The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-03-28
GRANTS DEPOSITION
In the Fish Trial Now in Pro.
gress.
A PLAIN, UNyARNIsHED TALE.
The Generals Connection With Ward
& Grant Before the Big
Failure.
Grants Deposition.


yesterday, by James H. Fish, oficia
stenographer of the court in which tn,
trial of Ex-President Fish. of the Marin,
bank is proceeding, was read TODAY il
court, General Grant testified as fol
lows, upon examination by counsel fol
the defendant:
By Mr.. Clark-You were a partner in
the firm of Grant & Ward?
Ayes sir: l am informed / was al
the time the failure took place. never
knew was anything else than a specia
partner, clear to the end. l paid in
$5O,0 first, and then afterward $50 ,OOC
more. | don't remember the dates. ]
paid in 500, 900.
Q.LOn the LIST of May, 1884, what did
you understand you were worth; about
what?
Al supposed that I was worth well
nigh to 100000. had no suspicion
OF any rascality, and, therefore, there
was nothing to conine my mind to any
snch dates. Regarding my first
acquaintance with Fish, I suppose it
was upon the introduction by my son
and Mr.. Ward. l suppose, if you should
go clear back, that it was my
son who got acquainted with
Ferdinand Ward through Wards
brother, and that the acquaintance was
led on to in that way The man was
supposed so far as l ever knew, to be a
reputable banker, until after the failure,
and IL was not astonishing that any per-
son should make his acquaintance.
had dim recollection, after the failure,
of receiving letter from Fish, while |
was living at Long Branch. l went down
there about the middle of June / don't
suppose that | ever saw the one that was
published. | have recollection of re-
ceiving the letter and sitting down and
writing an answer once, and the SUBJ
stance OF my answer was, that l had
good deal to do that had, and that it
was doubtful when should be able. to
go to see him. that if could, would;
but that believed the matters his firm
were engaged in were all right. Some
thing like that
Q.-Hayen'tyou any recollection as to
what has heenme of that letter of Mr.
A.-No, sir; have not. have never
been in the habit of preserving private
letters, and if l was to try, suppose |
should make poor record. My bust
ness in life has been such that some
body else has always taken care of my
letters that had ought to be saved, and
the only way have now of preserving
letter that wish to preserve until L
side coat pocket, or put it in the
drawer where 1 write, and then when l
want to look for a letter it is about the
last one l find. l might state here,
although don't know whether itwould
h off hof Oh q O
went into the firm'I had very small
income; but / had some money that my
son had saved for me while was gone
abroad, some money that l had left and
which he had so managed that l had
saved some of it, and he proposed to let
me have half of his in the firm so that 1
would have an income to live upon, and
there was afterwards an income raised
for me, and after that the firm gener-
ously concluded TO Let me in as a half
partner, and then afterward as whole
partner, special not general, generously
as thought at the time.
Cross-exanined by counsel for the
government, by Mr.. Root-Gen. Grant,
what was the hour at which you
were accustomed to reach ysur
office in the morning, when you were
staying at Long Branch, in the summer
A.-Ten O'Clock was about my arriv-
ing time.
Odd you observe in the letter
which you received from Mr.. Fish and
to which your letter (Which has been
identified by you. and which is entirely
in your handwriting was an answer,
any reference to the government con-
tract?
A.-No; there was not. | had told
Mr.. Ward, when it was mentioned, that
there never must be any government
contracts there. There is nothing
wrong in being engaged in government
contracts more than in anything else,
unless made wrong by acts of individ-
uaIs; but had been President of
the United States and / did not
think it advisable for me
to have my name connected with gov
eminent contracts, and / knew there
was no large profit in them, except by
dishonest measures. There are some
men who get government contracts
year in and year out, and whether they
managed their affairs dishonesty to
make profit or not, they are supposed
to, and I did not think it was any place
for me.
Q.-And you did not find in that letter
that you received any reference to any
thiDgof that sort?
Al did not find anything of that
sort, or l should have stopped it; but
as matter of fact. may never have
seen that letter. Mr.. Ward may just
simply have given me statement Of
| the contents of that letter when at his
office.
Q.-What did you understand to bt
the relations of the firm Of Grant &
| Ward to the Marine bank?'
A.-Wel1 knew Ward was director
there and seemed to have great dea
to do with it; but / never suspected
there being anything wrong about it?
| :. Odd you, at, any time, know o.
understand that the firm of Grant q
Ward had engaged in government con
tracts, or in furnishing money to b.
used IN carrying out government con
tracts?
Al never knew of but one contract
that is, where he said there wer.
transactions of that kind, and
questioned him about it, and he said nc
had just been out and bought 35O ,VU