Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1880-11-25
CONFESSIONS
HEWITT AND BARNUM.

they are perjurers. Caught in the
trap of a vigorous cross-examination,
they found no door of escape. They
made it plain by their confusion OF
statement that they e false
swearers. They then broke down
and told the story of their shame.
They swore that there vas an 81.
L. Morey, and now they admit that
is a perjury. O'Brien swore that he
travelled with Morey; he admits that
is a lilo. He swore he saw the Chi
nese letter in the hands of Morey,
and he admits that is q lie. Then
both admit that all their testimony
given to bolster up the Chinese let
ter was a fabrication from beginning
to end.
Now comes the part Of the story
that will more largely engage the
public attention. Both of these adj
mitted peIjurers were sought out,
one in the east and one in the south,
hundred of miles apart, dat both by
Democratic committeeman. And they
were paid for their crimes out of the
funds of the Democratic national
committee.
The committee, if it were not the
originator of the forgery, accepted
it with unseemly alacrity, and chung
to it and circulated millions of copies
of it after it was denied and de-
nounced by Gen. Garfield.
In the face of the evidence of ex-
perts, in the face of a multitude of
facts sufficient to convince any but
those who we're resolved not to be
convinced, the prominent members
of this committee persisted in affirm
ing their belief in the g%enuiness of
the forgery.
Prominent men of Lynn, inclu-
ding the postmaster, mail carriers
and shoe manufacturers, denied
that there had ever been one III. L..
Morey in that place.
There was but one way to O%verturn
the force of this evidence. That was
to show that II. L. Morey had an
existence. Philip had no interestin
this showing. His guilt or inno-
cence in no way depended on it. 1t
could help TO one but the Demo
cratic party and its managers and
help them only by shaking public
confidence in Gen. Garfield'S denial.
1t was the one thing the Democrats
needed. And Immediately that
one thing appeared with suspicious
celebrity, in the shape, of a letter
from one Lindsey declaring that he
had seen and conversed with MOrey
and seen the Chinese letter in his
hands. And another letter from S.
S. Morey stating that he formly had
a relative named III. l.. MOrey. If
these latters were true they were
confederation OF the Democratic
position and the Democrats used
them instantly as if they had been
true. The fact that they had made
such instant and impressive use of
them betrays the interest they had
in them.
The Morey letter is nov admitted
to be a lie, and the public has some
insight into the methods by which
it was procured. But who wrote
the Lindsey letter. AS already
shown the Democratic committee
were the only persons most con
cerned in having just such a letter.
That they procured the man O'Brien
to personate Lindsey on the trial
and paid him for it cannot be sue
~cessfully cOntradicted. But O'Brien
did not write the Lindsey letter. He
was only found after the letter was
written, and, for a bride, became
sponsor of the letter. Yet the letter
was written. just such a letter as
the Democratic committee wanted.
just such a letter as the committee
would have written if they had die
tated it. And until the Democratic
committee thoroughly purge them
selves, the public will hold them
guilty of inventing the Lindsey for
gerry, as they will of suborning the
periuries of o Brien and S. S. Morey.
Who of the committee did it it is yet
impossible to say. But it passes be-
lief that such a thing could be done
by any except those high in the a
agement of the committee. 1t also
passes belief that any member OF
the committee who came in contact
with either Morey or o Brien could
not be ignorant Of their characters,
or Of the criminal nature of the tes-
timony i'll which they were %instruc-
ted. Men who could not pass the
scrutiny of adverse counsel were
much less likely to be guarded in
the presence of friends. They stayed
about the committee rooms. One
of them slept there. Both of them
were kept under the eyes of agents
of the committee. If the committee
had known or supposed they were
honest they would not have thus
guarded them. Turned in any
shape it has a black look for the
Democratic committee 1t has put
them ON the defense. 1t may be
IMPOSSIBLE to convict them in q court
of instiee as suborners of perjury,