New-York tribune., 1885-03-31
JAMES D. FISH'S TESTIMONY.
WARDS LETTER AND THE CONTRACTS"
THY nASx PRESIDENTS BIG PROFITS FROM HIs IN
yEsrMENT OF 100000.

I.mss n Fish continued yesterday TO give testi-
mony in his behalf before Judge Deneuai1s a 1900
wore sneotaeles far out on his nese ana Pe2rco
through them most OF the day at tne entlIos .h g;
hook kept partly in his handwriting aud partly In III
thai o af to dsvs On Mr. Fshs otherwise pale
face but he shows other evidence OF excl.enoni'
lie said IN answer TO questions py nIs e a.
William Starley, that Ward had iirss spoRSn "a W
him of Government contracts In 1897, at waru
Thought that the contracts wonld be gooa lnVese
ment for the irn, but doubted whetrer tGG ,as na
had money enough to use on them. nc Wltness
agreed to advanre money to assist IN THESE in'oS'
msnts a,o.a = hook which was Kept at the
sngeest, on OF Ward There entries IN ~ OF
contracts that we're known by numbers only. Mau
kept similar book. On line with tno osa5 nu,nUo.59
OF the contracts were entries OF the s1pPPoGso.u pPPG.
profits In Wards handwriting anu the Wotu Ie..
tied in FIsh's writing rbe witness SAID ,lat% % wned
asS To- a certain ,monnt of money up to 100000
on notes which were discounted. lie supposou 'uo
money was applied to tho contract r,..u;,. A.
'Tbat is on the assumption, said DiSupcVA~
torney Root that there were contracts. A.
There never were any contracts said Mr.
Stanley, Mr. Fish. did you ever SEQ my ''-
II never did" answered the witness o., ,oa
He explained that tie firm OF Grant ~ war; nSa .So
N speclaI account with the bank in order that tne
contract business might be kept separate IRON to
other business cf the firm. Ward said shat the coo-
tracts were made out In the naraes CT ex-senator
S;ha1ee. Stephen b. Elkins and others, and were
for Indian supplies. ,..,
Mr.. stanley made further inquiries abo9t the cor
when the words :" think the Investments are sato
used in the note signed by Generai 1ran ""A'
be WiinsssTe Government contracts. understood
them 10 refer TO them aud nothing else; ,,. ,nis
Mr.. stanley-Did you ever speak 70 Waro aoou' Wis
correspondence with General Grant,
Mr. stanIeS~fcw many tunes did you General
Grant after the failure
MT stanicy-Did you have a conversation with him on
one of these occasonsf
49, fptrO OAYtati tionn N
sbont conversation which had not been the SUP
iect of inquiries when General Grant was exahReo'
and the testimony was not gwen. uooa
gaay letters from Ward and Fish were rcan;
Most of th-m wero short. They were almost an
about contracts except when some personal matter'
such as Mr. Fislis health was introduced keier-
ences 10 General Grant and his family were Ire,
qrent Several letters partly on business asu
partly personal were written In tue saInmSy ord oi
1882 while MIR. Fish was on Ills Vacatioh' "sru
wrote on August 10, 1857:
lam going to make up day an exact list OF all S q
ws assets and liabilities @ Of every k% IN Sa Snd is SeSs to
do. willing TO divide up al the assets we 'Vg Sd "a
SoSe o% 'nS %ho sH woaId T take up ali our Gov notes
Si7o. 500 fo- which we would give him the profits |
Snd them your mind would be relieved and could
seR r 0n Dn %sssS so@e Of Of have be
depOstOrs and amounts 10 their credit lou 500 h"S'
all of 1t is for the Grant family.
On August 81, 1882, he wrotei
lam very sorry you feel like giving mp the -four orders
give up but still II you say it must be done don't
want be the means Of keeping us so busy 9nc
better but can't tell how long they % n as aho 10
take Of these flour orders myself
Ward. on August 80 had requested the teller of
the Marine Bank to retain check for $4o, ~ ~
the bank for the day and not send ~ 'hio1Sn eo
exchanges. President Fish says that lie forbade
this action. Ward wrote to HIM, saying:
did to do what was rot right about m that
check IL can't get the loan ON these STOCKS touay
% sell them and pay tie money ln
have ordered the stocks sold, and II yon viii make
money for the stock to-morrow 1 did not think was
doing wrong or would not have doheit
The loan was apparently furnished, as pencilled
note of Wards ON the same date says
lam much obliged for the loan of $1,000 and am
sy sorry thaI dld what was wrong have have
did not mean TO do what would displease you you
The check for $4,000 can 30 through all risht now
To a written request for the discount Of three
notes of So 900 each, on September Is. 1852, Waru
added IN pencil:
Put these through to-day and win not use the money
tIi tomorrow That $4,000 Of the Generals IL to be
Deposited with the 2ist, when We Will bring pack
some of those notes from you
letter under date of October IL, 1882 says;
Bin Smith is away to-day so have to stick 70 the
Office have got TO pay for that 100 IONS oh OF ~ S, ~
we et too many these contracts go fear we will ose
nt All ts yoS sner M Rus viii g re from Nor
gan in few days and then VIII take Iheh O"eA' LUG
Grants are all away today
Avote which Mr. Fish said referred TO the ap-
pointm ment Of s. Hastings Grant as Controller by
Mayor Edison August 3. 1888, was read ward
said:
trant "a appointed will meet you at the hank nt 10
O'Clock tomorrow morning. Don't fail to be there This
h the biggest tbing for us
Mr.. Stanley read additional msnthly statements
of tho business of Grant & Ward submitted ny
Ward. They showed even greater income IRON
Mr. Fish's investment Of 800, 900 IN the capital OF
the firm than in the earlier months OF the firms
existence. After the middle or latter part oil the
vsar 1852 the receipts were set down as altogether
from contracts There were frem ten 10 twenty OF
the contracts referred to each month. Fish says
that he always received check for the balance
due him. hut il is noted that where he drew cash
the Grants usually left most of the money with & the
Arm MIR Fish's share OF the profits was In 1882:
Jnlv So 1874 AZ I August. 81, ,29S 10; September.
S7,27e 0s; October, $1l93 74j koyember. So
6e2 81 December, $1s.2s2 42 in lss3-JanSary
lie IL; April, $2l ,257 51; May, $50 0S1 O4
june. S52, ,6U9 go; July, $42.9l4 II; and August.
$l3.4S7 OF.