, 1874-02-20
LOCAL MISCELLANY.


THE CHIEF GRAIN INSPECTOR.
Tho State Board Of 1lnilroad and Warehouse
Commissioners wcre IN session I'll this city
yeatorday, tho cspocia object OF their visie boing
tho investigation Into tho affairs Of Chief draita~
Inspector 1Iarper, against whom serious allcga-
tions hnye been made by Ills late Chiof O'ork
Edward ". Smith. But two of tho Commits
slonors, Messrs. Drown and Stcalo, wore loro.
They spent tho day IN looking through Dir.
1farpor's accounts, and Mt night thoy had not
completed tl,otr Investigation. 4 TMnuAE
reporter last evening oal!od upon tho Conmls-
pioners at their quarters III tho Palmer Houao,
with Yiew to ascortntn tho rosult Of thnlr ID
bora. lie found tho gent'omon aispoacd to 10
EXTREMELY nET1oENr
nron tho subject Of Mr.. Harpors AFFAIRS anu
Dnly a,1ccoodcd III oloitng tho information that
thoy bad not yot finished their inquiry, an1 thaI
Justice to both parties REQUIRED TINT thoy SHOULD
give no intiniation as to tho condition Of thtngs
until they had concluded tho insestlEa.lon. =:
kloir duty to mako tho first communication 10
lilo Governor, ipusmuch NJ Inspector Harper saa
his appontoo. A. lolicate instruation by sho
ccporlcr to tho effect that 1t would 10 only fair
to Mr., Hnrper to publish his vlndlcation at tho
enrlioat possible moment. was rnoulnf1lly inef.
tcctual III obtaining my hint aB to whother thoro
WAS or WAS not to DO ali, y,yindcation; and sin1-
ilnr result attended, tho equally ingenious Btg-
gostion that tho Commissioners owod 1t to Mr.
Smith, tic late Ctiof Clerk, to lose no timo 1T
informing tho public that he WIS not tho doBpc-
able spy al, falHiIier TINT ho would appear to bo
III case Mr.. Harper should 10 vlndscatod::
But tho Commissioners would not consent
to give any Information waatover upon the snb-
aud this tho reporter did reluctantly on general
principles, and rcgrotful TINT the lailroad and
Warehouse Commissioners should make tho
fatal mistake Of surprising that they owed their
iir7it duty to 1nero Governor, anu not to tho
Unsuitable public desire for newa.
uAnpER CONFIDENT,
or course Inspector Harper could not toll
what Was to bo tic result OF the invostiGatiou
though he expressed perfect confldenco thas 1t
would bo favorable to him. 1Ie did not
SEQ how 1t could bo otherwise ainco lle had done
nothing which should lead him to fear for tue
consequeuces lIo was annoyed that Ills private
affairs should be priod into on account Of tho
nncaking conduct Of his rccont Chief Clerk, but
further than TINT, ho WIS glad to have hts
accounts thoroughly inspected by tue Commits
sionors. lie lad telographcd them TINT llo was
wiluE and ready for i'm Investigation, and Was
pleased that thoy hntl como 80 soon.
Since smtl, had loft Ills employ ho Ind re.
coivcd many letters from various parties.
who stated they wore in possession
Of facts exceedingly damaging, to tho c!uractor
OF the late Chief Clerk, and in vow OF theRo
statements Mr.. Harper was not surprised that
lo Ind gotten into troubowit! him. Ho allud-
cd to Smiths iuaccuraoy and sloycnly ways as
tho solo reason why It became necessary 10 Writo
up new sct Of books; aud, curiously, enough,
au incident quito relevant to the subject oc-
currcd while tho Inspector was talking about 1t.
Ho VAS looking through the lotter-book to find
tho copy Of sonlo correspondence in rofcronce to
MI incre4se Of fees, writton to tie Gov
ernor Inst August, when ho camo acrosa
two epistlos not oxnctly, pertaining to grain ill.,
apection. They wcro addreBnod to Alisa Florn, u
aud signed by A1r. Smith. Iu one lotter ho Do
scribc1 his experiences aftor having returned
from an oyening ride with Miss Flora, when they
stayed out 10 latc that tho livery-stablo tnnn
grow very rrofane because llo did not bring tile
horse in caror, thereby disturbing his sweet re-
lee.ions OIL the ride. Reference was also made
to tho "si'ver nloon,' which presented u accno
Of rnyishing GRANDEUR" and to n caromol "
which stuck ID Luis tooth, nna henco tho swcet rc-
acctions aforesaid. THO otior letter was all in
vitation to Miss Flora to 60 driving with
him on the grand boulevard on Wednesday af
ternoon. AIr. Harper could not ACCOUNT for the
presence OF these tender cfft1sons III tho lottcr-
book, except upon tho horrible superstition TINT
Mr. Smith got his correspondence mixed, mail;
ing to tho Warehouse Commissioners au official
motto on tho subject of silver moon md "caro.
nola," aud to Alisa Flora. q sentimental and
iovor-Re eistlo relating to fccs for Inspections
To avoid possible embarrassment when hc should
bo called upon 10 submit his record of officinl
correspondence to tho Investigating Commits
sioncrs blr. Harper borrowed tho reporters
knife mud cut out tho Questionable leaves.