Journal of the Select Committee, appointed to inquire whether any persons have participated in the communications made to John De Mott and others, members of this House, with the purpose of influencing the votes of the said members.

February 18, 1833, half past 3 o'clock, the committee convened at Bement's Hotel; present-J. C. SPENCER, DUDLEY BURWell, and THOS. HERTTELL.

ALVAH BEEBE, being sworn, deposes, that no person participated in the letter to John De Mott, written by the deponent, (the subject of the present inquiry,) beside himself; no one knew of his intention to write such a letter, and believes that no one knew of his intention to write to Mr. De Mott; that letter was not shown to any person after it was written, and no one knew its contents. Witness is shown letters to M. Litchfield, Mr. Wooster, Mr. Baker, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Morris, and says that no person participated in the writing of those letters, or either or any of them; they were not written on the suggestion of any person, nor were their contents known to any other person. All the letters referred to, including that to Mr. De Mott, were sealed by witness and sent to Mr. Bishop and Mr. Tillotson, to be by them put in the post-office at Albany; witness did not apprise those gentlemen of the contents of the several letters, and has no reason for supposing those gentlemen were acquainted with their contents. There were a number of the petitions directed by witness to members of the House, and sent to Mr. Bishop and Mr. Tillotson, to be put in the post-office, with the exception of a few, probably five or six; these were unsealed and open; those only were sealed, which were written upon. Witness cannot say that he has written any letters to Mr. Bishop, Mr. Tillotson, or Mr. Swartwood, respecting the course to be pursued in aiding the application for the Tompkins County Bank; has written them, but cannot recollect that any allusion was made in his letters, to the course to be pursued by them in relation to the bank, although he may have done so. Witness never sent any names for commissioners to the bank committee, but made a selection from the names of the petitioners, of some forty or more names of the most distinguished men in that county; this list witness sent to a friend in Albany, to show him what friends the bank had, and to obtain his aid. Witness did not personally know the gentleman to whom

he sent the said list, although he knew him by reputation. It is possible that he sent another list of names to the amount of forty or more, to the bank committee, but he has no recollection of having done so. Since his arrival in Albany, he has not seen any letter from himself to Mr Tillotson or Mr. Bishop.

Sworn Feb. 18, 1833, before me,
J. C. SPENCER,

Chairman, &c.

ALVAH BEEBE.

IRA TILLOTSON, a member of the House of Assembly from the county of Tompkins, being sworn, deposes that he was not acquainted with the contents of any of the sealed letters sent to him and Mr. Bishop by Alvah Beebe, to be put in the post-office, until they were read in the House of Assembly; does not know of any person having participated with Beebe in writing those letters, or any of them, or of any person being acquainted with their contents before they were delivered to the persons to whom they were directed. The day before they were read in the House, he heard there were some improper letters in the hands of the committee. Witness received several letters from Beebe, perhaps three or four, some of them on the subject of the bank; one of them directed him how to manage, and to talk of opposition to Gen. Hathaway; those letters were destroyed, on the advice of Mr. Swartwood, supposing that they were of no further use; and that all that was wanted of them was to identify their hand-writing. Can not recollect when those letters were destroyed, but thinks it was some two or three days since. Has no particular recollection of having talked with Gen. Hathaway about the Tompkins county bank, though he has probably said to Gen. H. that it was a bank much desired by the people of Tompkins, and a deserving application; he never talked of opposition to Gen. Hathaway. Witness has written nothing to Beebe on the subject of the bank, except that he may have said to him there was no prospect of its success. Witness never had any other but very general and loose conversation with Beebe or with any person about the bank, previous to witness' leaving home.

Sworn, Feb. 18, 1883, before me.

J. C. SPENCER,

IRA TILLOTSON.

Chairman, &c.

THOMAS BISHOP, a member of the Assembly from Tompkins county, being sworn, deposes that he was not acquainted with the contents of any of the sealed letters sent by Alvah Beebe to himself and Mr. Tillotson, until they were read in the House of Assembly; does not know of any person having participated with Beebe in writing their letters, or advising them, or of any person being acquainted with their contents previous to their being delivered to the persons to whom they were directed. He has no knowledge of any applicant for or friend of the bank, or any person living in or about Ithaca being in any way implicated in the writing of those letters, or privy to their being written, or any letters of a similar character. He received one or more letters from Beebe, on other subjects, and a wrapper around the letters Beebe had sent him to be put in the post-office; which he destroyed. The wrapper merely requested him to deposit the letters in the post-office. He may have seen the letters of Beebe to Mr. Tillotson, but has no distinct recollection of their contents. THOMAS BISHOP,

Sworn, Feb. 18, 1833, before me.

J. C. SPENCER,
Chairman, &c.

LUTHER GERE, of Ithaca, in the county of Tompkins, being sworn, deposes that he never knew of Alvah Beebe writing any letters to members of the Legislature in aid of the application for the Tompkins county bank, until after his arrest, and knows not of any person having participated in or been privy to any such letters. Witness took no part in the application, either for or against it. Beebe took an active, forward part in supporting the application, but presumes he was not employed by any one for that purpose. From his knowledge of Beebe, witness would hardly expect the friends of the application to engage his services.

Sworn, February 18, 1833, before me,

J. C. SPENCER,
Chairman, &c.

LUTHER GERE,

DAVID WOODCOCK, being duly sworn, says that he resides in Ithaca, has been friendly to the application for the Tompkins county bank, although he was not one of the signers. Witness did not know of Beebe's having written any letters, or sent any papers to members of the Legislature on the subject of the bank, until since

his arrest, and does not know of any person having participated in or been privy to such letters. Except what witness has heard from Beebe, he never heard his name mentioned in connection with the bank. From his knowledge of Beebe he should not suppose the applicants of the bank would engage his services in aid of it. In November or December last, Beebe told witness that he was anxious for a bank, and this was the amount of all he had said to him about it,

Sworn, Feb. 18, 1833, before me.

J. C. SPENCER,

Chairman, &c,

D. WOODWARD.