The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-02-26

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ono Of these States would settle the matter, he
telegrsphed to New York asking II money
could be furnished. Witness said he could not
refer to any particular dispatches he would
q give the bones Of the transaction :" all the
dispatches which he sent were directed to
Henry Hayemeyer finally a proposition was
made to him by the returning board Of South
Carolina, Offering to give the State to the
Democrats for either 800, 900 or $50 900; he
ceived an answer which he understood as an
assent to the proposition he had never said
that South Carolina had gone for Hayes !; the
face Of the county returns was to that effect,
he understood, but theprecinctr returns showed
that the State had gone Democratic; when he
left South Carolina q representative OF the re-
turning board, named Hardy Solomon, went on
the train with him, by arrangement at Baltl-
more he met Colonel Pelton, who informed him
Governor Tilden, who refused to permit any
money to be used; the witness informed Solo
mon OF this fact, but the latter insisted on
coming to this city with him, to see if the
money could be raised outside OF the Demo-
cratic national committee the returning board
kept their decision open two days, as he was
informed, waiting for the result OF the money
negotiations ; on the day when the board was
compelled by law to decide, he told Solomon
that the money could not be furnished Solo
mon then sent a dispatch to South Carolina,
saying that the goods" could not be obtained;
Solomon stated the other eide had been
bidding. Mr.. Weed said that Governor Hamp
ton, Senator Gordon, Mr.. Randolph, MIR. Has
kell and other persons prominent in South
Carolina at that time had no knowledge OF the
dispatches or Of the negotiationsto which they
related although no had destroyed bis cipher
key, he knew that all the dispatches pub
1s,hoA ~ &hn TYshunn nnf NnrraNtIv
rendered not q dollar WAS ever paid by
him or by any other person to bis knowledge
to the South Carolina returning board they
merely made q proposition, which was de-
clined. Witness testified further in regard to
tho Tribune translations Of the cipher dig
patches, saying some Of them we're mistrans-
lated and that he had never sent one dispatch
which the Tribune published, with TRANSLATION.
as having been sent by him to General Gordon
from Baltimore the dispatch which he sent
General Gordon was entirely in reference to
court matters. After the announcement OF the
South Carolina vote witness was taken to
task by MIR. Tilden for entertaining q PROPOSE
ton to buy the State che said I should have
known better, and that I ought to have known
he would not consent to take the presidency on
any such terma. explained the whole matter
as l had engaged in it, and he replied that If
the presidency was to be sold he would have
uOLuluk w w Will ~ IL VAok LIZ "SoAA
not buy it of felons y did not know from
whom he expected to get the money
to buy the South Carolina electors
in explanation Of one of the dispatches he
would say that he would have bought Louisi-
ana and Florida, as well as South Carolina,
for they were all for sale. The next witness,
Mayor Cooper, made the following statement
to the committee: ~ saw MIR. Pelton just be-
fore he went to Baltimore. 1t was in the hall
OF Governor Tilden's house. BE was about to
get into the carriage. He said be was going to
Baltimore to see Mr.. Weed and some South
Carolina people, and that he might want some
money. I received q telegram next day, partly
in cipher, and asking for a large sum OF money,
$50, 900 or $50, 600. I was very much surprised
at this, and Mr.. Tilden said Mr.. Pelton must
come home immediately. I don't know If an
swered the telegram. No money was sent. I
know nothing about any arrangements to
spend money in South Carolina. I was treas.
urer of the national committee and made many
disbursements. I am ready to submit these to
the committee" Witness, continuing, said he
believed Mir. Weed went to Baltimore to make
some negotiations with the South Carolina re-
turning board; he did not think MIR. Tilden
knew this, for as soon as the telegram was re-
ceived he (Mr. Tilden) ordered Pelton home;
he thought any propositions by returning
boards were known to MIR. Pelton alone.
Colonel William T. Pelton vas sworn, and
testified that dispatches from Smith NJ. Weed
and others who had gone South after the
presidential ele ction in 1876 we're received by
him in care of Mr.. Henry H%avemeyer, who
was a personal friend Of witness. After testi-
flying in regard to q number OF dispatches sent
to him by Manton Marble from Troublesome
Of which he thought we're correct as trans
lated BY the Tribune, while as to the anthem
ITCHY Of others he was not 80 certain-witness
said he had received and accepted a PROPOSE
ton to purchase the vote Of Florida for $50, 600
from the returning board, but his acceptance
came too late to take effect. Regarding the
South Carolina dispatches from Smith N. Weed,
witness stated he assented to the proposition
to buy the returning board for $50, 1000 the
day before going to Baltimore be had q talk
with MIR. Cooper in regard to the purchase OF
the South Carolina vote, and to the best OF his
recollection that gentleman %disapproved OF the
proposition and consideredi it impracticable: the
next day, when in Baltimore, no received two
dispatches, one from Mr.. Cooper to the effect
that the money could not be raised, and the
other from Mr.. Tilden, telling him to return :;
after returning to New York with MIR. Weed,
he saw Mr.. Tilden, who made scme emphatic
remarks on the proceedings in question, and
expressed the opinion that the witness had no
business to do as he had done he had pur-
posely concealed the transactions from MIR.
TildeD, as he knew the latter would d%isapprove
them he did not think that MIR. Tilden knew
of his visit to Baltimore until after he had
gone there Mr.. Tilden, 80 far as he knew and
believed, was equally ignorant Of the negotia-
tons in regard TO Florida ; the witness did not
intend that Mr.. Tilden should know anything
about them: the information which he re-
ceived from Mr.. Weed and Mr.. Marble relative
to the intended purchase Of votes was not I'M
parted by him to Mr.. Hewitt or other members
OF the Democratic national committee. Upon
cross.eIamination it was brought ont that wit
ness did not r~eeollect the origin Of the ciphers,
and his memory as to other Interesting points
was not clear.
MIR. Manton Marble testified that he went
to Florida, on his own motion. to watch the
count Of the electoral vote in the Democratic
interest, but not at the request Of MIR. Tilden.
Mr.. Pelton gave him q cipher at the Everett
house. Witness asserted he found no Demo-
cratic frauds, but plenty on the other side,
and countenanced no corrupt dealings, but
transmitted to Mr.. Pelton, las warnings to
the Democratic committee, " two propositions
-one Of $50, 900 and the other OF $500 ,OOO-
to sell the electoral vote OF the State. TO
one he received the answer, proposition &C
cepted il done only once :" he put it in. the
fire and said nothing to any one about it.
During his stay in Florida he sent and received
QlbUhLCut6 LII lulS ClpucI dIu1Ooe onAhyy LIZ
had sent none to MIR. Tildena and cot none from
him. His understanding was tn the dis
patches reaching him from New York we're sent
by Mr.. Pelton. or the published cipher dis
patches he identified a number as having been
sent or received by him, and as having been
translated with substantial correctness; others
had been mistranslated, or had had g wrong
meaning put upon them. BE had not retained
his copy Of the cipher, having burned all his
Florida papsrs when he got through there.
Witness said he had nothing to do with any
dickering for the vote of Florida, and denied
all knowledge Of the despatch Of December 4,
which, according to the Tribune translation,
read "Marble says plan sent you Saturday
must be acted upon Immediately" He re-
pulsed all "plans" OF that sort on the spot.
Mr.. Paris, who wrote the dispatch in question,
was then called, produced bis cipher-key and
showed that for "Marble" the Tribune should
have read "Woolley'" the "indiscreet man
with whom MIR. Marble had declined to act.
MIR. T1LDEN ON THE STAND.
Samuel ]. Tilden appeared before the COM
mittee, was sworn, and testified as follows /:
He had read the translations of the cipher dis
patches in the New York papers, but did not
recognize a single document, either in cipher
or translation that he had ever seen before.
He never entered into any arrangement to pur-
chase the vote of South Carolina or Florida,
and had no information or suspicion that such
arrangements were being carried on until he
saw the dispatches in the New York Tribune.
he had no knowledge or dealings with any
parties to these negotiations. On the morning
Of November 20, 1876, Mrs. Col. Pelton men,
gone for the day, and later in the day he was
called upon by Mr.. Cooper and told by him
that he had received an offer from some party
to obtain for money the vote Of South Caro-