Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-02-10
A VOICE FROM rHs NAN ~ ea.Y.

| in the w Washington ChrOsicle:
ssOn "Wednesday evening last, bet seen eight
| and nine o'clock, man Of unusually larre
| the residence OF Hon. BenJaInin L. Wade, Uni-
| ted States Senator OF Ohio, on street ana
| asked 20 see the Senator. he was shown ap
| stairs by the servant TO Mr. Wade's ROOM Az
ter being seated ne stated that he was trying 70
| obtain employ yment in the United States navy,
and asked Mr.. Wade TO sign paper of rec
ommendation for him in order TO further his
| OBJECT
| 'sSenstor Wade refused to do 50, saying he
did not know him, and advised him 10 procure
1 known. After listening 10 this reply, the
| strange visitor, whose physiogn0my Mr.. Wade
describes as singularly malicious and brutal,
| looked al the Senator with a significant scowl
/ which the latter plainly interpreted as mean,
| ing mischief.
"At this juncture OF the interview Mr.. Wade
arose, and, stepping into an adjoining room
armed himself with a loaded pistol aud a uietIy
returned again into the room where the man in
gray was sitting.
"After looking at each other some time 4,
silence, the man began the conversation by
saying, 'Aint you gong 10 sign MY paper Z
To which the Senator returned an emphatic
negative, adding that he had no knowledge OF
him.
"Matters now began to reach a crisis. The
stranger arose 10 his feet, drawing out bowia-
knife about twelve inches long, and rem arking.
Il suppose You know we are now alone, sir
IN this room.' He was proceeding to unsheath
nls weapon. when Senator Wade sprang to his
within a short distance of his head tslling
HIM to clear out Immediately or ne would
shoot him.
"Taken somewhat by surprise, the man in
gray began to find his way TO the door, fol-
lowed up closely by Senator Wade. with his
pistol still in close proximity TO his head. The
Senator, with true Western poIiteness, saw his
visitor down stairs, and before reaching the
door, quietly informed him that he had a great
notion 10 shoot him anyhow. Upon tins the
stranger departed"
In in
newspapers that the mysterious visitor to Sen
atOr Wade wos n man named Fleming, who
had also called upon Senator Wilson upon
matters connected with the navy, and that he
was probably no assassin after all. To this
statement throwing doubt upon the assassina-
ton story, the ChroHicLe, ssby authority" has,
tened 10 make the following extraordinary de-
NAL:
"The attempt made by some Of our cotan-
poraries TO refute our statement about the ..man
of violence" who called upon senator Wade
on Wednesday evening last, has evidently
been undertaken without consulting the proper
authority. We are authorized 10 say that he
was not the same person who called upon
Senator Wilson, and, that so far As Mr.
Wade knows, he was not Massachusetts man,
| nor is his name Fleming"
Now / wish TO say that l am the mysterious
stranger in gray-that my name is Fleming
| and that the story put forth by Senator Wade
| in regard 70 that interview is from beginning
| 10 end fabrication Of the honorable Senator's
brain, as ridiculous as il is untrue, rs 4 shall
demonstrate before am done. II has SO hsp-
| pened that this story was circulating for weeks
| before il came to my knowledge, and then L
| only learned il through a friend who wrote 10
me inquiring about il. What end Senator
Wade had in view in starting this absurd story,
whether from an itch TO figure before the pub
| lie parsonage of such importance 20 be
a mark Tor assas sinatiOn; or whether for some
yillainous purpose he wished 10 put brand
of infamy on an humble person like myself
who has done him good service in years past,
| is known only 10 his own conscience. L
leave the public 10 judge of the truthfulness OF
his statements, both H. egards my visit TO him
and his denial that he knew me. or that nv
| name was Fleming, by the following plain
| statement of the facts In the case L first be-
| came acq TAINTED with Senator Wade in lsJ7 in
| Washington when my knowledge of kansas
affairs and identity OF feeling with hiIa in re-
| gard TO those affairs made him quite willing To
| know me, and to make my knowledge avail
| able for his purposes. Such azd rs 1 could
| give him and other Free State leaders was
| cheerfully given by me in aid of what thought
| a righteous cause. To show how we'll known
| / was TO him and others of the ee-State party
| tnen and subsequently, and how utterly false
| are his allegations in regard TO his 'sstrange
| visitor" / subion the following letter from
| him 10 me, and also recommendation OF me,
| signed by Hon. =: t. Maddox, of Williams
| burg, New York, and endorsed by Senator
| Wilson, of Massachusetts.
| JEFFERSON, May ~, 1S6l.--Hr. LsUi FlsEaiae-
| Sr;-From the two last letters received from
| you. being postmarked at Charlestown, Massa-
chusetts, i trust you are in better quarters than
| when on the iron clad and Wabash You did
| not say whether you had received your dis
| charge from the service or had only been trans
terred. should like TO know how you are
| getting along and what you are doing. The
| pictures i received a few days after you sent
| them, and at once acknowledged the receipt
and thanked You for them, they give a very
| good idea of those battles.
| Yours, &c, b. WADE
WILLIAMSBURG, Oct TO- Isd5-Nr. Jones, Eas-
| ter AdehiHist, Nary Ydrd-This will introduce
| TO You Mr.. Levi Fleming, who has served two
| terms in the Navy during the past rebellion.
| He now desires employment in your Depart
| ment. He is an earnest Union man, is indus
| trious and worthy of employment in the Gov
eminent Yard. Please put him at work and do
an act Of Justice as well as confer a favor upon
Yours truly, SAMUEL 4. MADDOX.
also concur in al that is said
| ARCH. NJ. BLISS, Brooklyn, NY
| On the night IN question 4 called on Senator
| Wace-not, as stated, TO get a situation in the
Navy, but TO see him in regard TO the course
adopted by the Navy Department of dscharg-
| ing ciyilians-master workmen-from navy
| yards. Senator Wade declared that he would
| nave nothing 10 do with me-that had, at
Charlestown, Mass, last winter, told things
| about him and Kansas affairs that should not
| have been told. Said j: "Judge Wade, what
| didil sayi" lie told me 20 90 TO Senator VIII
son, who would tell me all about it, 1 told
| him that had seen Senator Wilson, and that
| ne had shown me letter from Mr.. Harding,
| workman in the machinist department
Charlestcwn, which came through the hands OF
| Mr.. Charles Field, Chief Clerk Of the Yard,
| alleging that had divulged certain things IN
regard to Kansas affairs prejudicial to Senator
| Wade. i told Mr.. Wade that the statement
| was untrue. At this time there being a strong
smell OF gas in the room, called Mr.. Wade's
| attention 70 IL. He got up and opened a door,
and raised window, and SAT down to reading
| newspaper. Said L: aJudge. what makes
| you so cross tonight! We have always been
| good friends since 1857, and strong free States
men together, and now you are giving me the
| cold shoulder" L then got up TO spit in the
| hre, and being something Of a tobacco chewer,
| took out large piece OF tobacco and COM
| mon sailors jack knife-a blunt-pointed.
1 de-bladed affair, about as fit for
/ stabbing purposes as a tallow candle-and
| having cut off a chew, returned il 70 my pocket
| and took my seat again, saying, as did so,
| "Judge, those men in Charlestown have told
l you a lie" As he still seemed inclined TO be
| sulky, and to profess TO believe that / had
| talked about him in Massachusetts bade him
| GOOD night civilly, and opened and closed the
door alter me and went away. He did not
| follow me, or even rise from his seat and as to
| the story he has told about drawing q pistol
/ on me, and the story he has told since about
yaalaE n