The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1884-06-05
W1A1 I'm On AH8'DaAY.
Interview Showing the Causes Of tho d
xnt1uro.

Interview Showing the Causes OF tho 1aS
whist is your opinion of Mr. James D. Fish's
statement regarding letters which passed be-
tween the general and himself relating to gov
ernment contracts?'" asked q reporter of Col
Fred Grant
II never heard Of such letters before I saw
Mr.. Fish's statement"
HAS the general?"
GAS to that cannot say. know ono thing.
however, and that is that father IL alnnos'
broken down by the assertions made by Mr..
Fish This has come upon him like thun-
derclap, and 1t finds Him as much anprepared
as when the crash came. He was 80 stunned
by tho statement printed that it has almost
brought him to his bed again"
.o1 ls 1t not true then that the general was in
terestcd in Wards colossal government con-
fits thus Obtained!"
ono, sir; that is, father assures me that he
was never 80 Interested"
"No, SIR" chimed in Jesse as he knocked
the ashes from fragrant Havana and twirled
anifty bamboo. 81 guess the reputation of my
father for veracity will bear an exceedingly
Favorable c0nlparison with that of Mr.. Fish
among all right minded and unprecedented pcO-
pie. When he says that he was not interested
IN this government contract business say he
wasn't His word is all want, and think it
enough to satisfy all. You remember, as it has
already been said, that when father ascertained
that Ward had been trading on his name in his
alleged government contracts, he became ex-
ceedinely cnraged and threatened to have moth
ing further to do with him. Ward assured him
that it was all q mistake, and father, suppose,
took his word for it,
tsWhr ia il that the General saams IN unw;11
ing to make a statement as to his side Of the
casey" asked the reporter of the colonel
'Simply because he is not anxious to rush
into print until he knows where lie stands.
When Ward and Fish and the rest of them
have tired themselves with making affidavits
and statements for the newspapers then pos
sibly father may be induced to fire q bQradside.
am confident that the public believes general
ly that father is innocent of all wrong, in this
matter, and that he would not permit his
name to be used to secure business Tor firm
Of which he is partner from this govern
ment'"
PROBABLE ExPLANATioN.
An intimate friend Of the Grant family said
that he had just spoken with Col. Fred Grant.
He had in confidence informed him that the few
dollars in his pocket was all he possessed in
the world.
CAS- to those photographed letters about
which there has been SO much talk, | cannot
uultc uuuelstalO luo OulV eOluuOu Call ec6
to the problem is that some time ago the gencr-
ais correspondence assumed such large pro-
portions that he was compelled to employ a
young fellow as private secretary. When in
vitations to soldiers reunions, balls, ETC., etc,
were showcred upon him he would simply tell
the secretary to mark upon the envelope two
Or three words of acceptance, or more frequent
ly regret, and leave the rest
to his scribe's Judgment Trust
ing everything connected with his business to
his sons, Ward or Fish, he CAME to think that
he must leave everything to their judgment
Therefore when letters werc addressed to him
by either Of the latter; he simply ordered his
clerk to reply to them, giving In substance only
what he wished to say. The scribe would en-
large upon what he said at will, and am entire
ly different impression of what he had really
said could be conveyed by the letter when
posted. Then, too, the general being 30 contid-
ing man, could be induced by such keen
trickster as Ward to put his name to docu-
ments of the true import of which he had but
little idea. l blame both the general and his
sons severely for the carelessness they DIS
played i'll leaving everything to these two men
Ward and Fish. As to where these auto
graph or Photographic letters are am unable
to say I neter knew Of their existence until
recently"