Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-05-30
Fish and Grant.

James D FISH president Of the Marine
hank, IN conversation with a T'Hbune repor-
ter related tho story Of his connection with
he firm of Grant and Ward After dcscrih-
ing his first meeting and early a uuaintancn
With Ferdinand War, he gives the details Of
me formation Of the partnership Ward
"i'nck' Grant and Fish each put IN 300 00O;
General Grant came IN later with $50 600
nv later. Jesse II, Grant with $50, 900 Mr.
Fish continues "Now as regards this rOy-
| "rnmcnt contract business | want to say that
| m t. the day Of the SUSPENSION of the Ma
rive bank had MT the remotest idea that
heSe contracts were not genuine, and that
had good reason for believing them 20 he
| r'nnine. | have allowed all that has been
said against my reputation and char C er
| because of the Transactions to 90 on
without contradiction bv advice of
my counsel and against nv will.
| Ion are the first and only newspaper man to-
whom have talked on this subject. and |
propose to give YOu the whole inside history
| Il II. have in my possession documentary
evidence sufficient to fully vindicate me
| In every patticular, and that evidence is of
no less value and importance than this: Il
ls contained in autograph letters from
| General Grant to me on the subject. On
July ., 1882 | wrote letter to General
| Grant, in which | asked him, amo' q many
other things, especially about these Govern
mcnt contracts using that very term Gov
eminent contracts" In reply to that letter
| | received two letters from General Grant
one an autograph letter-that is a letter
written body and all solely by General
| Gr'nt-and a sccOrd letter written by George
| +. Spencer, the cashier Of the
firm Of Grant & Ward and signed
by General Grant himself. In the
letter he states that all these trans
actions are all right and straight, and that
the PR fits are genuine. When these facts,
and various other facts, which are in nv
| possession, and which are in black and
| white, are known my vindicatipn will be
complete The original action. which was
| brought under the direction of J. Nelson
Tappan, was directed against me, together
| with Ward, but certain parties came to
| friends OF mine, and found means to show
| these letters of General Grant and certain
| other evidence of fair dealing in these mat
tiers to the counsel Of Tappap, and they
Immediately destroyed the papers that
| had been made against me, and brought
| he suit against Ward onlv for which
he is now confined in Ludlow street
| jail. These letters were photographed,
copies Of them put in the htnis of Francis
| n. Bangs and others, and the universal opn
| i'm is that they furnish complete vindica-
| ton Of my conduct in these matters. ]
wanted Gen. Grams Published some days
400, hnt have been overrulrd by my couu-
| ST. All the counsel have seen even those
who were not in my interest, both Demo
| rats aud Republicans, and the majority of
| those who saw the letters were d mccrats,
| Ill united in saving that to publish them
| would have disastrous Effects, aud begged
me not to publish them. They took posses
sion of all these things, think, to prevent
the possibility of my giving them out for
publication.