The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1864-08-03
sT3

his services, that he "confdentially" re-
quested the use of these services in the
Sreasury Department. The Solicitor of
the Treasury, another high and acute lie
gal officer of the Government, and trusted
by it in the most important and coniden-
tial matters, after strict and personal in
vestigation, Expresses ''an1 entire convie-
ton" that these afidavits are true. But
beyond this official testimony, is collater-
al evidence, confirming and strengthen
ling the testimony of these women. It
appears that in September last, on or a.
bout the 18th or Goth, note signed oh !"
| (marked No. in the testimony came
into the possession OF Miss Ada Thomp-
scn, an actress. then residing at No. 276
Pennsylvania avenue, and who is presum-
ed by Col. Baker to be person of good
r"pute. This note invited Miss jackson,
then an employee in the Treasury Print
ing Bureau. to go with him "H." (Hend-
erson, then also an employee in the Treas
ury, and with &C" (stated to be Clarke
in the testimony of Miss Ada Thompscn,)
to some place well known to the parties
This place turned out to be "the Central
Hotel" hotel in this city washington. }
indicted as disreputable place. The
Hotel Register September 10Th, shows
the names of forr persons who that night
occupied rooms 27 and %. The hand
writing on the register is shown by Ham
ilton Seville, an experienced clerk in
the Treasury Department, and an appar-
ent expert in handwriting, to be that of
Henderson, who. while assuming names
for himself and Clarke, and the woman
with them, vainly attempted to disguise
his handwriting Seville also swears
very positively that the note signed "H." !"
is in Henderson s handwriting. The tes-
timony of Anthony Lully then goes to
show that, in September, between the 18th
and Goth, he (Lully) saw Henderson with
Clarke in restaurant. as stated in the
sfidavits of Ada Thompson and T. @.
Spurgeon, whence they all subsequently
went to the Central Hotel. Such corrob-
orating testimony as this-a note, hand
writing, the afidavits of parties whose
characters are not questioned one woman
and two men, the ewes of one of them see
ing Henderson and Clarke together with
women employed in the Treasury, and
the hotel r, gister in Henderson's hand
writing-are, of themselves, without any
other testimony, irresistible conviction
When to all this we add the examination
and the report of the Solicitor of the
Treasury, of his Gen ire ccnviction,' who
can doubt that s. M. Clarke is an unfit
man to be trusted with the printing of
nearly nine hundred millions of the pub
lie money?
This testimony was so convicting to
your Committee, that they would not, of
themselves. have deemed it necessary to
60 step further, but for the intimation
thrown out by some of the majority of the
Committee, that it was not conclusive to
them. Hence they acted upon a letter
from Col Baker, May 9th, 1864, to the
Chairman of the Committee, and caused
to be summoned lady now married. Mrs
Bette Pumphries, formerly Miss Weed
an, and whose associations seem to be all
of tie most respectable character. Her
father is worthy mechanic, employed in
the Navy Yard her husband is police
man, and accompanied her to the Com
mittee room. She swcars, positively, that
a colored woman, named Catharine Dod
son, offered her money, when employed
by Clarke, hundred dollars at one time,
and a thousand dollars at another, in the
name of, and the presence of Clarke, which
she rejected with indignation. Clarke
subsequently came to her and said $50
you do not want to speak with me any
more" "He made good friend, but
bad enemy" "Talk with Catharine." -
"Catharine can talk with ladies better
than can Miss Weedan, now Mrs.
Pumphres, was employed in the Printing
Department, five months, and left of her
own accord The testimony of this lady,
however, is positively contradicted by the
colored women, Catharine Dobson, who,
it is but proper to add, is stigmatized in
the letter of Col. Baker referred to as
"Clarke's procuress."
There is another testimony from two
other lad;e es of good character, Miss Sarah
Lully, and Miss Clara Donaldson, impli-
eating the conduct of Mr.. Gray, Mr.
Clarke's Superintendent of the brouzing
Department, and Mr.. Doughnrty, Mr..
Clarke's Assistant. It is unnecessary to
refer to them, save to show, that Miss
Lully, the daughter of distinguished and
honorable Hungarian, who came over with
Kossuth in 1913, and whom Kossuth
highly cherished, was dismissed from a
place of value to her father, solely because
her brother had traced Clarke and Hend
eTSOH GJS6tue WIFI IJlId OdCASOu duu
Fanny Germon to "a restaurant on the 10Th
of September, where they subsequently
went to the Central Hotel, or because she
"would not comply with the wishes Of Mr.
Gray" representations concerning which
were made to Clarke himself; or, to show,
that Miss Donaldson again connects Clarke
with Laura Duvall, Gas well as Dougher
ty, his trusted Assistant in immoralities), J.,
in the matter of selecting out Miss Dovall
and Miss Jackson from all other ladies,
and sending them in the Treasury oyster
suppers at night.
At this stage of the testimony as to the
conduct and character of Clarke, and OF
sub-Superintendent in the Printing Bu-
reau, your committee regret to be obliged
to state all further examination upon this
subject was closed by order of majority
of the Committee. No opportunity was
given to fortify what had been proved, or
to go further and establish additional
facts. 1t was not necessary to go further