The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-04-25
sEcoR nuNGERroRD RoBEsoN.
How a Doubtful Claim was Passed at n Cost
OF s35,OOO-A Lobbyist who has n Mys-
tcrious Influence over the President.

Of s35,OOO-A Lobbyist who has n Mys-
tcrious Influence over the President
WAsHINGToN, April 2i.-The payment of
the Hungerford claim (t75.OO0) by Secretary Rob-
eson' recently brought to light by the committee
investigating naval Affairs. is another OF those
transactions which have brought so much scan
dal OH the Navy Department In many respects
this claim aud the mounor Of ita ravment hear
a strong resemblance to the Secor CLAIM IL
illustrates even more forcibly Rlbesons manner
of making public duty subseryent to personal
considerations.
Some years before the war the Government
had at Memphis one Of those political machines
called navy yard. 1t was Of no earthly use OK
cept TO waste money, and made iders OF the
officers aud men attached 70 It, As the shortest
and best way OF getting rid OF II Congress passed
IN act giving the ground and most or the ma
terla TO the city Of Memphis. year or two after
this the city authorities either leased or sold
the property TO one Anthony steele, n wealthy
and enterprlsino Mississippi planter. steele
sold his plantation and slaves and invested the
money in establishing works for the manufac-
ture OF railroad machinery, agricultural imple-
ments, and the like, employing Northern me-
chanics chiefly. These works were carried on
on an extensive scale for several years. and bo-
came famous for the good quality OF their work.
| A few years before the war one Lafayette Hun
| gerford Of Rochester, n. Y, was taken into the
works FIRST as mechanic, then as foreman, and
Steele was southern man. with "southern
svmpathies;" while HungerfOrd was from the
North SO when our army took posse ssOn
Steele and his family were sent through the
| lines, had to abandon their property. aud euf-
fered great hardships; but HungerfOrd resumed
| charge oi the business having, so II - aleged
| promised steele that ho would protect his IN.
| terests In the property.
| When the war ended Steele returned to Mem
| pitts, very poor, to see what had become Of
! HunGertord and the property. Tue partner re-
| cessful In short, that It was IN debt and that
| he had been forced to close the business. He
| reported also that as the Government had used
| good deal Of the property lie was making up u
| claim TO present to tue Navy Department In
In due time Hungerford appeared In Washing
| ton with claim against the Navy Department.
for $25jO)O. Hungerfords lawyer In New York
was a son.in.iaw Of Gov Swami Of MARYLAND.
| He. however, could make no Roadway VITA the
claim at the Navy Department. IL had been
| examined. reported on, and rejected several
times. la short there was complete clog
somewhere, aud any further attempt 10 get It
| through III the regular way would have been
useless. That Irregular way, so well known
| here, bad to be resorted to. Tho next thing
necessary was to md the man who nal the
right kind of influence with kobeson. and knew
where a little money could be put TO good adj
antage; ne s, rlgn' man was Iounn IN .ne oe nd
professional relations with ltobesOn were of the
most intimate kind. Johnson was plausible
and persuasive. He was a bit OF n journalist,
something of lawyer, and a good deal OF a lob
byist. At this time Hungerford, who was In
great need OF money and began to despair OF
getting mis- claim. ayr cd that the lawyers should
have all they could got over $lO,UD. This, while
IL stamped tho doubtful character Of the claim,
was very encouraging to the lawyers. john,
son went 10 wofk, brought his weli-known
tactics into use, and succeeded in very snort
time in getting the clnim "boied down" 10
t15,000. passed, and paid.
rhe money, in thousand-dollar bills, was
paid on July -, 1871. An examination Of John
sons bank account shows that he deposited on
the same day tG3,Ooo, leaving $1,000 in green
backs to be accounted for. That IL was paid 20
some one is very clear, but to whom is myste-
~ The question arises, can this be the twelve
thousand dollars invested ia real estate here by
RObesOn about that timer
there Ia stu another mystery about the divis
lon Of this money. The $4,000 promised 70
Hungerford was sent 20 hts lawyer In New \ ok,
In Riggs check, on the day tue money was
paid. Twenty-three OF the sixty-three thousand
stu remained. OF this l,i50 was paid TO some
unknown person. The balance was retained by
Johnson a. his fee. As yet the committee have
not been able to trace this unknown person
They think, however. that they arc on the track
Of both him and the man who got tue $1,000
Il must be confessed, however, that the exam.
being dead and certain papers In her posses
sion shed no light upon the subject.
tirely new phase. Having received. as have
shown, t75,0po of the ts53,OoO originally
two distinct claims, one for $4,000. or there
about, against the NAVY DePariment, and ne
attorney now employed IL one Henry Sherm an
better known here az Judge Sherman, notor
Gus lobbyist, who plunes himself on his init
mate relations with and great personal influence
over President Grant. He Is the same man who
is believed TO have engineered the lease, in con
nection with Rufus Ingalls,, for the new building
for the Quarterm aster- Generals Noes, Tina,
this man has peculiar influence over Grant
will not be denied 4; but how he has obtained II
| no one here can find out. In truth, Sherman
himself Is mystery. lie not long sipco walked
into one OF the departments with letter Il IN
Grant, requesting That the Hnngerford aim oe
| ieopened. He also approached Congress II an
Mellis, saying he was going 10 bring II W 1t
| Congress He was told by MIR. Mellis that u h'
did ne would expose the whole, rotten history
| Steele died In June, lSJi. and his widow and
four children are now living in great poverty IL
Arkansas. Hungerford, who is now llying II
Rochester, y. Y, refuses to acknowledge he
claim TO any part OF the money, or, indeed, e
render her the slightest assistance. Such is |
brief history Of the HuugeTiord claim.