Letters and Literary Memorials of Samuel J. Tilden, v. 2Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones)
History
Letters and Literary Memorials of Samuel J. Tilden, v. 2
Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones)
Tilden, Samuel J. (Samuel Jones), 1814-1886
"'In the autumn of 1875 I called at Babcock's cottage at Long
Branch and had a talk with him. I told him that Albert Cunz
and Delome, two former secret-service men, had been thrown out
of employment in consequence of the safe burglary and their
connection with it. Babcock said he would try and get them in
the New York Custom-House. I told him that I would like for
myself a commission to go somewhere, and Babcock said he would
see the Secretary of the Treasury, and have me sent to Europe
with some bonds. I told him I did not want to go to Europe, but
wanted to go to Colorado. Babcock said: "If any trouble comes up
you can 'slide off,'" or words to that effect. I told him I had
had trouble enough in connection with the case, and did not want
any more.
"'I had a conversation with Harrington after we were indicted
in the fall of 1874 in the Metropolitan Hotel. I told him I
did not like the idea of being indicted in the matter. He
told me it would be all right, that he would pay counsel for
me. He directed me to write and employ Gen. S. S. Henkin, of
Washington, as my attorney, which I did. That case resulted
in a hung jury. This spring, previous to going before Proctor
Knott's committee, I called at the White House to see Gen.
Babcock, and requested him to do all he could to have Mr. Rice,
who was with me, appointed postmaster at Pueblo, Colorado. He
said he would assist all he could. As I was leaving the room, I
remarked to him: "Things look like we will have more trouble."
He answered: "Yes, things do look squally; but it will all blow
over again."'"[17]
[17] New York _Sun_, September 21, 1876.
Babcock was acquitted, with the aid of a deposition by General
Grant, and only a few weeks before this trial was promoted to a
colonelcy.
Only four months before the indictment and trial of Babcock,
Secretary Belknap, a member of President Grant's Cabinet, was
impeached and put on trial before the Senate at Washington. During
the trial the late George F. Hoar, one of the Republican Senators
from Massachusetts, addressed the Senate, and closed his discourse
with the following fearful arraignment of the administration
during the Presidency of Grant, and gave a transparent exposure
of the reasons why the satellites of the President were determined
to shrink from no crime necessary to prevent the inauguration at
Washington of a President who had become famous by the havoc he had
already made of the Tweed Ring plunderers in New York and the Canal
Ring plunderers at Albany, and whose advent to Washington would put
to flight the horde of miscreants who then infested both ends of the
capitol:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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