Year: 1876

Mr.. Platt offered resolution for the ap-
| pointment of a select committee to investi-
! gate the charges made yesterday by Mr.
Hewitt, that his letters had been tampered
with In the New York postoffice. In connec-
ton with it Mr.. Platt sent to the clerks desk
and had read a telegram from Postmaster
James, denouncing the accusation as utterly
and absolutely false.


After discussion of the resolution to in
vestigate Mr.. Hewitt's charge against the
New York postoffice, the house refused to
lay the whole subject on the table as proposed
by Mr.. Buckner, and finally, on motion of
Mr.. Springer, the committee now IN New
York, Of which he is chairman, was in
structed to investigate the matter.


Mr.. Hewitt stated circumstance under
which he made the charge. He said about a
month ago he received a letter, the writer
stating that he was an employe IN the New
York postoffice, and that he felt bound to
communicate the fact that SHADES Little Ket-
tie was at work on his letters. The only at
tention he was felt called upon to pay to this
anonymous letter, was to observe closely the
letters which he received. Hehad found that
a considerable number of them pre-
sented the appearance of having been
opened; the flaps of the envelopes presenting
punctured or corrugated appearance. He had
called the attention of gentlemen In his Office
to the fact, and they had been able to pick
out two classes of letters-those which had
been apparently opened and those that had
not been. When he had come to Washing
ton he was struck with the fact that letters
received from Boston, Chicago and other
points had a perfectly smooth surface on the
flap Of the envelope, while frequently letters
from New York presented that corrugated
appearance. He had happened to show Park
Goodwin, friend Of the postmaster, one of
these envelopes, and asked him whether
or not it had been opened. Goodwin
said it looked so. He then asked Goodwin to
see Mr.. James, inwhose integrity he Hewitt
had entire confidence and whose valuable
services should be retained through all mu
tations in politics, and to mention the matter
to him. He Hewitt wished the house to
understand he did not think James would be
or could be party to any tampering with the
letters. He had shown two letters one morning
to the gentleman from Maine Hale andhad
pointed out the corrugated appearances
on the envelopes, and Mr.. Hale had told
him he ought to call attention of the house
to the matter if he thought his letters were
tampered with but it would be readily seen
from the nature of the case that it would be
hardly possible to bring forward any other
evidences than the facts that the letters had
this appearance. He had therefore not stated
as fact, nor did he now state it as fact,
but he had that suspicion which amounted
to belief that his letters had been opened, and
he acted on that belief by sending by express
special letters and acquisitions, and request
ing gentlemen who had such special letters to
forward theirs by express. 1t may be that in
doing so he was taking unnecessary precau-
ton; it might be that his eyes deceived him;
and it might be that a committee on nvesh
CATION would be able to get at facts
of which he had no knowledge. He
had no objection, of coul Sc, to
committee of investigation, but he thought
it probable that no good would come Of it,
and that no important facts wolld be discov-
cred; hence he had not been willing to put
the country TO the expense OF an investiga-
ton, but if it was the wish Of the house, or of
the gentlemen on the other side, to have one,
he should cheerfully assent. Unfortunately,
he had thrown in the waste basket the anony-
nous letters. He received from ten to twenty
a week; therefore, its handwriting could not
be identified; so, too, with the envelopes,
they had been thrown away, and it was a re-
markable fact, that none Of the letters re-
ceived to-day presented any appearance Of
having been tampered with.


Mr.. KassOn said he had favored the intro
duction of the resolution not merely because
It concerned the administration OF an officer