The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1876-03-12
BELKNAPS ESIGNATION--THE STORY AS
TOLD BY THR PRESIDENT.

lFrom special TO the Chicago ei-Ocean.l
The President is more indignant from
the fact that to the last moment Bel
KNAPP deceived him, and their last com.
municaton was deception on Bel
knaps part, us the President said to-day
to II friend 81 have heard il said fire.
quently that if had no other virtue, it
could not be said Of me that did not
stand 10y my friends But my friends
must not try my forbeaancc too far,"
Last evening the President sent for II
distinguished member Of the Illinois
delegation and talked very freely with
him for an hour or more and told him
THE STORY OF BELRNAp,
con Thursday had finished my break
fast said the President, "and was
opening some letters in the drawing
room, when Secretary Bristow was an
nounced, 1t was only little after 9
O'clock, and | wondered why he came
50 early, but | invited him into the
room and we talked for time over
some matters referred to in my mail,
After Il time the Secretary said Mr..
President, there are some very sad
stories in circulation about one Of your
Cabinet" told him had not heard
anything The Secretary said they were
dreadful stories, almost too bad to be
believed, ! inquired what they were,
and the Secretary began to tell me,
when in came Belknap and Chandler.
Chandler looked very sober, and Bel
KNAPP was changed so that you woult
hardly have known him. lie looked n
if he had not slept for u week. go
up and shook hands with him, ant
asked him what was the matter III
went on to tell me, in IN incoheren
way, about the Congressional mvestiga
ton; that it was going to damage hin
very much, and he said he had writer
his resignation and brought it with him
He took out the letter and read it,
said to him that ! would regret very
much his leaving the Cabinet, for ] had
confidence in him, At that
HE BURST INTO TEARS
and took hold of my hand. asked
him the nature of the investigation, and
his manner more than the words Of his
reply showed me that it was something
of an unusual character ] understood
that he was expecting an investigation
that he could avoid by resigning that
the facts if exposed would not damage
him so much as his wife, He spoke of
his dead wife, too. ! told him that he
had great many friends and they
would help him out, but he said it was
impossible; that he had shouldered all
the blame and would be ruined. He
insisted that it would save me and the
rest of the government u great deal OF
trouble if his resignation was accepted
tried again to induce him to wait
awhile, but he said he must 90 before
the committee that morning, and wanted
to tell them he was no longer an officer
of the government. SO ] wrote him q
letter accepting the resignation, and
after thanking me for that and for what
he called my kindness to him in the
past he went away with Chandler
Then
EDMUYDs AND MORTON CAME IN,
and they told me the whole story. /
could not believe them, ana sent mes
senger for Bass, who, | understood, was
member of the investigating commit
tee The President said if he had
known the whole truth he would not
have accepted the resignation as he did,
but would have suspended Belknap till
the investigation was over. He was
never SO astounded in his life. There
was no member in his Cabinet in whom
he had more confidence. The Illinois
gentleman suggested that he felt like
having Belknap tried by a drum-head
court-martial and shot, and the Presi-
dent replied that no one could feel
worse than he did. After hearing the
truth of the matter the President was
so unsettled in mind that he was totally
untitled for business. His friends say
they never saw him so completely I'M
neryed. All the afternoon he spent
with his son Ulysses walking down on
the bank of the river back OF the White
House.