New-York tribune., 1885-03-28
;. ,u,,h a iettsr from Thomas

And vOf
4, James," etc.; have you any recoliecuoh "ne1 w
latter from Mr. Fish which this letter OF yours - P
parepty a reply and TO which 1t refers was sD0w
Won 20 Ferdinand wardi Al don't know Mr. ferui-
naud Ward transacted all the business and suppose no
brought the other letter to me and got TINS au""' ~
probably delivered it to Mr.. Fish.
o-But you have no present recohectioh aS W "
that wasi A.-No present recollection
oYour letter which you havejust identineu ioioi' ~
letter of Thomas L. James, president OF the Lincoln
National Bank, aud 1t says: "A copy OF your ,,
Mr. Fish,sreply to the letter Of Mr. James as lncoseu
IN the letter" OF Mr.. Fish; have you IN your poSe
either Of those lettersl A-No sir; have not.
o-Do YOU know what has become OF them' Anu
sir presume that went back to Mr Fish
o-In this letter which you have identified you say
that you have appointments ETC., $50 that may no' ~
able to come down to you to-day, but IL can vi"
see you before o'clock" Do you remember whetnoi "
not you did Mr. Fish on that dayf Al sho'iu
did not my recollection is that did not see hil'
o-Do You remember whether on that day ana suoSe-
queltly to the writing Of your letter "hion you
1ust identified you wrote to Mr. Fish another letter'
No; don't think did.
N yorr racollecton ia not distinct, suppose, upon
.hat ponti A-No or course can identify any letter
that ever wrote II 1t Is written in my own handwr
ing. ~
o-I show Won another letter. A.-Of the same datef
+oT oTfhat Is yonrsI A. texamnng the lettep-Wel the
letter is not but the signature should rather guug
was mine Further examining the letter. naNo 10
idea OF that thing Inotce popularity ABOUT tne ie
ter "t; don't think any person else woa INA she t t an
sSis .ignatnre might be made by might not But
/ don't remember the letter at all OF COURSE uiu"
write IL. a any body can see. ~,
oWHaye yon any doubt General, to the signature
Sst t6st oos to me as though
have made the s" there, and the whole OF II cos t
skifu orger write name as nearly correct as .ns
is done the crossing OF the Is otSusnI non m
and stopped little abruptly might 90 that allnoS as
well as anybody else suppose. But do not suppose
that knew the contents OF t9e et.eT az h Vnrv
often for Mr. Ward also for Mr. Work In other mat
tsrs had an office N S9at tSnE mE %oF ever put be-
fore me anything sign that was not proper nave o
reason to believe but did sign papers LOT oeonV
purposes for both these men constantly. ,, a..
[The letter last shown to the wltness 10 haiA0u i
The ght state here. although don't know
whether would have any effect or not tha AZ tne t nm
some money that my son had saved for me while was
gone abrOad-some money that had ett ana wnon M @ ne
had so managed that had saved some OF IT, ana he pro
posed TO let half his interest in the hrm 50 nal
have an income to live %pSna na aGs ner hSt the
arm generously concluded to let me in as half partner
eral--generously, as thought at the time
Crossexamined by counsel for the Government: -,
a Which YOU were accustomed to reach your office IN
the morning when YOU were staying at Long biau On ~
fas fast tn % have forgotten the me but think
$3.50 some minutes after That II ieL9 EonS S,as 0
station; & Or rather aer eit 4r. NEST Lna S'''OH
Q.-So that you would reach your once az some 'ir @
after 10 O'clock A-By that train would reaca my my
oce just about 10 o'clock Il it was not detained some
times ect the r1n Vas IN aSoS my arriving time at the office
Odd you observe in the letter when you receiNeu @
identhed by yon and marked for Identification g A."
being the letter first shown you and which Is sntre IN
your handwriting, answer, any re1erehce, 10
SGoyernment contractsi A.-No there was not; had
told Mr. Ward when it was mentioned sontracss 5Gss
there. There is nothing wrong IN Delng h
sta els made
individual but had been President OF the
and did not think it suitable for me to have my
name connected with Government contracts, and knew
that there large profit IN them except Dy asho
est measures There some men who get Government
contracts year in and year ont, and whether they man
aged their affairs dishonesty to make Pront or not
they sometimes supposed TO- ana ala not thihA "
o@And YOU did not find in that letter that you re,
ceved any reference to anything OF that sorti Al ua
not find anything Of that Sort or should nave s9pPeu
but matter OF fact may never have seen tnal
Bir Ward may lust simply have given statement OF
the contents OF that letter when at his once 80,
frn of Grant K Ward to the Marine Bank A-Well
knew that Mr.. Ward was director there ana seemed
20 have great deal do with it, but never suspected
there being anything wrong about ostard IL that the
fffn of Grant & Ward had engaged IN GOV
ernment contracts furnishing money to oe nsed m
bat one contract that ia, who're he sara there was
transaction OF that kind. and questioned MN @ 200
md he said he had lust been ont ana bought ooOoOO
bu hels Of oats think 1t and that theTe was qe
sSS abS tSa me the date When de
ered-and that the contractor hadn't the mohey W w
stimulated amount but the contract was 70 olheI
parties And said that did not see that mere was was
aanvtninp the matter with that The man nad a con,
tract from the Government for quantity OF oat' anu
was an article that ooaId Sd oS ddn see ANY
thing wrong in that, we had no contract ihen aer
ward began to hearand that wasn't long before the
faure-whispers around that he saying that ne had
Government contracts and questioned nun ABOUT ~,
and he said that he had no sucn thhg ne au 'na' no
wouldn't do anything that was going TO lnure me, OF
anything that requested him not to ana ne sala tn, @
he had no contracts anywhere IL had been SAID that
he had city contracts and he much as SAD 10 me th
he very well acquainted win the Guy ton be
city, and told him that didn't know whetnef tIere
CIV and those mails by the Government the Uuted
States that is concerned; ana then ne tol NC
the Government Of the United states with the City OF
NewYork that the way he did waSsna nam ne bas ss's
section of railroad" and don't know weat toaa ~
was; 1T road going through PlttsGlIgoi I'M .aiha
had section of that road TO build and De said that
and his tools and his little engine and everything
that needed there, he could work 10 very mucn oee
Ward were to let hn the TO get along with
Well" said, 1t doesn't seem 70 me tAat tnat Is very
good security; shouldn't regard that a. very good Sc
curty your money and mine; man that mas taken
contract and can't pay for the horses anu steam eng %
and picks, and ploughs and shovels ana 50 on, can Pe
very good security for our money "Oh, OUT, ne
says keep the contract IN our S sos6 he sad
held back 10 per cent until the WORK was uOhs anu hey
what length OF road that was they paid for but they
kept back 10 per cent Of the contract anG lnat S 'ns
way he explained IT, and suppoSeotha 10 was hoo VI
a business than l was.
Odd Mr. James d. Fish ever ask you any questions
about Government contracts . A.-No, Sir; am very
sure he never did. / know that If he had asked me
should have Tepudated them and said II DC pos
Bible. 5000
Odd he at any time after the 9th day OF july 1851
consult with you regarding the business oI h9 urn VI
Grant A Wardi A-No. Oh have seen him, but | am
very sure that did consult with HIM There was
one occasion, which think must have been III 1855
when we the western part OF Pennsylyanla
In the winter and Mr. Fish along and party OF gem
tlemen, and had special car. Ward was WIN the
party but he wasn't discussed that know OF al an
O-Mr. Fish was one OF the party A-les, sir, ana
Colonel Grant along, and there was MT Fish ana
Ferdinand Ward and Mr.. james X. Smith Mayor Edison,