The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-04-21
GEN, GRANT ON PERU.
APRlvATELETTER COMES TO LIGHT.
Interesting TestimonI before the ShIphtrd Ia,estl
Estlns Commlttes-nr. IIurlburt. . New
M forA Editor, Furnishes Spicy Chap.
ls4 ter to the Controversy. y.

WASHINGTON, April oO.-Wm. Henr,
Eurlburt, .lltor Of the New York World
appeared before the Foreign AtIairs Com
mittee this morning. The clerk read iron
shipherds testimony his description Of NJ
interview between himself (Shipherd} ant
llurlburt, in which the latter is saccreditet
with saying that he had seen and held il
his hands dispatch from Blaine 10 Minis
ter llurlburt, on which was written /
marginal note, 'go in Steve" or go i
Steve" f
Witness said: "The whole narrative o
this conversation with me is absolutely {
profound misrepresentation Of the facts
He sought m interview with me and stated
his case, giving me long narrative Of his
relations with Blaine a,d complained bit
terly that he had not been well treated by
tho Secretary. There is no truth in his
statement that I told him hnd seen such
n dispatch with marginal note. The story
he gives OF the instructions sent to the old
admiral, with contrary construction upon
the margin, was story l recognized
having heard before. He repeated this
story in n highly dramatic manner, and il
seemed likely that Blaine might have told
him the story, but I never gave him the
slightest intimation that l had seen the
dispatch with marginal note. Shipherd
has completely confused the real facts OF
the incident. It was my impression at
the time OF my interview with Shiphertl
that Secretary Blaine had taken this
method Of indicating that marginal note
might have been sent to supplement or
complete the instructions contained in the
body Of the dispatch. Ths Peruvian
Minister first relhted the incident TO me.
He said that in conversation with the Secrc-
tary he complained to him (the Secretary
that the department or Government
has not taken Just such n course toward
Peru, orsent such instructions TO Minister
iurlburt as he (thc Peruvian Minister) had
expected, and the impression l gathered
was that Blaine had told the Peruvian
Minister this incident to imply that he in
dicated on the margin Of this dispatch his
real views, which circumstances did not nd
nit Of his doing in constitutional man.
ner. 1t was simply an incident in my
mind, suggested by conversation with the
Peruvian Minister and didn't think OF it
again till my conversation with Shipherd,
when his relation OF the same story gave
me the impression that the marginal note
might have been made upon the dispatch
to my brother"
Witness said that his relations with
Blaine were OF n friendly character. He
had several conversations with him. The
Secretary had failed to convince the wit
ness that he {tlie Secretary was carrying
out the policy OF President Garfield; he
failed to convince him because OF his ways
and methods. Witness continued: "The
Secretary always suggested to me some
thing in the nature Of political hirt. As
n Democrat had never much faith in his
methods, though personally liked him,
and my brother seemed to have great con-
fidence in him" The last interview wit
ness had with Blaine was about the 18th or
18th OF December, just before the publication
OF the State Department dispatches; in that
publication there was dispatch disapprov-
ing OF his brothers course. Witness saw
Blaine several times between September
and December aud at no time did he (the
Secretary indicate that he disapproved OF
his twitness's) brothers. course. La
The witness had received several letters
from his brother in which he alluded to this
letter OF disapproval and expressed some
thing of astonishment and indignation.
Witness was asked if he had any OF these
letters with him and he replied he had.
fte then read the following letter from his
brother, Minister Iiurlburt, dated Lima
Dec. Q, 1881: s5g
"The Chilian papers are full OF that in
iernal Sbipherd and his pretenses. They
have been kicked out OF this legation and
! out OF the State department, but he ia IN
indefatigable nuisance. hope Slm. Ran
dali will call for all the papers in the de.
partment in reference to him and his af.
fairs. have sent all his letters back 10 the
department and anxioasly desire that the
correspondence be made public. have
fears Il hope not well groundcd) that our
Government means TO slide out oil
the American position here. My
personul talk with Blaine and
Garfield, OF course, will not appear in any
official correspondence, but it was the
motive for my action l think they will
throw ME overheard unless Congress backs
up the American line l have taken here.
Personally care little about it, but must
say that i'll Blaine's letter OF the 22d OF
November 10 me there was manifest dis.
position to hedge"
Witness was asked il he could state what
his brothers understanding OF his instruc-
tons were, and he replied: ''He under
stood that he was to have elastic powers to
carry out the policy begun by Evarts
to bring about peace between Chill and
Peru; to prevent the spoilation Of Peruvian
territory being made q condition prece-
dent OF the settlement OF the difficulty be-
tween Chill and Peru" In response to ii
question the witness said: "l do not un.
derstand that Blaine showed dispatch
with maginal note upon 1t 10 Elmore, the
Peruvian minister, but simply related to
him the incident referred to, 10 indicutc that
in that way only he could do what he might
wish to do. 2,,..
Witness had heard that Corbin, brother.
in.law OF Gen. Grant, once owned one
half Of the l.audcau claim.
Witnesssaid thatin conversations with his
brother, before the latter called for Peru,
no mention was made OF the Peruvian
company. His brother did refer to one
Shipherd and said he had been asked by
President Garfield to see shipherd and
look into the claim; also, that he had seen
Shipherd and had received, while in
illinois, several letters from him, one OF
which was brazen attempt at bribery;
that he proposed to take them to Washing.
ton and show them to the Secretary.
Witness ndy;led asainst this saying, "you
were advised by the President to look into
the matter; would advise you TO otake the
letters to Peru, get to the bottom OF this
thing and then send home 10 the Govern
ment all you find in regard to it. Witness
added, II am not sure but it might have
been better for Blaine il my brother had Il,
that time shown him the shipherd letters" "
Representative Williams-""How so?"
Wltness-"Because, if Blaine had seen
that letter he possibly might not hyve en-.
tertained that person, Shipherd, SO long,
as it &ere, unawures. don't know what
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