The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-04-22
The LIE Nard Letters.
L. Hard Is shocked and sicksnsd at the
Exposures Of the Corruptions Of the
Republican swindlers and sooundren
In washington--A most Interesting
Chaptsr about Mrs. Lucy Cobb.
WASHINGTON, April 10, 1875,

WAsHINGToS, April ~, 1870, \
MYDEARARGus: i'll we're to give you
resume of the doings of our city l should
be obliged to fill my paper with descrip-
tions of all kinds of fraud. In the depart
ments, and in the records Of our late legis-
lature, one seething, reeking volcano Of cor
ruption after the other throws out its
stream Of sickening detail, until one IS
tempted to cry out "How long, oh LORD
how long?" and to wish that the earth
might open and swallow some OF THESE
giants of theft on short notice. NO. LII
leave the thankless, disgusting task 10 the
electric wires and will tell you instead OF a
meeting / had a few days ago, with one
who was al one time probably as much
courted and az thoroughly abused woman
as ever played part at the National Zap
One Of our citizens, A. G. Riddle, ma
tive Of the Buckeye state and an astute,
successful criminal lawyer-a morose look
ing, dyspepsia nursing disciple OF Sumner.
took it into his head to tell long suffering |
public what he knows about life at Wash. |
ington. He did it in novel shape, and
called it"Alice Brand" and since its pub |
LEGATION it has been praised and 'slashed by
the critics in the most approved style.
(As I'm not paid to do either I'll not waste
my valuable opinion on the subject but
will own to knowing its contents u Well,
in one of his characters any one cognizant
of the gossip of the last ten years, will
readily recognize Mrs. Lucy Cobb the
friend Of Andrew Johnson's family, and
find many of the then current scandals re-
peated, 7 jjgEt. 1LIt.J tLf..t
/ was thinking of the story one after
noon. while homeward bound in street
car, when who should come in but the
indentical Mrs. Cobb. Near me sat a
lady who had. in the times gone by, eaten
and slept at her house, had tawned upon
and fattered her when expecting to gain
some favor, but who now sat as immovable
as a statue, and with anything but recog-
milton in her eyes. That CALLED me, and l
hastened to speak to her Mrs. o.. re-
membering having met her at some gath
ering years ago. She responded pleasant
~; then, seeing the other lady, spoke to
her and received in return one OF those
Undesirable stares only women are capa-
BILE of, and the information that she was
not remembered. Now, Mrs. G. is a very
pretty woman with pair of the most
beautiful tender brown eyes / ever saw,
but the fash which lighted on Madame
Ignorance then and there was ominous, to
say the last, and presently came the re-
port: "NOt remember me, after the NUM-
Der of times you have sat at my table and
rested on my bedP How l pity your loss
of memory p The enemy was utterly de-
moralized after that, aud finally did re-
member; aud LIE Nard-well she accept
ed an invitation, on the spot, to call OF
Mrs. G.
Before ! say anything about my visit
reasons for never believing one breath o
the scandal connected with her. l knew
that she was the faithful friend and al
tendant of ex- President Johnson's invali
wife and respected daughters that the
never credited aught against her, and tina
moreover her husband, till the day of hi
death, never lost faith in her purity an
truth.
Furthermore, in regard to the charge
of her being "pardon-broker" l kRe
that she dressed lived and worked as Z
woman Of that class would and finally
when Chief of the Secret Service, Baker
tried conclusions with her, and tried
buy her off with $1,000, she refused tn
bride and let justice take its COURSE
far as it could under the circumstances.
street and number given me, and fou.
this ''favorite,'' who was said to hav
amassed immense riches by being Mr.. A
drew Johnson's friend, IN a cOzy lit
cage of brick house, all four rooms
which would hardly make good sz'
parlor, (she is married again-to ie'
eler,) but which were as neat aud clean
any ever saw. And presently the slew
of the plain black dress were rolled u
revealing pair of beautifully round viii
arnIs,and the hands which had been acct
ed of selling pardons to degenerate sout
ern culprits, were busily engaged in una
ing custards for my benefit; while t
face flushed and the eyes sparkled und
the excitement of recalling past scenes
also for my benefit. -a.
Passing close to me she remarked th
it was strange my hair should be so bla
and void of grey; and when meekly Q
served that il was hardly time for tn
kind Of improvements yet, she smiling
shook apart her brown curls, and the
thickly as on a head of fifty years o.
were ir.erspersed the grey locks. VIII
looked at her fresh youthful face, a
then at the hair in amaZement, she obsel
ed that at sixteen years OF age she h
been more aged in that respect than no
And then she told me bit Of her b
tory which sounded like chapter out Of
novel of border life.
1t seems that in 1857, when she was
teen years old, n married sister, who "
with her husband and two children, goi
to settle in Wisconsin, took her along
From Fit. Gibson they and several M
passengers, among whom was surge
with liquors for hospital purposes, set
in stage for their destination. Thirtt
miles from the fort they were attacked
Indians, 1.-THE Sioux City massacre y
other passengers, among them her sis
and brOther-in- law, were tomahawl
and scalred, the children taken by
feet and their braines dashed
against the wagon wheel, and
whom tho chief of the band had set do
with her back against large tree, with
remark: Pretty squaw me T. had
look on in momentary expectation OF sh
ing their fate
Then, when the Indians had found
brandies and wines, had piled the d.
against the wagon and, firing all, "
dancing in drunken fury around the py
she slipped into the woods, waded thro,
some water, and remembered Both
more until three months after when mt
DRY returned to her, Then she was I
that on Sunday 1.-THE massacre took pl
on the Tuesday before) she had stagge
up TO the sentinel and, with the wor
'Stage-Indians! !" had fallen at his f,
Her clothes were in shreds, her feet b
torn aud bleeding, and for three mon