Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-27
Scandal at the Capitol.


HEADQUARTERS.
A few days since, Capt. BlackfOrd, chief OF
the Capitol police, received an intimation that
a room on the Senate side of the Capitol was
being used by certain empiOJes of Congress for
immoral purposes, and that il would be well to
keep his men On the alert to detect the persons
implicated. The same party informed Capt. Il.
that he had reason to believe that the boiler
room in the Senate wing was the point of rem
devious. Capt. BlackfOrd had already become
convinced that there was something rotten IN
Denmark, and had taken steps to d ud out who
the offenders were. He had noticed for several
nights previous that the door leading from the
crypt to the boiler room was unfastened,
and finally satisfied himeslf that some
employe had left il open for the purpose
OF admitting persons 10 the boiler room.
On Thursday evening last this door was found
unfastened as usual, and Captain Blsckford
placed man on duty near the boiler-room, in
the hope OF being able to arrest any improper
characters who might come there curing fhe
evening. Unfortunately, another member of
the force, finding the door unlocked, fastened it
with paddock, and consequently no captures
were made that night. On the next evening,
Capt. Blackford was more fortunate. Finding
their little game blocked in the direction of the
eoller-room, two employees of the Sen ste one
man OF the mechanical persuasion" and the
other dOOrkeeper at one of the side entrances
TO the Senate chamber, accompanied by two fe
males, found their way TO a room near the wes-
tern entrance TO the Capitol, and which was
used during the late Presidential campaign as
the headq uarteTs of the Greeley and Brown
Congressional Committee. At about O'Clock
the same evening, Capt. Blackford got wind OF
the matter, and going down with several mem
bers OF the force, demanded admission. The
occupants OF the room told hi m to 90 to tother
place at trst, but finally concluded to open the
door, which they did with shame and confusion.
They had evidently been having high old time.
The room was filed with cigar smoke, and
bottles of whisky and wine adorned the tables.
Capt. Blackford took the names of the festive
Baccbsnalians, and released them with the
information that he would report their misbe
havior to the proper authority. The women
were escorted 10 the guard-room, where they
were compelled to give their names and resi-.
dences for future reference. The women are
sisters-in-law, and both are married, the hus-
band OF one being former employe of the gov
eminent, and having recently figured in a GRIM
inal suit in our local courts. The women denied
having been guilty Of any improper conduct in
this particular instance, but one alleged that
the other was not as good she might be, and
that If 1t had not been for her they would not
have been caught in such fix. This reused
the ire Of the other female, and elimination and
recrimination followed. The women were finally
released with an admOnitiOn. The men engaged
in the affair, one of whom Is between fifty and
sixty years of age, and the other about thirty
still retain their positions at the Capitol.