The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1873-03-27

Tho Washingtop correspondent Of the
Cincinnati GaxAtls fngnishek the follow
ing highly sensational stpay .s7''- g; E.
Z MD-N1aHT sATTAox or nm Unrri;D'
STATE5 TRRAspRx-AN0 Gro kfjHxD sBAsn
BREAxs INTos sIHR YAUlfs.TAns1HA1dH.
MEN CAPruRAp AND CoN1MD-(3 (3HaxHAn
SPINNER KkooKRD EBHNsl1Rss rAan:
BoUND-THE PoLIu. P0NSRnHSs--Dooas
BATTERED DowN-ONE MnLIoH AND 4:
HALF TAKEN-EsoAPR or THH. .PAR11sa.-:
Washington at night 10 q great city.
After midnight the: streets sfe always, si,,
lent. and about the public bdildings,l |
especially, everything is generally as slill
as the deserts around the pXrapids. II
q Gro wd sho6ld swarm abdul and enter
any one OF thcm during the email hour.
Of the morning, and the police, it. by ac.
cident any happened near, should.
through fear OF, favor, hold theis peace,
the presence Of the crowd, and the acts
they committed, might long remain un-
known. And 30 The following strange
story, told quietly by the officers Of the
Treasury, is at least plausible. since all
agree that in some way more than ST.
OOO, 900 has been stolen from the vaults
and divided since the ls.k monthly atate-
ment Of the public debt:.
Soon after midnight, OIL Sunday, the
I'd OF March, the watchmen who sit in-
side the East entrance of the Treasury
Department were surprised to see But.
ier, Banks, Logan and some others enter.
Accustomed to. pass. members Of Con
gseas, they at first thought it nothing ir.
regular, but visit made necessary by
the late eitting of Congress. But in q
moment more they found themselves all
in the hands of the Capitol police, forced
bodily back into their waiting room, aud
hidden to soy nothing or do nothing, on
pain Of losing both their positions and
al back pay, The messengers at Gene
raj Spinner'a end Of the building had,
however, hearing All 'unusnaI trampinR
outside. hurried off to General Spinners
room, where he happened to be engaged
with number of hiB employees in work,
made necessary by the hurry of the
closing session. Thus. partly alarmed,
they had all stepped across the hall into
the cash-room, when q crowd appeared
on the North porch Of the building, di-
rectly facing the cash room. The mes.
'senger at the door reported the entire
party as Senators. and as demanding i'm
mediate admission. At the same mo.
nent rush was heard along the corri.
dors from the East front, aud General
Spinner, with his score of assistants and
watchmen, had barely time to close the
two small doors to the cash room before
half the House Of Representatives we're
in the great insi De urea near these en.
trancee. demanding admission in the
name Of ths Congress Of the United
States. AS usual, the chandeliers were
4 lyob,tod IN 1,o ho1 \
driven to;pfotect the public money could
aoter Of the crowd and watch its move
|ments. - :
| Butler seemed, to be the leading spirit.
/ With his broad slouchsd hat, loose sack,
buttoned in at the waist, and pants fow-
ing ,abopt,his, short legs, he, looked the
ydry yspictdra Of q model pirate, as seen
on the oovers of dime novels. minus the
big knife and the horse pistol In com
| mon With the rest, he had blndgeon in
his hand. and 80 little was taken from
the character Of pirate. He was moving
everywhere in the crowd, and evidentl :
melting it to active. operations. The
crowd ON the North steps. at once ct,
tracted attention, and Butler, Bingham,
General Negley and Syphef rushed to
let them in. The soldiers Of the Senate
we're battering outside, Union and CON
federate--Logan, Ransom, A,nes and
Spencer-while'l locks. bars and boltt on
the inside were attacked by the soldiers
Of the Houso-Banks, Butler. Garfield.
Negley, Shanks, Stoughtop, MoHeury
and Sypher. The doors soon gave way,
the Senate crowd entered. the doors
were closed again, and there, before the
cash rooms of the Treasury, with dark
ened doors and windows to conceal them
and lighted halls to aid their operations,
stood the lordliest band of robbers that
ov'' demanded riches in the name of
their numbers, their standing and their
weapons.
Once in. they spread over the great
halls, and their consultations aud their
work began. Outside the streets were
quiet. The Metropolitan police had no
right to inquire. even if unusual noises
disturbed them. The band felt itself
secure, and the bold ones among the
number were bound thero should be 40
half work. To make sure of no intru.
sions. squad of Capitol police was
placed at all t. 9 doors, and ordered to
assume themsei les to be the Treasury