Martinsburgh Gazette

EDWARDS AND CRAWFORD.

The committee of investigation has been busily and constantly employed. Among the witnesses examined were Mr. Cheves, president of the U. S. bank, Mr. Forsyth, Mr. Jennings of Indiana, Mr. Riddick, president of the bank of Missouri, and Mr. Rozeau, of the St. Genevieve bank of Missouri. The following, from the National Journal of Wednesday, is the latest intelligence we have from the committee:

The last two or three days have been spent in the examination of Mr. Edwards and several others.

Much of this examination has been with a view to show that Mr. Edwards denied the authorship of the A. B. publications, and it appears that he was understood by several to deny the authorship of them, or of an 'A. B. plot.' But as to which the denial absolutely applied, does not seem to be recollected by any one except Mr. Noble of the senate. He, we understand, states positively that the denial referred to the publications, and does not think the word plot was mentioned. He, it seems however, is the only senator to whom such denial is known to have been made at any time, either before or after the nomination of Mr. E. as minister to Mexico, and this we further learn was done after Mr. Noble had moved to take the nomination in the senate, and after he (Mr. E.) was apprised of it. Mr. Noble states also, as we are informed, that the denial could not have been made with any view to influence his vote; for that either with or without it, he should have voted for the nomination.

Mr. Noble, it appears, never mentioned this denial to any one until after Mr. Edwards's memorial was laid before congress, and that, therefore, the denial, as it was not then believed it was intended it should do, had no influence on the vote of any one Senator. Mr. Noble, we understand, nor thinks it was made for the purpose of being communicated to those opposed to Mr. E. in the senate, and of appeasing them.

Col. Benton was examined yesterday, but we have not learned what the import of his testimony was, except that he was the author of the letter published in the Richmond Enquirer of April last, which stated that Mr. Noble, had said he voted for Mr. Edwards because he denied the authorship of the A. B. publications—This he did, it seems, from a misapprehension of what Mr. Noble had said to him upon the subject, and which was, afterwards, correctly explained to him by Mr. Noble.

The only evidence which is thought, in any degree, to affect Mr. E. as yet, is said to be loose conversations that he has had with others about the authorship of A. B.

About this whole investigation we shall, no doubt, hear enough before the presidential election is over; and we will endeavor, when the case is properly within our reach, to give a fair statement of it to our readers, influenced only by a desire of putting them in possession of facts.