The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-27
v,n ~ a rEsACE MAILER.
Making Use Of TA.eats to Get Out Of jail
Was Is Conspiracy?

The many failures and disturbances in Wall
street t.,i,ss.5 he past two months have caused
the recollection of the Grant g. Ward failure to
become di1nmed When the publication of the
silt ,roUgnt by Mr.. William 81. Bingham against
the Young fnancier revived it. the subject had
almost passed out of public notice Some of the
facts underlying this suit were yesterday made
known to reporter. and they unfold a new and
startling chapter in tie history of one of the
most colossal swindles in financial history.
II viii be remem bered that Mr.. Bingham re-
fers, IN his affidavit submitted to Judge OGor-
man, TO the very peculiar CIRCUMSTANCES atVeno
ing the inlprisonInent of Mr.. Ward in the suit
for 1920 OO6 brought against him by ex-Cham-
beri;siil J. Nelson Tappan, that Ward had not
yet answered the complaint or given bail Mr.
Bingham added that he was cognlzant OF ne
eosiations going on between Mr.. Tappan
and Ward looking to withdrawal of the
suit and the consequent release of Ward. The
principals in the case, when attempts were made
to get at facts in regard to the negotiations,
were dumb, and declined to furnish any inform
alton. Mr.. Bingham said that he was aware
that negotiations were going with the avowed
object as stated above, but he was in the hands
of his counsel, and must therefore decline to say
anything His counsel, Messrs. Sewel Pierce
& Sheldon, admitted that they were in posses
sion of information showing that such negotia-
tions we're under way but beyond this had moth
ing to say.
Mr.. Ward, from the recesses of his cell, refused
to be seen, and when a note was sent up asking
for the information it was returned unopened
His counsel, Mr.. w. a. Shepard. when visited,
was very polite, but on being asked what truth
there was in the rumor of the proposed compro-
mise said: s,You must excuse me; have moth
Ing to say The same ignorance was shown by
all the parties who have figured prominently in
the case, but none of them denied that such ar
rangements were in progress A gentleman
thoroughly cognizant of all the facts in the case
however, gave the full history of the negotia-
tons as follows
AL
that whoever was chosen President in Novem
Der would make stupendous political blunder
if he did not make Ferdinand Ward Secretary Of
the Treasury, as he was without doubt the most
successful fnancier thus far produced The fact
is, he is not only fnancier, but his methods as
revealed since his imprisonment, show him to be
a colossal conspirator as well. am fully aware
of the circumstances under which Mr. Bingham
is bringing his suit, and they show system and
method on the part of Ward and his associates
almost impossible of belief.
1T is now certain that the fraudulent and
mythical contracts which formed the basis of
Wards swindling operations had been carried on
only for year prior to the failure Of the firm,
and the millions which are reported to have been
swallowed up were taken and divided up between
Ward and others, who, it will be shown, were
partners in his scheme One of these was Mr.
William s. Warner who had been his associate
for several years He had a seat in the Stock
Exchange, and when he sold it he was obliged to-,
and several members of the Stock Exchange
fbem money which notvOith STANDING his i'm
mense profits is still due. He paid $780,
600 for Amos Cuttings place at Long
Branch, and when he purchased his
question of nrice was hardly considered 40 rich
had he become, and the millions he was reported
as having put in were simply a blind to enable
him 10 carry off T ,,raeurna for Mr. Ward +ba
enornoms s;,ros lost bv other conidinc victims
saThe facts in regard to Mr. Binghain7s snit are
these Mr. BINGHAM mt n ahont Ar. 200 ~ his
own. and 4 much larger sum belonging to rela-
tives and friends. When Mr. Tappan brought
his suit resulting in the imprisonment of Ward
Mr.. Bingham realizing that the assets Of the
Arm were absolutely nothing concluded NOT to
engage in any LITIGATION looking toward a re-
coverv of his advances. He did nothing until he
was informed Of The negotiations locking to q
withdrawal Of Mr.. Tappan's suit On becoming
coonizant of the pecuiar methods adonted nv
Ward and his associates to compel this with
drawal and fearing that in the delicate state Of
Mr. Tappan' s health-he is at Schroon lake yery
il-success would follow. and that Ward would
escape and enjoy his plumber Mr. Bingham de-
termined 10 put stop to any such proceed
ings. and have Ward held until he was forced to
disgorge some if not all of his plumber
s'The manner of bringing Mr. Tappan to con-
sant to Wards release was the boldest that can
be conceived and makes it evident that Ward is
not the dashing and reckless Spectator he has
been thought. but cool, calculating schemer
who had from the start realized that detection
was certain and had taken every precaution to
protect himself, and at the same time get away
with the Doodle Through his associates Ward
represented to those acting on behalf of Mr.
Tappan that it was useless to keep him in jail
that he had saved nothing out of the wreck, and
that the best thing to do would be to let him 60
Mr.. Tappan resolutely set his face against such
a course and the prospect of Wards release was
as distant as ever
He then informed Mr. Tappans representa-
tives that during all the relations which had ex-
listed between them he had preserved every
scrap of correspondence which. had passed be-
tween them, not only that relating to business,
but that on purely social matters also. There
were many things in these notes that would II
said seriously compromise Mr. Tappan if their
contents should become known The LAWYERS
were told that this correspondence was in the
hands of Wards numerous counsel and would
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