National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-10-08
CLEws A. CHEEvER.

CLEWS q CHEEVER.
There is a person just now making him
self somewhat notorious by his connection
with lawsuit in New York whose name
and form have long been familiar to the
frequenters of the Hobbies of Congress and
the ante-rooms of the various Departments.
He was in his prime duling the days Of
the administration of President Fillmore,
when he claimed the closest friendship, il
not intimacy, with Mr.. Webster, then Sec,
rotary of State. He then enjoyed the COM
panionship. of charming wife and inter
esting family. They prided themselves
upon being society people, and entered
largely into the gayeties and festivities of the
National Capital, to which, by peculiar
species of diplomacy, they were enabled tC
gain the entree, and in which they man.
aged to sustain themselves with good de-
gree of respectability.
Upon the death Of Mr.. Webster and the
entrance of Mr.. Gushing into the Cabinet
of Mr.. Pierce, Mr. B. H. Cheever and
family attached themselves as closely as
possible to the fortunes of the Attorney
General. This was accomplished, per
haps, more by appearances than in reality.
Mr.. Cheever was always more tolerated
than confided IN. He was essentially a
man of preteDse, and was chiefly skilled in
such an observance of those conventional
propr;eties which are deemed requisite 10
the reception of invitations to the private
entertainments of the leaders of ton and a
retention of position in society
Tae family were rarely or ever absent
from levee at the Executive Mansion or
the residences of Cabinet Ministers and
members of the Corps Diplomqtiqus. Neat
in dress, distiRgue in manners, faultless in
etiquette, abundantly supplied with gossip
and small talk and endowed with looks OF
wisdom and mystery upon all political and
diplomatic affairs, they had little difficulty,
by constantly affecting intimacy with those
in high official and social positions, in sus-
tanning the appearances of gentility if not
of the highest respectability. With these
adjuncts shrewdly handled, it was amusing
10 observe the patronizing manner with
which Mr.. B. II. Cheever would worm
himself into the secrets of those who
visited Washington for the purpose of set
thing claims with the Departments, secur-
ing legislation from Congress or obtaining
mail or other contracts under the Govern
ment. He would also. perhaps, volunteer
to take the yerdant ones under his wing
and insure them success in their enter
prises.
Mr.. Cheever lost no opportunity of ex-
hibiting his acquaintance with all the great
men of the nation, and by this means, and
the confidential or mysterious manner of
addressing them upon some real or imagin-
airy question of the greatest importance,
rarely failed to impress strangers with a
sense of his power and consequence. He
prided himself upon his refined gentility
and faultless taste in these matters. There
was nothing vulgar about him. He Dor
rowed your check or your money like a
prince, if at all, while in general way he
assured you that your affair was "all right, 3"
even if there were millions in it, He
had a way of abiding to your matters of
business in the presence of strangers in
what he considered the purest diplomatic
style, as, "Ah about that affair of which
We were speaking, you know; l saw the
Attorney General, Cor, perhaps, SAW Cush-
ing and everything is working smoothly,
and it will be all right in day or two. "
OF course this method committed him to
nothing, and might really mean nothing,
l,,,t al carryaI Ia l,Hr
making an impression upon bis dupes.
By these means Cheever managed to
keep respectable appearances Tor some
years, although he finally reached such a
scattered way of talking, he became SO
very extravagant in promises, actions, sus-
picions and INDUCED ia such jealousies that it
was believed his brain was softening.
Domestic sorrows and Affections that oc-
CURED about this time so precipitated his
alterations that his friends procured his
Incarceration for time in an asylum for
the insane. He remained under treatment
for a considerable period. and when he
was finally discharged be appeared very
much like his former self, though, if any
thing, more mysterious and more ''unani-
nous" Latterly he has had a penchant
for administering upon the effects and es-
tates, or effects of deceased friends, under
the claim o. pretense that they were in
debted 10 him in very much the same way
that he claims money from Henry Clews
& Co. He is careful, or shrewd enough
in this instance, it will be noticed, to name
a deceased lawyer, of eminent connections,
as having been his partner.
In another portion Of this issue WILDE
found an abstract of his testimon upon his
claim against Henry Ciews & Co, for SER
vices in obtaining for that firm Govern
ment agency abroad, and an interest in the
profits arising therefrom. From the fore
going sketch of the past history Of the man
the public can form a tolerably just estimate
of the value of his evidence. Those who
know him best would proba bly, swear that
they never heard him make positive and
Ineligible statement of transaction in
words during their whole acquaintance with
him. Commencing with a few we'll con-
nected sentences, perhaps, the balance of
IuC 5IdOCluCAt was ouiO W 10 ~
with knowing winks and portentous "you
knows" or confident "you see, don't
you's," and 81 could tell you more, but
never mind about that now's," that the
listener was utterly befogged before the
story was half completed. The idea that
he ever preached The subject o. a change Of
the financial agency iatelligibly to Mr..
Boutwell, or any of the Senators or mem
bers of the Administration whom he men,
tions, is simply ludicrous. And, If it had
been possible for him to do so, the idea that
he could have exerted the slightest favora-
BILE influence upon their minds and actions
is still more laughable. The most charita-
BILE construction that can be placed upon
the conduct of Mr.. Cheever regarding this
claim and his testimony in respect of his
services with the Cabinet is to vote him to
be laboring under a pleasing hallucination
of mind.
EDITORIAL AFTERTHOUGHT.
That Des Moines speech is worrying the
Democracy more than a bone in the throat.
L. IT, .,.a1 -