The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1884-09-03
Juggling In Regard to the Multi
gan Letters.
Reading Them Only Pretehse-HOW the
Mulligan Man Nulliiied the EvI-
dence of Proctor Knott.
The Sunstroke Statesman Equal
, to the Emergency, and, Fox
Like. Escapes.
CHINEE JIM.
Did He Read the MulIigan Letters?-rhe
Plumed knights Great Feat of Leger-
demajn.

PIumed knights Great Feat of Leger-
demain.
'Ah Sin was his name,
And do not deny
That to willy Jim Blaine
The same might apply.
staT Special to the Sentinel
CHICAGO, Sept. IL met to-day an ex-
Congressman who occupied a seat on the Re
publican side of the House in the Forty
fourth session. He is a gentleman OF ma
tiOnal reputation, but more as scholar and
lawyer than politician. No nam enjoys
higher repute for integrity in either public
or private lite HIS accustomed reserve gave
wsy for an hour while the character and po-
litical methods OF James G. Blaine were un-
der discussion.
"Of all men, said the ex exCongressman,
"who have paraded in politics Jim Blaine is
the most daring schemer His brilliant aud
knightly record is made up largely of fight
ing out of scrapes. Totally devoid of physi-
cal courage, he will resort to hazardous
tricks dependent on brazen impudence and
subteIfuges for success. Now there is not
another man in America with the reckless
audacity to brow beat Congress and Nation
as did Blaine when ne pretended reading
of the Mulligan letters
Were you in the House on that occa-
sionp' ] asked.
81 was within a few feet of Blaine when
be gave that performance. Connecting what
l saw there with incidents subsequently
coming under my observation and to my
hearing haYe long since doubted whether
it was the Mulligan letters Mr., Blaine read
FROM"
On my requesting something narrative of
what be had seen and heard, the gentleman
proceeded:
A TRAINED PRIVATE SECRETARY.
Blaine being on the Republican side. and
surrounded by Republicans, the Democrats
could not see certain shrewd by.plaYs of his.
He had manuscripts of some description in
his bands. but doubt if the nearest member
on either side of him could have had glance
at the chirography, holding the sheets as he
did. The nearest man to Blaine was his pri-
vate secretary, who sat Immediately beside
him. was where 1 could note the move
ments of the hands of both. The instant
| Blaine concluded the reading from sheet,
/ he promptly placed it into the waiting hand
/ of his secretary, and that functionary as
/ promptly relegated it out of the range OF
neighboring eyes. When Blaine mad so de-
livered the last letter sheet, his secretary
/ quickly arose and glided out of the House
''You remember that Immediately upon
his receiving the letters from Mr.. Mulligan
Blaine retained the legal services OF Judge
Jere Black. 1t was then, as now, an enigma
to me why Blaine, if innocently in posses
sion of those letters. should employ law
yer, though L believe he retained two-Matt
Carpenter being the other. 1t was just after
Blaine had begun what he indicated to be a
reading of the Mulligan letters that gentle
man walked into Jere Blacks room and
said: Blaine is reading the Mulligan letters
to the House Black sprang to his feet, ex-
claiming: What. that can not be- 1t is
true said the caller, he was reading them
when left Black, in tone of disgust,
said why the man must have gone out OF
his wits
BLAINE is A SLICK FELLOW.
"Jere Black and / boarded in the same
hotel and in neighboring rooms. The mex
morning was in his room, we being quite
intimate as friends, when he was reading in
morning paper what Blaine had read to
the House. ] well remember the halt
smile and the twinkle OF the bright eyes oI
the astute old lawyer as he pursued down
the columns what his client had read
What does the old gentleman think of the
Mulligan letters? / asked of Chaancy
Black an hour later. He thinks Blaine is a
slick fellow, answered Chauncey in a sig
nificant manner"
$50 you think Blaine played an All Sin
game on that innocent House?' queIied.
81 think Blaine played right bawer from
his sleeve" replied the ex Congressman with
laugh eff he did not why have the Mul-
ligan letters-I mean the original ones =
never been produced? Why would not
Blaine submit them to the committee inves
tigating the affair? When correspondents oi
the press desired to compare their reports oi
BIaine's reading with the letters themselves
why were they not allowed to do SOP Who
besides Blaine, from the moment of his OBJ
tanning them from Mulligan, has ever seeu
the letters? / believe Jere Black, in tht
capacity of Blanes counsel, saw them. and
that Black knew verbatim reading Of then
to the House would have consummatod
Blaines ruin. The so called Mul
lgan letters which appeared in the Goa
gressional Record from Blaine's own rendi-
ton OF them are bad enough, but in my
judgment they are white compared with tbs
originals, which no one was allowed to see.
AN AGGRESSIVE POLICY.
There is much talk Dy Blaine's hero
worshipers OF how he walked down the aise'
of the House, etc, making his defence But
that part of bis performance was given after
bis private secretary. with the sheets he had
been reading from, we're safely out of the