The Portland daily press., 1867-05-25
Pardon brokerage n. wa,,,ny,ou.

Baker concerning the business of pardon bro
ReraSe as formerly carried on by parties hav-
ing the entree of the White House, are made
WIN such minutehess and such apparent
o'iiiulness, and present consecutive and
. N'n'iS'eht an array OF evidence that it is difh-
!" conceive of their being mere in
'en''ois ~ We lay the substance OF these
s'a'eiiinn's before our readers They are a
part Vi tie history OF the times q part of the
evidence upon which the final verdict of tbolS
future Will be made up, aud each one will be
hisown judge of the amount of credit which
should attach to them. ''5i. 'ei .s-Unb ss.a II
General Baker says that ON his return from
Canada, where he had been for two weeks ON
business connected with the pursuit Of Sur
ratt, he was informed by detective s. S. Jones
that regular system OF pardon brokerage
was in successful operation, both by the con-
spicuous rebels in the capital and by certain
class of disreputable women, well known to
the local police of the city. Gen. Baker pro-
ceeds as follows: .i"' '-'f.t 'lj ~ .nHI .''
Among them he mentioned the name OF
Mrs. Cobb, who he said was a constant visitor,
was there ut all hours OF the day and night,
boastlng openly that she had procured and
could procure, pardons from the President, at
at,any time in six hours; that she exhibited to
him, on one OCCASION two pardons which she
had obtained for rebels at Richmond, declaring
on that day she had made thousand dollars
When questioned as To her mode OF proceed-
ing, she simply remarked that she had an un- &
derstanding with the President and he dare
not refuse to grant her requests. She further
claimed that IN the prosecution of her busi-
ness she found 1T necessary to divide "A portion
of the money received for pardons with certain
government officials. lI.tts .Hu r... Dr.. ......
j Ideeided to bring such a record of facts be-
fore the President, with respect TO her case, as
wOuld satisfy him of her unworthy conduct
and the neiarious business in which she was
engaged. To accomplish this, l determined to
manufacture q fictitious application for pardon.
TO represe ut an applicant se,ected Capt. II.
II. Hine formerly Assistant Provost-Marshal-
General at ST. Louis, who was then in Wash
in2ton endeavoring to procure the revocation
of Il sentence passed upon him by military
commission under Gen. Rosecrans. 1t seems
Capt. Hine had been tried, convicted las no
claimed unjustly and sentenced to the Alton
Penitentiary.o Before the sentence WAS carried
into execution, however, he escaped and fled
into Canada Whil6 there he was known as q
rebel officer, and consequently became Very ia
miliar with all the rebel officers then engaged
in organizing raids and committing depreda-
tiOns upon the border. He wrote me a number
of letters giving information as to the move
ments of the rebel emissarles III Canada. Alter
the assassination of the President he commu-
injected many important facts to the Govern
lnent i'm consideration OF which the Assistant
Secretary of War gave him permission 10 visit
Washington with the view OF obtaining re-
vocation of his previous sentence. .. ru uyg
While he was there waiting to have a hear
ing at the War Department., the case of Mrs.
CJobb came ,Ip and i selected him to rcpresent
an applicant for a pardon. "A regular applica-
ton was made, in the name OF Clarence j.
Ua,pall In this fic-itious annlica tion were set
fortb e,llv the offences Committed Inv the annli-
can't - 1'OINT 49, -" - 80 r.
Tie pretended Capt. Howell stated his case
to Mrs. Cobb, and she. agreed to produce
"full. complete and unconditional pardon for
an bis - os,,,oos ,, Co., Tho s,,,- of .1.oot
iii, p%Ss, = = - - 80 III y;
hundred dollars. The contract signed by her,
and her receipt for the money are printed by
c.a, 1l The ordinary rout;ne in nrocur-
si.iliH,HT .g1:l. a.,
inS pardoh, requires o rom TWO 70 nNe weeks
record of the names of applicants being placed
on the books of the Attorney Generals Office,
,sg,ll luUl IL ..,L. ~. A.. -. a
wncii h'iies nam are up IN anu
disposed OF. For an extraordinary consldera-
ton, however, Mrs. Cobb agreed to procure the
nardon in ouestion in twelve hours We CON-
p"i''' :"
tInue our extracts: .s-, tr.. tl af., II
This occurred ON the 9th OF November. To
secure positive and lindisputable evidence
| against Mrs. Cobb, took six so Treasury
notes and marked them in the presence of five
persons, that they might be identified as the
bills paid for the pardon. On the evening of
the, 9Th, when Howell was to have II, accom-
| panied by n detective Ofiieer, L went with hun
| to the Avenue House. where he was to receive
the document, determined, as soon as the mon
ey 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 7th, she
| alleging that the President was sick, that Mr.
| Seward was not in the city, and that friend
| of hers IN the Treasury Department, who as
| sisted her was absent from the city, in New
Att,f ~ fla Wnuld
certainIa have the nanim ready. 'T'..l''' -
/ kccord;nolv on the evening of the sth. /
| i've and the moment Howell paid the money
| to Mrs I,ohh and received his uapers / enter
| ad tho room and demanded from Mrs. Cobb
| the S3OO She at once recoe nIzed me, and re-
/ marieJ asbe had met met before informed
ner nad Deen wt.ciins ne ior seEei'i ,:s uass
Il DeieVe1 Was ao,i" poSd Snd so;J aVon sbaiI
not 'iu iu,no,a n''T mon the President Inv your
| NY nhpoSII, oP PSr,,tiass aoar5s ~ % ON
ptesei.ce. p. ne ,,a x,hon rs ;s n,oJa "wara
nehese wonldn' i harao,ar an and the hnSiness in
/ oa yJ'', ie'i o.a a,0oasd 7 th;nk Won will
Wlich you Me a%s;n 20 visit ths White
not ~ pStiiirsetu pS rof,,soj 40 rstnrn ths monev
ilouse, one -, re,uSuu soh oxcitsd aud ortrems.
ana became very hiu1h eAoi'eu , anu te.I
abusive, deeiaIlhs t,ae tho Prasidant pau and
4reat many P PaIupne 's.os,,., ,hano as lona
9e ,,S nd She and the presi,
s sne couid niiu ;'' '1 nI b aara
dent had Periece at,u 10 I~to ~
not refuse 70 ~ a any pa ~ 5nS haS ~
hlhi' laSAY.t a, ~" ~. ~. ,y ~, .u b,t = ao+
Greu. ohe siu sul oo -; nv. s;..,., ~ sana
many sne nau got .nree III n, S ,ab rt,i
very lnalghaty eitieI si.e st'o T, asiad o har
rlghi 70 20 50 as otnei ,,o, al,of,al
W. among her aIa s.l';o,,S H. a5ae of
in the business: Sne S, 81 tha
Mrs Ella IT, asntng pp, sle, .'nu otso nc. " Sno
Rebel colone, ana otners, srs s.,a .n's -
Washington ha, oota,ieu .eh p."l ,;a ,ao.
she (Mys Cobb hau sI,aI CO.. arrast N b;is
see Whv She should be g "eteo ioi ,i J.
Mrs. Washington and otbe WI VIZ ..y",,r oc'
be unmolested, adding the rem. ,,r nor,n,is-
i tion in arrestinp me will cost Won ou
| sion: / shall seq the President to.m, "ro"' ane
| have Won mustered ont of service y 'eplied
/ to her: ''The President will probably req, ire
/ some other reason for nv dismissal from se,.,
| vice than the statement of a vile creature like
| you" 1'l.ii" --a % Il HTH ''ET' - -
| After listening for more than an bour to CON-
yersation of this character, decided immedi-
ately TO see the President. L took the pardon
as delivered by Mrs Cobb to Capt Hine Mrs
CobRs written contract with Cant Hipe for
procuring the same, the marked $50 potes maid
by Iline to Mrs. Cobb a nd by her returned to
me, and leaving Mrs. Cobb in charge ofone of
my officers, / went to the Executive mansion
aboutS o'clock.
/ found the President alone in his room. and
after the usual salutation, said "Mr Presi-
dent, have some papers here that desire to
show YOU. He said, Take seat, sir / i'm
mediateiy unfolded the pardon and laid it ON
the tabie before him. He put on his speetacles
looked at 1t, and said, "Sir, where did you get
this?" II got il from Mrs, Cobb" / then
handed to him Mrs. Cobbs written contract