Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-06-06
I WzLT THE eiR ANrs SAY. \
aterview Showing the Causes Of the Sad
S LIZ q Failure. S@5st HI 6 81

x ~
Interview Showing the Causes Of the Sad
Failure. W ss#
What is your opinion of Mr. james d. Fl'ish's
:tatement regarding letters which passed be-
'ween the general and himself relating to gov
.snment contracts? asked a reporter Of Col
ti|red Grant # :s 4: 4 RI X
g never heard of such letters before saw
II. Fish's statement" lsssi
~ Elias the general?.' r. -. $5,g+.s.ss. :sS
''As to that I cannot say. + know one thing,
:owever, and that is that father is almost
,roken down by the assertions made by MI.
Fish. This has come upon him like q thun-
derclap and it finds him as much unprepared
as when the crash came He was SO stunned
by the statement printed that it has almost
brought him to his bed again.
sIs it not true then that the general was Ill
terested in Wards colossal government con-
fits thus ohtained!"
mo cir; that is, father assures mo that he
:as never SO interested.
mo sir,'' chined in Jesse as he Knocked
the ashes from fragrant Havana and tWirled
q nifty bamboo. :" guess the reputation of my
father for veracity will bear an exceedingly
favorable comparison with that Of MI Fish
among" all right-minded and unprecedented peo-
pie When he says that he was not interested
n this government contract business, say he
wasn't. His word is all l 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 cX-
seedinely enragcd 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."
ttWhv ia il IN at tho craNara1 caa1nS So 11DUi!
ing to make statement as to his side Of the
case?" asked the reporter Of the colonel
"Simply because he is not anxious to rush
into print until he knows where he stands.
When Ward and Fish and the rest Of them
have tired themselves with making atiidavits
sibly father may be induced to fire q boradslde.
l am confident that the public believes general
~ 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 a firm
of which he is q partner from this govern
ment'"
A PROBABLE EXPLANATION.
An intimate friend of the Grant family said
that he had just spoken with Col. Fred Grant.
He had ill confidence informed him that the few
dollars in his pocket was all he possessed III
the world
GAS to those photographed letters about
which there has been so much talk, caaIo
Gulte UnuerStaDQ. Inc only SOIutlou Gull hct
to the problem is that some time ago the Sener-
ais correspondence assumed such large pro
portions that he was compelled to employ a
young fellow as a private secretary. When H.
yitations to soldiers reunions, balls, etc, etc
were showered upon him he would simply tel
the secretary to mark upon the envelope two
or three words of acceptance, or more frequent
ly regret, aud leave tho res
to his scribes 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 we're addressed TO hin
by either Of the latter, he simply ordered hiS
clerk to reply to them, giving substance ONLY
what he wished to say. The scribe would ell
large upon what he said at will, and al entire
ly different impression Of what no had really
said could be conveyed by the letter when
posted Then, too, the general being 80 conhd
| ing man, could be induced by such & keer
! tric.1ster as Ward to put his name to docu
ments Of the true import Of which he had bu
| little idea. I blame both the general and hiS
| sons severely for tho carelesslesi they DIS:
played in leaving everything to these rwo mel
Ward and Fish. AS to where these auto
| graph or Photographic letters are am unablG
| to say. l never knew of their existence unit
| recently"