Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-03-11

The Stolen Peru Chitidn Correspondence.
The committee on foreign affairs charged
with investigation of the Chili-Peru cores
pondence, with view of fixing the RESPONSE
bility for the abstraction of certain state
papers from the files of the state department,
and also to determine whether any diplomatic
representatives of the United States involved
themselves IN secession schemes, the success
of which depended upon intervention of the
United States, consists OF representatives Will
liams, wis., chairman, Ortiz, indy K4sson,
Qowa), Rice, Mass Dnnnell, MIMI Lord,
mich }. Walker pa, Blount Georgia., Will
son wv. Va. Dauster wis.,, and Belmont
bubble - Francis O. St.. Clair,
chief of the consular bureau, of the state de-
partment, teslifies he would recognize the
right of the chief clerk or secretary 10 with
draw any papers from his custody, but no
other persons. Some time after the witness
was made chief of the bureau call Was made
for certain letters of the Shipherd correspond
ence. made search for a certain letter in
dexed in my own writing and asked Walter
Blaine if the secretary had it. He said he did
not know, but wauld see if sit was at his"
house. After this | did not hear any more
about it. Was under the impression that
either Prescott Or Secretary Blaine called for
the letters. In August discovery was made that
several letters were missing. L failed to ind
any OF them. | never said anything to the
secretary on the subject, and never heard any
thing further on the subject from Walter
Blaine. Prescott frequently called for papers,
and we used to let him have them without an
order from the secretary. 1 understood that
he (Trescott was in the employ of the depart
ment as counsel. No original papers are per-
United to be taken from the department. Tres
colt was investigating Chilli Peru, and my i'm
preston was that he called for them. No per-
sons other than those known to be employed
in the department are allowed in the interior
department 1t is my impression Prescott was
assigned to duty preparing drafts OF letters on
Chili-P5ru affairs. He had room In the depart
msnt, but I did not know that he had
any official position IN the department. He
appeared to act in a confidential relation With
the secretary. presumed the letters were
found st that time, IN August, and it is my
impression they will be found now at Tres
colts house in this city. I do not believe they
have been distracted from the department to
be suppressed or destroyed. 1t is not an un-
usual thing for papers to be lost months and
subsequently found in the department. In
other words, they are misplaced for the Time
being. One time someepapers relating to the
fishery question could not be found for some
hlule anu lTeScOlI subsequently lOuuu Lucu
at his house. His (St. Clair's) grounds for
thinking the missing papers may be ia Tres
colts possession, or at his house, is that from
the nature of Ire scott's relations to the de-
partment ia this Chili-Peru matter, he would
naturally examine these papers.
John Newton, in the index bureau of the
state department, remembered inde1ing let
tiers of May %, "a, and June 4. They were
marked, "Private; return to 49, - Ship
herd" Prescott never called on witness for
any papers; never saw Shipherd at the depart
ment, never heard of his having been there.
Representative Belmont called attention to
the gravity of the subject under investigation,
reading from the statutes as follows: EVERY
person who destroys or attempts to destroy,
or with intent to steal or destroy, takes and
carries away any records, papers, or proceed
ings of courts of justice, flied or deposited
with any clerk or officer of such court, or any
paper, or document. or record flied or deposit
ed in any public office, or with any judicial or
public officer, shall without reference TO the
value of the record, paper, or document, or
proceeding so taken, pay fine of not more
than SO 900, or suffer Imprisonment at hard
labor not more than three years, or both"
The examination of Shepherd Is expected
to morrow.