Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-03-17
orr WASHINGTON LETTER.

New York, March 18th, 1876.
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
To The Editor Of Lhe Telegraph:
It is Just as well that your readers
should have little of the inside histo-
~ of the Belknap affair, as that they should
know the main facts of the BelEnap fall.
The history of the unfortunate and dis
graceful affair. stripped of the wild rumors
that have filed the air, and brought down
to the facts as they viii appear when the
case comes to trial, is briefly this:
William Worth Belknap, Of Iowa, Dem
ocrat of the Douglas school, served with
honor and distinction in the Union army
during the rebellion. After the war he re-
sided at Keokuk, Iowa, was an Andy john
son appointee in the Internal Revenue ser
vice, and was chairman of the Democratic
Central Committee of the county in which
he resided, when Grant appointed him Sec
retary of War.
Mr.. Belknap has been thrice married.
With the name and memory of his first
wife the public have nothing to do. His
second wife was Miss Carrie Tomlinson, Of
Harroldsburg, Kentucky. She, her sister,
the present Mrs. Belknap, and Mr.. Marsh,
who "squealed on his partners" were out
spoken rebel sympathizers. A short time
after General Belknap's appointment as
Secretary of War, his second wife, then liy
ing, and her then widowed sister, Mrs.
Bowers, were guests of Mr.. Marsh for some
time, and it was during this time that the
Post-tradership appointment was placed
with the district. Understanding that the
Secretary of War was TO be kept in igno-
rance of their bargain to divide the profits,
Mrs. BelIznap and her sister, Mrs. Bowers,
undertook to intercede with the Secretary
to secure the appointment at the Fort Sill
post for Ma rsh. In this they SO far sue
ceeded that the Secretary promised to ap-
point him if he would procure the necessary
recommendations. The ostensible reason
urged by Mrs. Belknap and her sister was
the obligations they were mder to Mr..
Marsh for their entertainment, and for the
cure of Mrs. Belknap, who was sick several
weeks during their visit to his house. Mr..
Marsh promised to procure the necessary
recommendations upon which to to base the
appointment. But instead of doing so
made haste to strike bargain with Evans,
who then held the position, by which ne
Evans was to continue to hold the position
and pay Marsh bonus of SIS, 600 annually,
and the Secretary of War was informed by
Marsh that he would yield his chance of ap-
pointment in favor of Mr.. Evans, whom it
would be great hardship to turn out, as
he (Evans) had great deal invested there,
and great deal outstanding that he would
lose if displaced. At this point in the
transaction the Secretary's suspicious might
properly have been aroused rs to the nature
of the transaction between Marsh and Ev-
ans, but nothing was said about it until
some time after, when Marsh went to the
Secretary with a request from Evans for
certain privileges at the Post, when the Sec
retary asked Marsh if he had any bargain
or contract with Evans. Marsh then took
pains to allay the Secretarys suspicious and
assured him that everything was on the
square between him and Evans, and the
subject was not further alluded to until af-
ter the death of the Secretary's wife, and
marriage some time afterward with Mrs.
Bower. In the meantime Marsh had paid
one-haf of the annual bonus received from
Evans, regularly to Mrs. Belknap, and af-
ter her death to Mrs. Boyer, until she was
married to the Secretary. So much of the.
money as had been paid to Mrs. Belknap
was entrusted by her to Mrs. Bower to be
kept for Mrs. Belknap's child. Up to the
time of the marriage of the Secretary to
Mrs. Bower, the fact of there being any
money transactions between Mr.. Marsh and
his wife, or between Marsh and Mrs. Bow
er; had been kept a profound secret from
him (Belknap). zIe s3aii
After her marriage to the Secretary, it.
became necessary for Mrs. Belkpap, nee
Mrs. Bower, to represent to her husband
that she was receiving money regularly
from Mr.. Marsh, who was managing her
affairs for her, and when is known that the
estate left by her former husband, Mr.. Bow
'ers, including 500, coo insurance on his life,
amounted to about $50, 900, it Will be seen
that her explanation was at least plausible.
and upon this explanation the Secretary af-'
ter the marriage received the money .regu-,
larly from Marsh for Mrs. Belknap. E.,,..,
Now, whether the Secretary supposed the
money came from Mrs. Belknap's estate as
represented, or that it came from the POST
leadership matter, is known to no one in,
the world but himself, for certain it is that
the deception was kept up in Belknap's in
tercourse with Marsh and in his own fami-
ly and Mrs. Bellnap did not know that he
suspected it. 4a.Ias .r11B3 il! olfg .i1sd
/ This is the real story Of the, Belknapi af-
fair-an affair that brought trusted cab
met minister from his proud position down
to the very dust in deepest disgrace. Thes
train that finally led to the exposure was.
Inadvertently fred by Mrs. Marsh in eon-,
yersation with the father-in-law of General
Hazen, and when Marsh found he was in
the tolls of the committee, he signed
statement drawn up by the COMMITTEES, that
makes it appear as bad as possible for Bel.
KNAPP, With the understanding that they
would shield him (Marshl. .5s..l -.
This is what there is that should be /.
known in order to arrive at d correct unl
derstanding of the whole matter. It dif-
fers from accounts published in some re-
spects, but it is the true story. .if...-
+ iWashington- Mar 13 A RTIcKFyF