New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-03-05
4 yolse from Man IN Gray.

The Richmond ENQUIRER SAYS: Our readers will
remember that several weeks ago, senator behla-
min f. Wade, of Ohio, caused Wonderiul assasna-
| ton story to be published in the washington
papers, !. A man in gray" with streaming locks,
and bowie knife as long your arm, called on the
honorable Senator at the witehing hour OF night
and threatened to sever the tender cord which held
him in this terrestrial hemisphere unless the Ohio
statesman signed q recommendation which the
| man in gray held in his hand. The Senator re
| fused. The man in gray brandished his scythe
blade, and by way of completing the dramatic
picture, the honorable gentleman .sprang to his
distance Of his head, ordered him to leave" He
went. few days thereafter, the Chronicle, "by
authority" contradcted the above story, ani
stated that the man who called upon the gentle
man from Ohio was an individual named Fleming
that he insulted the Senator, and was by hin
kicked out of the room. Now, the genuine Yam
kee can't stand "hooting, even if done witt
French calf.skins, by Congressman. He mus
have bus revenge, even i he has to go to Law
about it. Therefore, this last statement has caet
forth the " man in gray Mr.. w. L. Fleming
who turns out to be 'goed Union man." and al
old chum of the honorable gentleman from Ohie
In his card in the Star, he says
Now wish to say that am the mysterious
stranger in gray-that my name IS Fleming-sno
that the story put forth by Senator Wade in re-
gard to that Interview is from be ginning to end
fabrication of the honorable Senator's brein, as
ridculoRs as untrue, as shall demonstrate Before
circulated for weeks before it came to my knowi,
edge, and then only learned it througha friend
who wrote to me inquiring about 1t. MElat eng
Senator Wade had in view in starting tnfs apsurp
story, whether from an itch to figure before tne
public as a parsonage Of such importance as 70
be mark for assassination, or whether 1or some
villianous purposd he wished to put nrand OF IN
fanny on an humble person like myself, who has
done him good service IN years ptfs1' Is KNOWN
only to his own conscience
On the night in question called on Senator
Wade-not, as stated, to get sltlatlon IN the
navy, but to see him in regard 70 the course
adopted by the Navy pepartmaens a 'oi olscharglng
Senator Wade declared that he would have nothing
to do with me-that had, at ChaHestown, Massa-
chusetts last winter, told things about him and
Kansas affairs that should not have been told.
Said I: q Judge Wade, what did 4 say?" He told
me to go to Senator Wilson, who would tell me all
about t. Itold him that had seen Senator Will
son. and that he had shown me a letter from Mr..
Harding, q workman in the machinst department,
Charlestown, 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 prejudcial to Senator Wade. l told
Mr.. Wade that the statement was untrue. At this
time there being strong smell of gas in the room
called Mr.. Wade's attentionto it, He got up and
opened door, and raised window, and sat down
TO reading newspaper. Said 1: Judge, what
makes you so cross tonight? We have always
been good friends since Asst, and strong free
otdttS iucu tuSttucI, anu suUW ,}ou giving He
the cold shoulder / then got up to spit in the
fire, and being something Of tobacco chewer,
took out large piece of tobacco and a common
sailors jack -knife--a bluntpointed, wide-bladed
affair, about as fit for stabbing purposes as tai
low candle-and having cut off chew, returned it
to my pocket and took my seat again, saying. as
did SO, Judge, those men in Charlestown have
told you a le.n @8h
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 after 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 pistol on me, and the story he has told
since about kicking me out, have only to say that
had he drawn pistol, it would have speedily have
found its way out of the window, and had he at
tempted the kicking process he would have fol
lowed the pistol in the same direction. l am
tolerably patient man generally but, like most
hard-fsted, able-bodied Yankee mechanics, should
not stand kicking more than week without getting
my dander up. But there was no occasion for any
such deeds of valor on his part, and he certainly
nothing of the kind.
Ihaye taken pains to infinitely recount every in
cident of my interview with the Senator, to the
best of my recollection and now submit it to an
impartial public to judge as te its truthfuness as
with the statement of the honorable
Senator " H.at5s 80 ms .~r