The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-07-06
NO23l.
McLlIGAN ENDORSED by BLAINE.

This James Mulligan, who was before
the committee and testified among 9th
erS so damagingly to these various
transactions which have been detailed
IN TINS lester, was for many wears the
bookkeeper and confidential man of
Warren Fisher, jr., Mr.. Blaine's friend
and broker and backer. He came into
the possession of these facts in that ca
pacity mentioned. Mr.. Blaine testified
to having known him intimately for over
twenty years, and further entitled Null
ligan to credit by saying:
"He is man whom have known in
umately for many years. He is man
OF intelligence and man of marked
character in many respects, but he is "A
man of very tremendous prejudices."
The five letters above given are some
OF those now famous throughout the
United States as the "Mulhgan letters.''
They were given to Mulligan by Fisher,
and the former, when called to
testify In Washington before the sub
committee in 1876, brought with
him these letters to bolster up his evil
dence, should it be attacked or ques-
toned. The manner in which they got
out of his hands and into Blaine's, forms
an exceedingly interesting and dramatic
episode in this crooked history. Upon
the second morning of his story before
the committee he took occasion of his
own volition to say:
GOING DOWN ON, HIS KNEES.
81 wish to ask the indulgence of the
committee for a few moments to make 10
personal and TO me painful statement.
When / first arrived in this city and
about fifteen minutes after my arrival,
there came communication from MIR.
Blaine to Mr. Fisher, (of course wish it
understood that am stating this under
OATH there came acommunication from
Mr.. Blaine inviting Mr.. Fisher and me
up TO his residence. declined to 90.
for the reason that | did not want il
said that had gone to see Mr.. Blaine.
| wanted to come into this committee
room untrammeled by any influence.
Mr.. Fisher went up to Mr.. Blaine's
house, or at least he so reported to me,
and he told Mr.. Blaine about certain
facts that could prove and certain let
ters that had got. Mr.. Blaine said that
if | should publish them they would
ruin him for life, or that if this com
mitteo should get hold of them
they would ruin him for life and wanted
to know If | would not surrender them.
told him mo- and that | would not
give them to the committee unless il
should turn ont that il was necessary for
me to produce them.
"After my examination here yesterday,
MIR. Blaine came up to the hotel, the
Riggs House, and there had conference
with Mr.. Atkins, Mr.. Fisher and myself.
lie wanted to see these letters that |
had. declined to let him see them. He
prayed, almost went on his knees-I
would say on his knees and implored
me to think of his six children and his
wife, and that if the committee should
| get hold of this communication it would
sink him Immediately nd uin him for
| ever. | told him / should not give them
| to him. lie asked me if would let him
| read them. said would il he would
/ promise me on the word of a gentleman
/ that he would return tn, IN o me. ! did
| let him read them over. IT. read them
/ over once and called for them again and
read them over again. He still impor-
tuned me to give those papers up. | de-
clined to do 1t. ] retired to my own
room and he followed me up and went
over the same history about his family
and children and implored me to give
them up to him and even contemplated
suicide. He asked me If | wanted to see
| his children left in that state and he then
asked me again If would not let him
look over these papers consecutively-I
had them numbered. told him would
If he would return them to me. He took
the papers, read them all over and
among them had q memorandum that
AtAh iiiNAt ~ way VI NllblSlN Ol lnt
letters, and referring To the numbers of
the letters, II synopsis containing the
points of the letters. ] had made that
memorandum so as 10 be able to refer to
here when questioned. He asked me to
let him read the letters and [
showed him this statement too.
After he had read them he asked
me what ] wanted t0 do with
those papers; if ! want d t) use them.
! told him ! never want, d t. use tn EN-
nor would not show them 10 the COM
mittec, unless when | was called upon
to do so. Then he asked me If l would
not give them to him. There was ono
letter in particular that he wanted mo
to give him. | told him | would not do
ii, and the only reason | would not do IL
was because ] saw il stated in one of the
evening papers here (the Star, think,)
that the Blaine party were going to COM
pletoly break down the testimony that L
had given yesterday; that they were SAT-
isiicd about that. | said | should not
publish these letters unless my testi-
mony was impeached or impugned. If
understand the order under which this
committee meets, this committee has
power To send for persons and papers,
and | want this committee to get for me
those papers. Mr.. Blaine has got them
and would not give them up to me-"
HE CONFESSES THE FRAUD.
Mr.. Blaine, before the committee, con-
fcsscd that he had obtained these letters
i'm the fraudulent and dishonest manner
above related, hut justified himself by
insisting that they were his letters and
that he aid not want to suffer the morti-
iication that would have resulted by the
publication of so much of his private
correspondence.
After repeated requests from the COM
mittee that these letters should be
placed In evidence, he ilatly and persist
emily refused to produce them. When
afterwards he rose in the House and
read such of them as he desired, with his
own plausible, running comment and
explanation, the "Mulligan Letters" for
the first time saw the light. IL was un-
hesitatingly charged upon him even
then, that that those read had been gar
bled and tampored with since leaving
Mulligan's hands. BE that as IL may,
they certainly, such of them rs we have
given herewith, point with un-
erring certainty 10 the most
shameless and criminal corruption
of which any American Speaker has
ever been guilty or even suspected by
the general or special public.
of equally interesting character To
the public just Mt this time is little
deal of the "Plumed knight" in small
way In
A KIND OF NORTHERN PACIFIC CREDIT
AuBiIIEH.
Mr.. Fisher was put upon the stand and
swore that the following letter, which
was published In the New York Sun,
was u correct copy of one received by
him from Mr.. Blaine. The many dis
graceful infercncos from the epistle can
not but strike the most cursory reader.
IL seems that for long time Blaine had
been promising Fisher a ''good thingr
In Northern Pacific. IL was evidently
something to come altogether out of tho
ordinary run of business, otherwise
Fisher could have invested for himself,
M he was u shrowd and speculative and
NnrN AnccoRSfIll hnRlnNSs mnn.