louisiana, from whom these dis
patches came. and could not have read the
messages il he had received them, but did not
get them at AL, nor show them 10 Governor
Tiden.
II is an Interesting fact that these messages,
though obviously intended tor Governor Til
den, like the Marquette messages, also directed
to Smith, do not appear TO have reached Mr
TIlden For Mr.. TIden was quite confident
that he had never seen either OF them. II
either had been shown to him by his clerk, he
could not remember it at all, and yet the
character Of the messages was such that
tnpy must have made a strong impression
upon his memory, if he had ever eX-
amincd them, or learned Of their contents.
One specially urzcd him to see Marbles dis
"paich to Petou,' aud suggested an applica-
ton 10 Mr.. O'C0nOr for his LEGAL opinion in the
Oregon matter. It Is in the very highest
degree Improbable that Nr. Tildcn could have
wholly forgotten such Il message. while rcmem-
bcrlng, with such intense dstInctne>s, other
events of the same date and subject. Another,
1 q. - al t...Il of
tue cXlc. condition of the count in louisiana,
in which the Returning Board were then
engaged. Of the ailangcmcnts Of lis friends
to "pIeyent trading aud Of the pros
poet of success. 1t is peculiarly inlplob-
able thai any friend Of MIR. Tiiden,
il me had received such a dispatch, wonld
have suppressed or concealed It, because
there was not word in it of c0mpromis-
inc nature, and it conveyed news Of much
importance. Subsequent dispatches from the
same person to George W. Smith, may have
been less discreet. But nobody could have
concealed or suppressed the "Bigler 10 Tildcn'
dispatch in order to hide other dispatches
not get scut from a distant city.
On the whole, it Is decidedly important to
know what other person really opened aud
read Mr.. G.. ". Smiths kilograms i'll the month
of November, 1876. For his kilograms were
in the fatal double cipher used by others for
the transmission Of corrupt propositions and
for replies. It might have been supposed that
Governor Ti!den opened and answered Mr.
Smiths dispatches, as he did in the Marquette
matter knowing that they were intended for
him. and having more right than anybody else
to see them But Mr. rllden has sworn that
he never had a cipher at that time. nor could
use one. Of course Mr.. Tiden must be credited
lie could not possibly have opened, read and
answered these dispatches addressed to George
W. Smith No. . Gramcrcy Park. But the
question is, Who did?