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Show UICLX.VU AS2 I511K OCIC. Will that Tidal Unro of Corrupt Cor-rupt iou Stop lit lito White House tep ? Washington, 01. C. L. Bell oi Jackson, Mississippi, testified this morning before Clymer's committee, that he made an application lor lbe post trader-ship at Fort D.ivh, Texas, and came here in June, 1S7-, to see Belknap about it. He h;id a number ol recommendations Iroui army officers, but Belknap told him if he nad known he tiad come to make such application he (Belknap) wuuld not-, have seen limi. Witness replied re-plied that it would take him very little time to get out ot his ollice, and tie then got out. This bruuquo treatment treat-ment made him angry, but an he got to the west front ol the building a young man came running after him and requested him to come back. When ho returned BJknap (-aid rather apologetically that he w.i-greally w.i-greally annoyed over many applications applica-tions for post traderships. Belknap then turned to him brusquely, and asked : "How much is that position wurtn ?" He replied thai liu di.l not know. "Is it worth $2,000 a year?" he asked, lie replied that he puppo-ied it wa-i worth thiit. "Would you bo willing to pny that?" Belknau pursued: "l would not bo wilting lu pay anylhiiiC," he rc-qionded, and then he It It. Bell stated that he did not hcliow tho secretary meant to niaku him an oiler ol the pot for s'.lHJii, but thought tho secretary attempted to entrap liiiu into oflering a bribe, no ho might have some reason to decline to appoint him. Witm-M could not remember that he. had said In any-holy any-holy that Col. Uoodlellow and -Mr. Cronley, the M-crctiry's chief clerk, were Brlknap's go-betwteni in thu po.il-traderuhip b.irgam?. 'Ihe examination exam-ination proceeded as luil'-W.: t;. What buVi!ie;S an-you ensign in now? A. 1 am on deUrtive bu.-d-ucsh; not at present under government. govern-ment. i. You were adeteelive and seuiil fur years m Texas? A. Yes, sir. lj. Vuli havo also been acting as -pecial agent fur the internal revenue' 1 lepartment? Who appointed you? f A. Mr. Chandler. i- (i. Have you rendered any recent i j- rvice to that department? A. None ' i -.ince tho lt'lh of February, this year. !i n Are Vou p: rsouallv acquainted with Cnand'-r? A. I am. U. D.d he appoint Vol! oil 111- own nn.f.nn. audit' not, it t whose l. imitation? imit-ation? A. The pns:dent of the Unittd States. ,). Are you arij-iaiiHed with him personally? A. Yes, sir. tj. flow long h.ive you known him? A. Since lbh'2. t. Had you his recommendation when vou went to the secretary of, war? A. I had. ! tj. Tnis rceomm .MiJati on you 1 speak of was a recommendation to' the secretary of the interior to appoint j you as detective? A. It did e.ot specify that it was a general recommendation recom-mendation to give mo an appointment. appoint-ment. It was on a card, I think. It ran something like this: "Hon. Secretary Sec-retary Chandler, secretary of the interior: I reco nmeiv.1 to you the bearer. Mr. Bell, for an appointment. He has rendered valu tbif. service during the war and since." I handed it to the secretary of the interior. I went there in a day or two afterwards to get it, and he could not find it, although he leal very careful care-ful search made. l. Lm that recommendation the secretary of the interior appointed you? A. I suppose ho did. Iknmv 1 the president and Mr. Lucky both 1 spoke to him personally about ap- pointing me. The appointment was j dated January 5th. Witness produced f his appointment as first clerk of the ( pension ollice. He explained that there was no such olfico us special j ugcr.t under the interior department, . men acting as such being detailed for s ,duty. ' il What was your salary? A. , $1,3U0 a year, and $S3 per diem and traveling expenses, aggregating about -l,9D0. I entered iu office the 7th ; oi January last. A list of cases was sent to me at St. Louis to be worked up, but I never worked them up. By Clymer Under that appointment appoint-ment were you iet?rested in the Babcock case? A, I wits not. Q. Were you sent out there to take part in it? A. No, sir. Q. Were you never employed in connection with that casu? A. Not by government. (I- By whom, Gencrd Babcock? A. No, I cannot suv I was. Q. By his counsel? A. No, sir. tj. By anybody for him? A. By some one acting for him I suppose acting for him. They said they Wk.re. Q. What services were you to render under that employment? A. I would like a little time to reflect on the matter, to put it in shape. Q. I only want the truth. It is not very haid to tell that. A. I do not know as that has ai.ything to do , with thi case. Q. We will determine that after ' "aring it. I only want to know who I uii ployed you. A. In regard to , those St. Loim whisky matters? tj. Yes, Ceneral Babcock is an '. officer of the army, and I propose to inquire about him now. A. Well, J 1 was employed by Luckey, private secretary of the president. Kt. What wire y.,n to do lor . Luc key? A. To make it as b: iff i-nm-i.inV. T iv.w to lo.ik ioLolhe hand- of th.; district attorney there, Dyer, and see what evidence there was against babcock. tj. Y'ou were sent by Luekey, then, to go out and inquire what cai-there cai-there was ng ainst Babcock. Did Luckey write to you? A. No, sir, 1 left h:m there. (J. How were you to do it? A. I v.-.is to vi;it the distrie't attorney's office, as 1 ha 1 the run of the ollice there, and e wuat evidence there wa?. (. Did vou y,o there ar.d get hold of it? A . I (hd. (J. With the consent of the district dis-trict attorney? A, No, s-ir. tj. You got it surreptitious-v.lhen? A. I did. tj. Did your fumili what you got to Luekey? A. i diil ; that w.is in November, at the Liude!! hotel. (. Was there any other person connect i d with Luekey that you know ol? A. gentl.-man named Bradley, of Wusmngion, who sod he w;U" acting is one of the cour.sel for , Babcock. i- What information did you fur- niriii Luekey? A. 1 told him the evidence again -t Babcock at that time was weak; did not give him copies ol any papers. (.J. Had you nad the evidence against Babcock that was in the district dis-trict attorney's office? A. No, J only knew from what I heard in the ollice, and what Coi. Dyer himscll told mo. il. Did Col. Dyer know yon were an agent of Luekey? A. No, sir, not at that time; he subsequently did. Did yon look over the papers in tt.at office ? A. Some of them. Q. Did you read them all? A. I read a gond many of them. IJ. Where did you get the papers in the office? A, On the table and in the drawers. 'i. Was that the precise service ser-vice that Colonel Luckey told you io render him? A. It wus to go and find out all I could; and I wisli to state that at the time I believed from conversations I hiard in the district attorney's ollico, and among many iiill lential men oulsido that llns attempt, at-tempt, toimplieutc Babcock was made lor the purpose of injuring the president, presi-dent, whom i had served an a scout during the war, and for whom I hod strong regard. These- men claimed to be strong friends of Hristow's. 1 saw many telegrams that passed between be-tween Wa.-hingtuii and the district attorney there, and others, and it looked that way. I believed that until another matter came up there and then. I thong it the parties out there were- acting without authority ui"l perhaps wiMi! over anxious, and I hekevvd it till 1 came to Washington. When I came here 1 fmind I was on the wrong track, and I dropped the ea.-e and I took me;nurc afterwards to e i use iuli Tin at io i.i In reach the pfPid'-nt th.it his iilc-i w.is wrong. Tu.it Bibcock was not guilty? A. That he was guilty. (. Yuii inlormed the president that Ihbcock was guilty? A. I tool; i Ufa - in es to in form him tnut 1 believed be-lieved he ',imj gni!!v. I did it heeau.se 111'! prei lent h;m,V:i told mu th it if Babcock was guilty lu wished to know it. lie whhed nolhiiig con ce ded and he wished him punished, I took tlui president, al his word and informed him ol it, and g it my dis iiiH.ai in tlin e days afterwards. Q. 1 hid you any conversation with Ilahcick with r.'uard to tins matter? II at any time Balicock admitted I" yoll llial lie was guilty, please Plate it A. liu ii'luii.'stun was elc ir enough. If l hey wauled me to gi t evi.leiiee out of Ihe ollice, it wus clear enough. il Dal lie admit to you that he was cuilly? A. I to!d him what Bradley uk d me to do in St. Louis, and iu.-te.il of di.-Hentim: he s.od he did not wish me to gel evidence out of that ollice, unless 1 could net the whole of it; that if I g"l P- it would be worne than none. Bradley asked me to get evidence out of the office and bring it to the Limlell hotel and destroy it. The proposition was nimle alter Luckey eume east, in the latter part of November. 1 wont down with Bradley and Luckey to take the train '.o come east. He told me to consult with Bradley; that Bradley was there in the interest of Babcock, and that this whole move m'us not aiiiest Bab-ceck, Bab-ceck, but against the president, and for me to consult Bra !h v and act with turn. V A 'l B.- id!, y t-'i'.l you to get evkiiii'X- .jut ul ine district attornev's office, and hring u to ihe Lind'ell hotel to hedo.-troye-d? A. He did. lt. Did you attempt to get it? A. No, sir, I thought that was going too far in the mailer. H.to we are obliged to break off, in order to catch tho mails. Eos. Hekai.d. |