Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-02
SENATOR BLAIR,
The "Mysteriots Senator" So Often Al
Iuded to in Shepherds Testimony,
Examined Before the
Foreign Relations Committee - The
President of the Peruvian Com
pany Given the Lie.

WASHINGTON, May 1--Senator Blair ap-
peared before the Foreign Affairs Committee
to-day, and began by reading general state
ment in relation to the subject under investi-
cation, in effect as follows: 81 know nothing
of the membership of the Peruvian Com
pany, except President Shipherd. L do not
know of any member OF either House being
in any way connected with il except myself,
and my connection with il was purely as
counsel, with no pecuuiary interests whatever
in the company, and with no expectation
whatever of any pecuniary reward"
The statement then rehearsed at some
length the situation OF affairs in Peru and
Chill, and the writer's sympathy Tor Peru,
and the desire 10 prevent her dismemberment
which led him to take an interest in the pur-
poses and objects of the Peruvian Company.
Some time in August Shipherd wrote offer
ing witness as a retainer stock in the COM
pany. Witness replied that he preferred the
retainer in money if he took any. Shortly
after he (Shipherd) sent witness some scrip,
which he subsequently retured for reasons
already set forth.
Witness continued: So far as / know the
affair of Shipherd had no influence whatever
upon the policy OF our government, and never
had the effect to alter or change it in any
conceivable degree.
Witness then alluded to the interviews with
Secretary Blaine, which took place on the
25tb and 18th of July, and added: 1 have
no desire to go over in detail what occurred
at these interviews, unless it be the wish of
the committee that shall do 60. l desire to
state that never heard Shipherd make any
mention IN the presence of Blaine, or on any
other occasion in my presence, of his having
made an offer to Minister Hurlbut of $780,
600 worth of stock in the Peruvian Company;
neither did l ever have any correspondence
with Minister Hurlbut on the subject of the
l.. \
a letter from Hurlbut but never answered it.
In the letter Hurlbut mentioned having re-
ceived many communications from Shipherd,
and said that he could not make him (Ship-
herd) understand that ne (Hurlbut) could
not act in the matter except on instructions
from the state department.
Witness fret saw the long letter of Ship
herd to Walter Blaine when he saw it in the
printed report OF Shepherds examination be-
fore the committee. He had, however, been
requested by Secretary Blaine to inform
ShIpherd that he BLAINE did not wish him
(Shipherd) to hold any correspondence with
any of the subo-dinates of the state depart
ment, and this desire he had verbally con-
veyed to Shipherd. Witness knew nothing
of the Credit Industrial or their contract
with Calderon.
Inrelation to his Blair's) letter to Shipherd,
in which he says you should act though
American ships of war were on the way, witness
believed our government ought to consider the
kidnapping of Calderon as a breach of good
faith toward his country, and while he did
not at that time entertain the slightest appre-
hension of any war, he had thought it likely
that American ships OF war would be sent
to South American waters as English ships
had already been.
Representative Blount stated that he
wished to have Blair's statement in print
before proceeding with any further exam
ination, and the committee went into secret
session.
Blairs examination will be resumed
Wednesday or Thursday.