Daily national Democrat., 1861-03-16
DailD 3latl0nal 1lGm0tr2t
something about Benjamin.

The Rev. DR.. Bacon, of the New York
Tndependent, created sensation few weeks
ago, by publishing letter describing the
nnnerous thcfts rerpetrated some years since
by a student of Yale College, who has since
lcen n United States Senator. The culprit
:, Question is described 10y some one else to
I've senator Benjamin, of Louisiana. Can it
be true?
And here is the very letter of Dr. Bacon :
"The class Of 1929, in Yale College, two
,,oors in advance of mne) was the finest
iodv of Young men that ever saw in college
Prominent in it were EIijah Ii. Mills, (son of
Daniel Webster's immediate predecessor in
tho limited States Senate) facile princeps, but
Jying very young; Henry a. Bcarlman, d.
u James W. McLane, d. d.; Daniel Ull-
mann Francis Gillette (the late Senator in
Congress,) and many other men Of mark
There was one of the class whose name
o,rrot be found on the list of graduates or
ory annual catalogue after 1927. lie was
and still is a handsome little fellow, looking
,.',r,, small in his class, who with few eXcep-
tions were of full manly growth. This youth
LoiI.1 from great State of the chiyalrous
sunny SOuln, oTiShG-'Jcu Gu, udrk cohplcN
;oued "ardent as IL Southern sun could make
him" In the early part of 1928, there was a
nrsterious trouble in that class. Watches
Ircastrius, seals, pencil cases, pcn-kniyes
iock-kuiyes, two bladed knives, four.bladed
knives, etc, etc, and lastly sundry sums of
money. Lying around loose in students
yoont. disappeared unaccountably. The losers
Looked eloomily at each other, and suspi-
r;onslv at others Something must be done.
Tbcv finally constituted themselves a volun-
t,,r., detective force, set their trap--baitcd
with thiriy-fve dollars in good bank notes
and soon caught the thief lie confessed.
ON orcning his trunk in his presence they
found it nearly full Of missing valuables-
;cwclry. pocket-cutlery, and horogery
Icnouoh to stock Chatham tttect store. He
Leuqed ptifully not to be exposed; they
looked piteously at his handsome young face,
and rciertei at the thought of blasting his
opening life.
He had been n universal favorite, the pet
rf his class; 50 they greed not to inform ei-
ther the city magistrates or the Faculty Of
the University, but ordered him TO "cear
out at once and forever lie went instantly
TO good President Day, obtained a certificate
Of honorable dismisson, and vanished.
That little thief is now Senator in Con-
cress, advocating and iaslifying, and threat
euiug the robbery of forts, and the stealing
of the military cutlery and hard ware gener-
ally of the Federal Government, with
out any more color or shadow of pretext
than he had for his like operations ON his
fellow students, just thrty-three years ago.
i third Of a century has not made and can
never make any chang in such an originally
loru rascal
Had those early feelings been mere
tboughtess, boyish cscapodc a IN -aeatary
Welding to temptation while in great want
they would not deserve mention now; but
they were systemized theft-long coutin1ed
Accumulated and hoardcd pilferings from
trusjiu bosom friends. Had the fellow not
at length reproduced his private morality in
put life would have allowed the secret
of hi carly crimc- to r,maiu in the hearts of
the few who then knew and now remember
st. y FEANcIs Bacon.