Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-05-29
Mrs. Cobb. the Pardon Broker. and
Friend of President johnson.

General l. C. Baker the Chief of the Bu-
reau Of National Detective Police during the
rebellion has written :. book in which he
gives narrative of great variety of expert
ences during the war In this book General
Baker gives a detailed account of his expert
ence with Mrs. Cobb the noted pardon bro
kcr. He believed She was obtaining pardons
by imposing upon the President and he went
to work to expose her. person pretending
TO be rebel visited Mrs. Cobb to employ
her to procure for him pardon. What fol-
lowed is thus told by General Baker
Capt Howell stated his case to Mrs Cobb,
and she agreed to produce - full complete,
and unconditional pardon for all his past Of
fenses. as the contract reads. for the sum ef
three hundred dollars. 1t is proper here to
remark, that the usual routine at the EXecu-
tive mansion and the Attorney Generals 5 eff
fee, in procuring pardons, requires from two
to five weeks a record of the names of the
applicants benig placed on the books of the
Attorney Generals Office, which names are
taken up in their order and disposed of. For
an extraordinary consideration, however,
Mrs. Cobb agreed to procure the pardon in
question in twelve hours, as appears from
the following contract
WASHINGTON, u. c., Nov. ; lsi5.
For and III cons liberation oi the sum OF $500 pad 10
me by Captain Clarence j. Howell, | hereby agree
a. follows, 10 wit: To take from Captain Howell ns
statement III regard TO his and procure for him
The money to be paid Is follows 800 in hand and
the remaining goo the delivery of his pardon on
Monnt! evening al "eiocki F. m, Iurther asite &c
/ as agreed will return To him the 800 received OF
HIM. (eigned Mrs. l. l.. Conn.
The above contained the following receipt
on the back
WA.nINGroN, d. &. Nov. > 1859.
/ Received ON the within, 800.
(signed) Mrs. l.. l.. Corn.
( This occurred on the eth of November.
/ To secure positive and indisputablc evidence
against Mrs. Cobb | took six $50 Treasury
notes and marked them in the presence Of
! five person, that they might be identified as
the bills paid for the pardon. On the eve
ming of the eth. when Howell was to have it,
accompanied by a detective officer. | went
with him to the Avenue House, where he
was to receive the document determined. as
soon 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 7th. she alleging that the
/ President was sick, that Mr.. Seward was not
in the city, and that a friend of hers in the
/ Treasury Department, who assisted her, was
also absent from the city, in New York, but
on the following evening she would certainly
have the pardon ready. Accordingly, on the
! evening of the Sth. I again visited the
Avenue House with a detective, and the mo-
ment Howell paid the money to Mrs. Cobb
and received his papers, entered the room
! and demand from Mrs. Cobb the 5000. She
at once recognized me, and remarked she
- had met me before" | informed her had
been watching her for several days, L believed
| | was posted as to her doings at the White
House, and said, % You shall not impose upon
the President by your presence. He, doubt
! less regards YOU as an honest woman, and
ter, and the business in which you are en-
gagged, / think you will not be permitted
again to visit the White House, She re-
fused to return the money, when | asked her