Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-09-03
TRUE STORY OF THE MULLIGAN
LETTERS.
Washington Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer.

Washington Cor. Cincinnati Enquirer
The nomination of James G.. Blaine as
the Republican candidate for President of
the United States recalls the famous and
exciting scenes of June, 1876-over eight
years ago. Blaine was then candidate for
the Presidential nomination. He was
member of the House of Representatives
He was acknowledged to be far in the lead
In the Presidential race, and but for the ex-
posure of what are known to history as the
Mulligan letters he would probably have
been nominated.
THE BEGINNING OF THE PLOT.
Some time in April or early in May pre-
ceding the June in which the Republican
convention met at Cincinnati, Mr.. j. ID.
Harrison, of Indiana, an nnplacable enemy
then as now to Blaine, caused to be printed
in the Cincinnati Commercial charge
which very seriously affected Mr.. Blaine's
integrity Harrison was a director, repre-
senting the United States, of the Union
Pacific Railroad. The burden of the
charge briefly stated was that the Union
Pacific Railroad had charged to some one
$64, 900 of the bonds of the Fort Smith
and Little Rock Railroad of Arkansas, and
that the real beneficiary was James G..
Blaine. A quadrilateral of newspapers,
supporting Blaine because they believe
that his innocence has been fully estab-
ishedl, rung the changes on the charge
until public opinion forced Blaine to ask
for committee of investigation. The in
vestigation was ordered by the Judiciary
Committee, of which the Hon. J. Proctor
Knott, of Kentucky, was Chairman. As the
investigation proceeded a sub committee
took more active charge of it, of which the
II Tho,,,
man.
Nothing of any special importance de-
veloped until one Warren Fisher, of Boston,
and the now famous Mr.. Mulligan were
summoned. Fisher had in his day been
quite prominent Spectator in railroad
securities In the Little Rock and Fort
Smith Railroad transaction he acted as the
confidential agent of Josiah Caldwell, who,
it was charged, was the man that gave
Blaine the $64 600 of stock. Caldwell was
at the time in Europe, and it had been i'm
possible to secure a service upon him.
Mulligan, of whom more hereafter had
been bookkeeper for Fisher. Up to the
time of the arrival of Fisher and Mulligan,
Blaine had met every accusation against
him, and the bent of the investigation COM
mittee was to make a report of exoneration.
Fisher was first placed on the witnesses stand.
1t was evident at glance, whatever might
have been his capacity therefore,, he was re-
duced through alcoholism to almost a
wreck His mind seemed to be gone His
memory was impaired, and his testimony
wholly unsatisfactory.
DIULLIGAN.
Then came Mulligan. AS his name indi
Gates, he was terrier, chuck full of Celtic
blood. He was a spare built man, with
malicious look in a blue eye well back in
his head a small red face more oval than
angular, with an intensity of expression de-
noting hate and malice At first his inclina-
ton was to be evasive. Then questions
were put to him which gave evidence he
had been well coached He was itching to
unload, but his cunning had planned so as
to make it appear that secrets were being
extorted rather than confessed One day in
the course of his testimony he indicated he
had some very interesting documentary tes-
timony. Following this day or two after
Mr. Muligan made his appearance before
the committee in state Of great excitement
He said that Mr. Blaine had twice called
upon him at the Riggs House; that at the
first meeting Blaine, on his Bonded knees,
haG besought him to give him the letters he
had in his possession. This was a CORE
spondence between Blaine and Warren
Fisher, which Mulligan, as Fishers book
keeper, had stolen out of the latters safe.
After some hesitation, and upon the prom
Use that Blaine would return the letters,
Mulligan gave them to him. Blaine kept
them few hours and returned them. The
succeeding night Blaine again asked to see
the letters to refresh his memory as to the
contents of one of them. Mulligan
again gave them to him, when Blaine placed
them in his pocket and refused to give
them up.
When lIulhgan made this statement to
the committee it created a sensation.
Blaine did not deny that he had taken the
letters, but he justified himself on the
ground that the letters, having been stolen
by Mulligan, We're not his property. They
belonged either to himself or Fisher,
and the latter declared that he was anxious
that Blaine, and not Muliigan, should have
them.
THE INVESTIGATION.
The committee, then, through Chairman
Eppa Hunton, demanded the letters
Blaine first asked time for consideration.
A day was given him. The demand was
again repeated, and Blaine plumply refused
to give them up. Then it was that the
quadrilateral of organs now supporting
Blaine. which then were bounding him, adj
Judged him guilty because of his refusal to
expose his correspondence. The commit
tee, too, had long executive session, and
had agreed to report Blaine to the House as
u
until the 4th day OF June. 1876, when
Blaine made dramatic scene in the House
of Representatives, which suggested to Bob
Ingersol his term of the "Plumed Knight, :"
afterward applied to him in his famous
speech at Cincinnati. Blaine arose in his
seat to question of privilege: He was
the very embodiment of rage and passion.
His face was pale and bloodle-ss No one
who sat within his hearing could
have failed to surmise that something
was coming. Thereupen he reviewed sue
cessfully what he deemed his persecution at
the hands of. the Judiciary Committee his
refusal, under legal advice, to give up the
Muligan letters, and said: re
when the famous witness, Mulligan,
came here loaded with information in re-
gard to the Fort Smith Road, the gentleman
from Virginia drew out what he knew had
no reference whatever to the question of
investigation. He then and there insisted
on all of my private memoranda being al
lowed to be exhibited by that man in refer