Year: 1876

Tracy, asking witness to come to the Sec
retary's room. He remembered that he
had had such papers in his possession, and
was satisfied from Bells conversation I hat
he knew something about their disap-
pearance. Bell had asked him
il he had any dispatches
signed B. Finch or Bull Finch. Bell said
he had certain documents in his posses
sion in New York and had telsgraphcd
for them and to be forwarded to st. Louis
by express. That paper consisted Of a
cipher partly in his and partly in
Luckys handwriting and also a letter
from A. G. Bradley, telling him to CO me
to Washington and he would be cared
for. The substance of his statement was
that the proposition had been made to
him by Lucky and Bsbcock to extract
the testimony in the Babcock case
from the District-Attorney's Office.
Witness had been very careful of
the dispatches and letters relating to Bah
cocks case, because he feared some such
exploit as was resorted to in the Avery
case. He placed them in box and de-
posted them in the Safe Deposit vault
Before that Bell was one day seen in the
District Attorneys Office overhauling
some papers, and was informed that
nobody was allowed to do that in the
absence of Colonel Dyer. Bell excused
himself by saying that he was hunting
for match TO light his cigar. Bell,
soon after the proposition to furnish the
information, delivered to him in cipher
the Bradley's letters. After the trial
he returned them to Bell and had ne. seen
them since except as produced in the
New York Herald. These papers were
not produced until near the end Of the
trial. The reason they were not used in
evidence was because Luckey was
summoned there by the govern
ment, and was finally claimed by
4 witness for the defense. At consul
tation between witness and his associates,
Broadhead and Eaton, as to the advisa-
bility OF calling Bell as witness, it was
decided to wait till Luckey was put on
the stand, and then produce Bell in re-
buttal. 1t was understood that Bradley
was there also ready to be called by the
defense, and it was intended that Bell
should not be brought in rs witness in
chief Had the prosecution known
or believed tho defense would not call
Luckey they would have brought Bell
forward and used him as witness in chief
Bell who was in the room asked Dyer
whether it was because Of his supposed
unrsliability that he was not put on the
stand? Dyer answered when he told
him him he had stolen Avery's papers
from the Distrlct-Attorney's office, that
he did not look upon him as
the witness he wanted TO tie to without
corroboravive evidence, and he did not
believe much in him until he got all the
papers, but If Luckey had been called he
would certainly have put Bell on the
stand in rebuttal.


Bell then asked Dyer if in such cases
extraordinary means are necessary to get
evidence.


Dyer said he was not in that kind of a
business, and did not feel competent to
answer. He never found it necessary,
either as a pracLicing lawyer or other
wise to resort to such means,
either to purchase abstraction or
for the suppression of evidence
or any such violent and questionable tao
tics. That was not his way Of conducting
business. Dyer said


BelI,s Testimony Was Substantially


Correct,


so far as he seen it printed in the Wash.
ington papers and SO far as it referred to
him. Bell was, however, incorrect in
locating the conversation ut the District
Attorneys Office. 1t took place at the
house of Lucien Eaton, OF his associate