White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1860-05-10
Special washington Correspondence,
wAsHlsoros CIrr. Nay 8, 1850.

perhaps You begin to think 1 nave go"
dered away and neglected my duties
But I hav. been keeping lookout upon
public affairs, and win now proceed to
make amends for my recent neglect, BY
sending you few items Of interest
One great subject Of excitement here
is the Covode Investigating COMMITTEES
and the Presidents late message. l IN
timated. in my last. that the President
would endeayor to escape by declaring
the action Of Congress unconstitutional.
His message proves the correctness OF my
conclusion. In fact. derive all my in
formation from such direct and reliable
sources, that there is no possibility of my
making miscellaneous.
As / limited in my last. the President
sent for Walsh, of your Territory. to
come and declare the action Of Congress
unconstitutional. as he was used to doing
such things, but Walsh declined to do
so-upon what ground is not precisely
known, but said to be because Buchanan
owns part of certain large hotel at
Lawrence, which is a rival of Walsh's
hotel at Lecompton. For his disobedi-
ence, Walsh is to get his walking papers.
Secretary Cass tells me that Beebe. Of
your County, will probably be appointed
to the Office vacated by Walsh. but with
the express stipulation that he is not to
go into the hotel business during his term
of Office. Buchanan is interested in no.
tell at many prominent points through
out the country, to which he directs the
Government patronage, and is said to be
making handsome thing of it.
A new trouble to the President. is the
publication Of his Kansas letter to Gov.
Walker. Old Buck realizes that he is
about "gone up the spout" at all events,
and says it is not the publication of the
letter that now grinds him, so much as
the fact that he spent an enormous amount
of money in giving dinners and enter
tainments to Walker, expressly to sugar
him of from exposing that letter. BE
showed me a memorandum Of said ex.
penses, which foot up to over $50, 900.
l understand that be is about entering
suit against Walker, for the recovery OF
the amount.
Walker and Attorney General Black
have also gotten into muss. 1t origi-
mated rather queerly, as l have it from
good authority. 1t was ascertainel that
Walker carried the Kansas letter con-
stantly in bis breeches pocket; and Black
conceived the plan of stealing it while
Walker was asleep. He accordingly
entered Walkers room, seized a pair OF
breeches. and decamped with them. In
the pocket was a piece of manuscript,
which, he doubted not, was the coveted
letter, and Immediately caused the word
to be circulated that Buchanan never
wrote Walker such letter as had been
represented, and that whatsoever asserted
otherwise, was liar and forger. Up
on subsequently examining the paper, he
discovered q woful mistake. The bree-
ches were c pair that had just that even
ing come from the washerwoman, and
the paper was simply her bill for a
months services as laundress | But it
was too late to recall the word that had
been sent forth, and it soon reached
Walkers ears. He thereupon challenged
Black, but the latter declined the honor,
and refused to enter into any correspond
ence. The reason is obvious. If he en-
tered into any explanations, he would
have to confess the commission of bur-
glary, which would leave him in a worse
pickle than before.
Another exciting topic here. has been
the Potter and Pryor affair. A wonder
full thing is made of it. by those who are
not in the secret. But with my superior
advantages for obtaining correct state
ments of ell matters, / am enabled to
dissipate much of the capital that has
arisen out Of this difficulty. At the very
time when the warlike correspondence is
represented as having been going on
when Pryor was in Virginia and Potter
could not be found-s couple of we'll
known congressman went on q shooting
excursion out the Bladensburg road.
Passing near q cluster of hay stacks in a
retired situation, they heard voices and
creeping noiselessly up, who should they
behold but Potter and Pryor seated on
the ground, playing euchre to decide
which should back out, the seconds stan
ding by, deeply interested in the game !
They had won game each. and were
playing the third-Pyor standing four
points to Potter's three. and Pyor's deal.
BE turned the Jack Of Clubs, and took it
up. having the right. ace and seven /;
while Potter had the left, King. Queen.
and ten. Pryor was euchred. and Potter