Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1867-05-31

fictitious application were set fOrtl
fuIly the offences committed by the ap
pIIcant. The detective officer befor
mentioned, who was placed on duty a
the w hite House. and who had becom
acquainted with Mrs. Cobb and he
/ business, being in the secret, introduc
ed Howell to Mrs Cobb as an appli
cant for pardon. However censur
able, UnjUstiiable, or illegal my cousl
may have been, my only desire was t.
serve the Preident and the Govern
ment. The fact Is familiar to iurists
that in such case of emergency, wher
prompt action for the public good i
demanded, the courts have decided
that 4 margin of authority transcend.
ing the letter Of the lay Is allowable
The charge and verdict pTOnouced by
the judge, in the disposal of the case
clearly indicates his unwillingness t.
regard the letter at the sacrifice of the
spirit of legislation.
Capt Howell stated his case to Mrs
! Cobb, and she agreed to procure full
/ complete and unconditional pardon
for all his past offenses, as the con
! tract reads, for the sum of three hun
! dred dollars. 1t is proper here to re.
/ mark, that the usual routine at the
! Executive mansion and the Attorney
| Generals Office, in procuring pardOns
requires from two to five weeks, a re-
cord of the names of the applicants
! being placed on the books of the At
| torney Generals Office, which names
are taken up in their order and dispos-
ed Of For an extraordinary cOnsid-
Grafton, however, Mrs. Cobb agreed to
procure the the pardon in question in
twelve hours, as appears from the fol-
lowing contract:
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 5, 1865.
For and in consideration of the sum
Of $500 paid to me by Captain Clarence
y. Howell, l hereby agree as follows,
to wit: 10 take from Captain Howell
his statement IN regard to his case,
and procure for him the full and com
plete pardon for his past Offences
The mODey to be paid as follows: 500
IN hand, and the remaining 200 on the
delivery Of his pardon on Monday eve
ming at 6 o'clock p. III. further agree
thatIn case J. do not succeed in get
ting the pardon IS agreed, I will re
turn to him the 800 received Of him
lSlgued) Mrs. /. i. COBB.
The above contained the following
receipt on the back
WASHING D. C., Nov. >. 1865.
Received on the within, 800.
(signed) Mrs. i. L. COBB.
y his occurred on the 9TH of Novom-
bcr. To secure positive and indispu-
table evidence against Mrs. Cobb,
took six so Treasury notes and mark
ed them in the presence of five per.
sons, that they might be identified as
the bills paid for the pardon. On the
evening of the 9TH, when Howell was
to have it, accompanied by a detective
officer, l went with him to the Aven-
ue House, where he was 70 receive the
document, determined, as soon as the
money was paid by him to Mrs. Cobb.
and he had the pardon in his hands,
to demand Of her the money. As
shown by Mrs. Cobb's testimony. the
pardon was not procured on the 18th,
she alleging that the President was
sick, that AIr. Seward was net in the
city, and friend of hers in the Treas
ury Department, who assisted her. was
also absent from the city, in New
y Ork, but on the following evening
she would certainly have the pardon
ready. Accordingly, on the evening
Of the Sth, | again visited the Avenue
House with a detective, and the mo-
ment Howell paid the money to Mrs
Cobb and received his papers, I enter
ed the room and demanded from Mrs.
Cobb the $500 She at once recogniz-
ed me, and remarked she had met me
before" [ Informed her [ had been
watching her for several days, I be-
lieved | was posted as to her doings at
the White House, and said, You
shall not impose upon the President
bv your presence. He, doubtless, re
CARDS you as an honest woman, and
when he IS made aware Of your real
character, and the business in which
you are engaged, I think you will not
be permitted again to visit the White
House" She refused to return the
money, when I asked her to go with
me to my office she consented, and
asked me if bad any objection to her
husband accompanying us; l replied,
Certainly not, and, entering the car
riage with Mr.. and Mrs. Cobb, went
to my headquarters. [ took Mrs.
COBB into my private Office, and re-
quested her to return me the money
paid to her by Howell, stating to her
distinctly that it was my money; [ had
marked it for the purpose of entrap.
ping her, the person for whom she
had obtained the pardon was not Capt.
Howell, but Capt. Hine [ had devils
ed this plan to ascertain how and
through what means she obtained par
dOns; she should not impose upon the
President any longer, and [ should lay
all the facts before him at once, await
ing his decision in the matter. She
became excited and very abusive, de-
I. IL L. Z