Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-12-30
OONKLING's SHARE.
Sayne, the spy, Tells ssGath,' That
Conkiing Got $1,000 Out OF the
Phelps, Dodge & DO, Job.

Jayno, the spy, Tells ssGath,, Tnat
Conkiing Got $1,000 Out OF the
Phelps, Dodge & Do. Job.
Gath" George Alfred Townseud) has
had a talk with Jayne, the informer who
worked up the Phelps, Dodge d 90. case.
Jayne, of course, insists that the firm was
guilty OF deliberate and conscious fraud,
since he would confess himself to he a
sooundrel were he to admit anything else.
Gath" seems to have been under the i'm
preston that the pretended report of Mr.
Bayard's speech attributed TO him the
assertion that CouklinR had received
80 900 This Ia a mistake, as Mr. Bayard
did not name any amount and the pre-
tended report did not attribute any such
assertion to him. It is necessary to notice
this Impression Of "Gath's' however In
order TO understand the portion of the in
terview relating to Conklipg's share of the
"plunder Omitting Jsyne's denuncia-
tion of Phelps, Dodge h Co. we make the
following extracts from the report of the
interviews:
"Mr. jayne" said, sis there any basis
for Tom Bsyard's imputation that Conk-
ling got any part of the money the
Government took from Phelps, Dodge &
90 ?"
"Yes," said Mr.. Jayne, ''he got IS 600
from the collector, surveyor and naval
officer as fee to be their legal adviser in
the case. He WAS perfectly justified in
taking 1t. 1t was the same fee that gave
Gen Butler for advice in the same case
S5 900 Arthur, Cornell and Latin came
to me and asked me what paid Butler,
and said $5, 900 They said they wanted
to pay Conkling fee, and would give him
the same"
"But I understand, Mr.. Jayne, that
they gave him $4,000 instead of
s5 600. That, I believe, is Bayard's
charge"
~ am not sure whether 1t was $5 900
or 80 OOO," said Mr.. Jayne. Il have
always understood 1t WAS $4,000. They
may have gone $5, 600 better.
4
"Conkling happened to be in the city,
and Mr.. Arthur, the Collector, Mr.
Cornell, the Naval Agent and Mr.. Latin.
the Surveyor, thought that In a case of
such grevity they ought to have a lawyer.
Mean; lie had telegrsphed to Lowell to
Ben Butler to come right on and advise
me, and Mr.. Conkling said as to the case
tunt III btPictuo6b tub htltieultut pTOutTtu,
OF 1921 ,000 was not sufficient; that the
forfeiture would amount to many times
hat sum, but that he would suggest to the
Secretary OF the Treasury to settle at the
sum had mentioned. We got the war
rant against Phelps, Dodge & Co. oriRi-
nally from Judge Bla,chford. As District
Attorney, Judge Davis was prominent in
the consultation, aud knowing the promi.
nence of the depredators, the Collector
and his two associates took Conkling for
counsel who was we'll informed In the
statutory laws and Treasury regulations :"
"Well, when was the settlement made ?"
'It was made during the month Of
February, 1873, at the Treasury Depart
ment in Wash ngton. Mr. Conkling was
present there for the Collector, Surveyor
and Naval Officer, and General Butler
acted for me They paid S27O, 600 90
Boutwell, objected at first to taking the
money, claiming that entire invoices in
what were these fraudulent parts ought to
be coniscated and put iu the fine."
How much did you get, Mr.. Jayne p
81 got 1854 600, of which l paid two
thirds to Field and Allen for their in
former, Charles F. Herve. l suppose he
paid them few thousand dollars as his
counsel"
"What has become Of Herve, now p
"He is beggar, walking the streets of
nights.
"How came he to get down so?"
"Well. he took that money and went up
to New London, Conn, and paid $ll 600
for house, which he purchased in his
wife's name The rest he put in $50
bonds of the United States, and gave them
also to his wife, who was an American
woman. As SON as she got the house and
the bonds she told Herve that she had nc
further use of him, and he had to walk the
plank. Then he could get no employment
in New York because he had been an
informer."
"Well, Mr.. Jayne, how much of that
money went to the Collector, Naval Office,
and Surveyor 2"
They got $16, 900 apiece, or each one.
third of one-foprth of the whole. They
gave OoDklipg $5, 900, az l have under
stood. and gave Butler $4,000. About
one-half was turned into the Fedora
Treasury"
Did Phelps, Dodge & 90. take any re
vepge?'
Yes They hired David A. Wells ant
old Hubbard, the telegraph expert, to Bel
up Bureau of Literary Information
compared to which Tilden's bureau OF
nincompoops was not candle. Thes,
two fellows began to write articles for th,
press, aud Phelps, Dodge & Co. gave on
Advertising to the amount of about 81 q,
900, 900, and, with the advertisements
would send these articles written by Well,
nd Hubbard sgitating the question o.
Christian merchants being bounded by
ibformers."
1 asked Jayne how much time Conklins
gave to this case to get in fee of Sc 600
Jayne said he was in town two or thu 81
days looking into the case, and bsside
WAS present at the settlement of it il
Washington, so we may say that Mr.
OonkIipg gsve one week to this work, ant
at 5000 week his services are wortl
$3.50, 600 year. 1t looks at this writin,
as If Tom Baysrd was altogether less reck
less in making his attack at Dover thai
Oonkling Il %. were in calling attention
to it Judge Davis, who has good nam
in New York, ought to bo particular.
incensed at the new prominence given II
his name.