Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-15
rnE WAY 1T SEEMS TO US.


The fall Of General Belknap came
so like a thunderbolt from n. clear
sky upon the whole people, and the
immediate breaking down Of the
Secretary, who would throw no light
upon it, and only beg for his family ;
that he would assume the charge left
everybody involved in mystery about
the true status of the case. Little by
little there has come to light great
deal concerning the case, though there
yet remains very much to be found
ont by judicial investigation. The fol-
lowing facts are clear, viz: that Mrs.
Marsh and the present Mrs. Belknap
have been for many years intimate
friends, from their girlhood up that
Mrs. Bclknap's first husband was a
hardware merchant, of Cincinnati, and
at his death left her considerable of an
estate, besides the proceeds of
SIC, 900 insurance upon his life; that
this was placed in the hands of Marsh
to invest. Again, while Mrs. Belknap
was the widow, Mrs. Bower, she made
a tour of Europe, extending over a
year, and that at the same time Geo.
II. Pendleton, Of Ohio, and Heister
Clymer, the chairman of the commit
tee Investigating the war office, were
also on tour of Europe at the same
time, and were members Of the Marsh
party for time. II is further true
that the arrangement was made about
the post-tradership at Fort Sill be-
tween Marsh and the first Mrs. Bel
KNAPP and her sister, the present wife
of the Secretary, and as Mr.. Clymer
himself says, the Secretary knew
nothing of this arrangement until at
least two years afterwards, while no
evidence thus far elected proves that
he ever knew of it until Marsh's tes-
timony was laid before the commit
tee. Further, il is true that Marsh
did not want to GO before the COM
tee, but wanted 10 leave for Europe,
but Belknap insisted that he must moi
leave. Now if Belknap was party
to the transaction, il is most wonder
ful why he did not let Marsh 60.
Again. Marsh showed drafts endorsed
by Belknap of monies he claimed to
y,.o 4 L g.
business. We still further wonder
why man of shrewdness should
have so made record testimony
against himself if he was guilty. II
is further true that Belknap had been
led TO believe that Marsh, who had
and was managing Mrs. Bclknap's in
vcstments, was sending her from time
to time, remittances.
Clymer's travelling in Europe with
the Marsh party leads one to
surmise strongly that he got hold
of this matter then, and knew where
to put the Democratic political fund
that it might do the most good, viz.
to buy Marsh to tell his story and then
let him run away to a foreign land.
so as to escape the unfolding of the
whole truth and the punishment of
anybody. II was only political capi-
tai that The Democracy wanted. A
| party rotten with treason and seeth-
ing in corruption llonrishes best and
only successfully where rebellion has
| flourishcd and tens Of millions stolen.
as in New York. II seems further
that George II. Pendleton did not hy
to the telegraph Office in haste to tel
egraph to Clymcr that he was ready
to testify, without a cause for such
haste. There must have been some
garrulOns women stories told on that
tour 10 Europe. From all that we can
gather, Belknap may yet he shown
to have been wholly innocent in this
nefarious transaction. To throw light
upon this Pendleton matter, we give
the following special dispatch TO the
Chicago Tribune:
| WASHINGTON. March The ru-
mors which have gained such wide
circulation, connecting the name of
the Hon. George IT. Pcndleton with
the payment of a large sum of money
TO Mrs. Bc1llnap to secure favorable
action on the claim of the Kentucky
Central Railroad, have resulted from
certain developments made in the
course of Clymer's inquiry regarding
post-traderships. The facts are Of a
character to bring deep disgrace up
on the Democratic managers Of that
committee, whatever the result for
Mr.. Pcndlcton may be. They show
beyond question that Clymer and his
associates were not seeking to expose
corruption except where It involved
Republicans, and that they declined
to even go through the forms of in
quiring whether certain direct charg-
es made against one of the prominent
Democratic candidates for the Presi-
dency was true.
THE CHARGES MADE
are of n character to demand. and in
evitably to receive national attention.
In brief they are these: When
Mr.. and Mrs. Marsh reached Wash
ington last week, and before the
former appeared before the commit