Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-05
+. TIE PERU-CHIL1 INVESTIGATION.
mr.. SHEPHERD BEFORE THE COMMITTEE.
HIS EXPLANATION AND STATEMENT.
WHAT BE SAYS OF THE LATE MINISTER
HURLBUT.


THE PERU.CHILI INVESTIGATION.
Mr. Shipherd Again Before the Com
! mittee.
Mr.. Shipherd having notified Chairman Will
liams tnat he would be able to appear before the
| foreign affairs committee this morning, the COM
mittee assembled at half-past ten O'Clock, Chair.
man Williams and Representatives Rice, Orth,
Kasson, Dunnell, Lord, Wilson, Blount, Deuster
and Belmont in attendance. The witness failed
| to appear, however, and after waiting half an
hour the chairman dispatched deputy Sergeant
alarms to learn the cause Of his non-appearance.
| The deputy returned at quarter-past eleven and
| reported that Mr.. Shfpherd would soon be in at
tendance, that his delay was owing to a msunder-
standing as to whether he was expected to appear
| This morning or at pm.
LETTER FROM MINISTER HURLBUT.
| While waiting for Mr.. Shipherd, Chairman
Williams read the following letter, which he
| stated he had received through the State depart
ment:
"L1MA, March 18th, 1882
Hon C. 9. Williams, Chairman Foreign Affairs
| Dear Sir leave here on the 9Th OF April,
and ought to arrive at New York by the 25th. /
Will come at once to Washington. Read my late
dispatches p The United States is in bad way out
mere, In the line Of reputation.
Yours, 8. A. HURLBUr'
At half-past eleven Mr. Shipherd appeared and
GOOk MS seat at the witness table,
POSTSCRIPT-GEN. GRANT AND THE PRESIDENCY OF
THE COMPANY.
Before any questions had been put to him he
stated to the chairman that he had brought with
| him postscript to the letter of May 10th, which
his son had failed or omitted to send with the other
papers. but which he deemed necessary to supple
ment that letter. He then read the following let
ter, which. although it bore separate date, was,
Mr. Shlpherd stated, but postscript to the letter
! before mentioned.
MAY 2lst, 1881.
sir:-Since My letter of yesterday was closed the
remarkable letter Of General Grant to Senator
Jones has appeared in print here, and has already
determined my clients to reconsider their intention
10 ofer to General Grant the presidency OF this
company, and am instructed to reopen this parcel
ana add this 1ntimatiOn OF course my clients read
General M Grants ant letter through business only-but
Instructed to say that my clients will be glad to
consider any nominations to the presidency
De so gotd as to suggest Among many capable
men, other conditions being equal, we shall Of
course prefer some one enjoying the Presidents
Very respectfully, j. R. SHIPHERp
To the President.
Mr.. sHIPHERD EXPLAINS
After the letter had been read Mr.. Shipherd de-
sired to make an explanation which he deemed to
be due to himself and to the committee. He then
stated that the Republican OF this city had printed
what purpOrted to be a statement OF his {Ship-
he proposed to create sensation in the committee
room and asserted that he had never made any
statements for publication outside OF the commit
Tee room. On being questioned he admitted having
had conversation in the course OF which he
made statements somewhat similar to those de-
scrlbed IN the newspaper article but the person to
whom he talked was private gentleman, having
$50 far as he knew no connection With any news
paper and one who should have known better than
TO repeat the conversation. He (Shipherd) had
never authorHed anything OF the kind Tor publica-
Mr. Rice-But did you not make the statements,
or similar ones7
Ans-I did.
name OF the person with whom you held the con-
verSatiOn?
Witness demurred to this, and respectfully qucS
him as to conversations he might hold with his
friends outside the committee room.
reasaned WITH ths hasson' mce ana wilson tnen
citation, as lawyer, OF what the committee should
oeem its proper prerogative ip defining the range
and 1nt1mated that If he might be permitted to
read statement which he had prepared, he felt
covered all the ground OF their recent questions
Ihe committee decided to hUmor him.
Mr.. sHIPHERDs WRITTEN STATEMENT
Mr.. Shipherd then read from notes q written
statement In which alluding to the sudden death
OF Minister Hurlbut, he stated that he was con-
fronted by most unexpected embarrassment. in
aSmuch as the dead man had stood in the posi-
ton of chief accuser, and to go on would seem like
attacking the character OF one who had gone to
reply, but in justice to himself and the great in
terests which had been confded to his Keeping and
discretion, he deemed it his duty to proceed just
as II Mr. Hurlbut were living.
Mr.. sHIPHERD INTERRUPTED.
The statement was long and carefully pre-
pared one and Mr.. Shipherd had already occupted
some fifteen minutes In the reading, when he was
interrupted by Mr.. Rice, who said: speaking for
myself, MT. Shipherd. I desire to suggest to you
that, While you may state your own Impressions
OF the character of the transactions in whicn you
were interested, and your own motives in dealing
Gf1t
motives"
sHIPHERD ON THE LATE MINISTER HURLBUr
ItW1tness.-The question right here-as l under
stand 1t s-was there corrupt proposition in
tended to corrupt public officer7 When was
asked ai by the committee If considered Minister
Hurl6gt purchasable M and replied "Most unques-
cred him merely purchasable, but meant that he
would insist on being purchased, and on being 80
and that until he was SO fixed he would play doc
In the manger, and in every way in his power
tawart tn TT our m purposes 1 do not assert that
But do protest before that God he has gone to
meet that my motive was simply and purely to
now but to add that all my subsequent dealings
with him justified my belief. He never was pur-
chased, and all his subsequent acts were caicu-
iated 10 obstruct and Illustrate our purposes, and
In this he was fully seconded by his Chief the late
secretary OF State, with notifications that shall
:. Mr: shipherd then went into an explanation of
the reasons that had led him to make the charge
OF corruption against Minister Huribut, that he
had been in the pay OF the Credit Indust,-iel He
stated that he did not know that any such Official
charges were on record at the War department.,
but he had often heard it asserted and had never
seen 1t cOntradtcted. He then offered as part of
his statement copy OF the aurora Ne,cs in
winch the charges he had alluded to were printed.
Mr.. Rice objected to anything of the kind and
suggested to the witness the propriety of
observing the proper distinction between
legitimate evidence as to facts and mere hearsay,
Chairman Williams here interposed an ex-
PLANTATION, to the effect that when he put the
question to the witness which had been referred
to 1t was not his object to get an expression OF
opinion by way OF prejudging Minister Hurlbut
Dus simply to draw from witness his (Shipherd'sl
idea OF the character OF the transaction in which
he (Shtpherd9 was engaged-to obtain hts Judg-
ment as to what kind OF a transaction 1t was-but
by no means to elicit something to prejudge the
case or the good name OF Minister Huribut
Mr. saIPHERD - BE CROSS KxAxrNED
Representative Rice remarked :-"Mr Shipherd,
you have read very long statement Covering
good deal Of ground as lawyer, you should know
what range the committee Is entitled to take upOn
the croSS-examination OF O witness would ike
to inquire II you expect to withhold any facts
touched upon or suggested In your statement"
Witnes&-I don't conceive OF any facts in con-
nectton with this case that could wish to with
bold from the committee.