Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-11-21

the facts? Why was this great explosive kept
hidden under bushel?
Napoleon once said that "blunders are
worse than crimes" but here Halstead has
added to the crime of concealment the addi-
tional crime Of prematurely exposing a blum
der. Forsker's plan was better. He would
have kept this matter secret till the Sd of No
vember, two days before the election. Now,
then, Mr.. Foraker says that Mr.. Campbell
seems to be in close communication with Mr..
Wood. That know to be untrue. In fact
that Mr.. Campbell was ready and willing to
pay handsome article for the discovery of
Mr. Wood. Three weeks ago / came to this
city for the express purpose of seeing Wood
and compelling him to tell the truth. went
to Mr.. Woods house and conversed with his
wife. She said she could not tell where he
was. In the course of her conversation she
told me that Mr.. Foraker was "a great and
glorious man," and if wanted Mr.. Wood to
do any harm to Mr.. Foraker she would not
tell me if she knew. then began searching
for Wood. l went to Mr.. Mart Weber. an
iron msrchant of this city, and asked him:
Have you heard from WoodP' "Yes."
''Where is he?" His answer was to pull out
letter postmarked Washington, October IA.
l Immediately determined that would go to
Washington to find Wood. l missed the 4:45
train and returned up town. met Mr. John
| Otis, druggist, corner Sixth and Vine, and
|
said yes, got letter from him. "Where?"
His answer was to pull out letter from
Wood, postmarked Saginaw, Mich, October
IA. l then saw Mr.. George Murray, the at
torney. do you know any thing about
Wood?' Yes" "Where?" His answer was
a letter postmarked Lansing, Mich, Oct. IA.
Why we're these decoy letters sent around?
That Wood should not be found. For what
purpose? Because if found he would have
been arrested. Now would state that Fora
| ker had letter OF introduction to Governor
Luce. The letter of introduction to Cover
nor Luce was simply reproduction of that
letter from memory. Mr.. Wood retained the
original. saw the letter to Governor Luce
and thanked Governor Foraker through Mr..
Wood for it. Mr.. Wood, when 1 was in Gin
cinnati, about September &c, had as many as
five or six kilograms sent by Governor Fora
ker to him. But perhaps l can better inform
you in this matter by relating to you Mr.. Geo.
j. Murray's statement of it to me. Mr.. Muir
ray told me that Wood came to him and said:
Foraker is going into the ballot-box busi-
ness with me. can get rid of T. c. Camp
bell if get Foraker in. want you to put in
shape for me contract similar to the one we
have in Washington with James Z. Campbell,
Butterworth and others. Mr.. Murray says he
then replied to him that he thought that For
aker did not want any thing to do with ballot
boxes now, as he was busy enough, whereup-
on Wood pulled out telegram from Foraker
to himself, which read, "Why don't you come
to Columbus at once on the business that we
talked aboutp' That telegram was dated in
July. He afterward showed other kilograms
from Foraker to Murray. Whereupon Mur-
ray supposed that Wood was then telling him
the truth. Wood told Murray that the con-
tract was in Washington, and that he could
not get it away from there. Then, said Muir
ray, SIT down and write me out in your own
way what you think the contract was, and l
will try to put it in legal FORM" Wood did
so, and Murray, innocently enough, wrote for
him the alleged contract as it appears in the
Commercial of to-day. Then the question of
getting the names attached came in. Mr..
Wood was impecunious. He claimed to Muir.
ray that he had not mouthful for his fami
ly, and no means of sustenance except lit
tie credit that his grocer would give him,
Yet he had gone to Washington. For what
purposep As Mr.. Wood related it, he went
there and to the basement of the House of
Congress, and found the page boys books,
and from this he got the name of the men,
bers of Congress which you find attached to
the forgery in to-day's Commercial. Taking
these names back he had them traced on the
contract which had been prepared by Mur-
ray for him.
Who paid Woods fare to Washington ?
Who paid the necessary expenses of getting
this thing done? Wood had no money. It is
possible that somebody in the interest of
forgery and crime would pay Woods fare, or
was somebody in interest who thought there
was governorship commission dangling at
the other end of the rascality, that paid his
way?
4 But have already said more than ia neces-
sary on the subject. Let me make this point
clear and distinct: Foraker and Halstead
both knew of this paper from September Ii
down to the day it was used. Foraker and
Halstead knew where Sherman, Mckinley.
MCPHERSON. Butterworth and James E Camp
bell lived all this time. Is it possible that
politics in Ohio has become treacherous and
more contemplate than "Indian warfare?"
Was it SO distant that Mr.. Halstead could
not have sent one of his reporters to HamiI-
ton, twenty five miles, to see Mr.. Camrbellp
1t would not have cost him anything, for he.
like J. B. Foraker, rides on passes, and he
could have sent to Mansfield and ask Mr..
Sherman about it, or he could have had his
correspondent at New York cross the North
way can this thing be looked at other than it
was willful, carefully concocted forgery,
and that it was preserved with criminal
knowledge and intent by Foraker and Hal
stead until Halstead's impetuosity led him to
fire it upon the public. admit that it NAV
be that Mr.. Halstead's estimate of mankind
is such that, Judging from the stand point.
| no Llty Have tlOuRut Tue uOCumeQG genuine.
Foraker knew it was not, and he assumed a
sorrow and put it in the hands of the gentle
man who; in the head lines of his article, de-
nominates himself ''An able editor.'
'Mr. Campbell, why didn't you make these
statements fully before the election?"
II did in effect. James E. Campbell tele.
graphed me and at once advised him bv
wire tnat never at any time or place or under
any circumstances was paper anything like
the one published in the Commercial Gazette
ever prepared in connection with the ballot
box, directly or indirectly. That telegram
Mr.. Campbell used. Following that wrote
Mr.. James E. Campbell letter, which the
gentleman still has and copy of which is in
| my New York office, reciting these facts to
| him, all accept the part that relates to Woods
visit to Washington and George Murray's
statement. Since got Mr.. Murray's state
ment / received from Mr.. Campbell dis
patch, asking me to meet him in Hamilton. I
| did so and there put him fully in possession
of all the facts of which have knowledge
did not care to take any part in the Ohio
canvass. felt that could safely leave to
others the passing of judgment upon the ar
bitrary, overbearing, illegal conduct of Mr..
Foraker. The jury in Ohio has heard the
case, and they have passed their verdict. So
| far as Mr.. Jas. E. Campbell is concerned, he
never saw MIR. Wood that know of; he never
had any communication with Mr.. Wood that
I know of; he did not get the Governor Luce
letter from Mr.. Wood, for he got that through
myself; he had none of Mr.. Foraker's tele-
| grams to Mr.. r. g. Wood. If Mr.. Foraker
wants them published let him give an order