Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1876-05-05
Coaching. the President.

Grant in some fraud or scandal, and
thus far have only caught themselves.
They first summoned ex-commissioner
Davenport, but in this they found moth.
ing against the President and only sue
ceeded in uncovering the democratic
frauds in voting in New York city, and
as the witness proceeded to give the de-
tails Of the fraudulent voting, the demo-
cratic members of the committee had
much difficulty in stopping that sort of
"leak."
"The most prominent "catch," how
ever, occurred by way of mysterious
witness, who for some days concealed his
identity from all but the expectant dem
ocrats of the committee, who now had
their hopes raised to the highest pitch.
Dark suspicious were limited at, and the
more exultant among the democrats
openly intimated that President Grants
turn had now come. The committe had
been sitting with open doors, but when
the mysterious witness was produced the
doors were barred. The witness upon
whose lips the fate of the President of
the United States hung was an-Ordinary
looking business man. His marvellous
story was this:
Some years ago person in high sta
ton did him great injury. 1t became
important to the peace of mind of that
great parsonage that the witness should
be harmless. Hired detectives soon hur-
ried him to the government mad-house.
He was kept there friendless and pow
erless for months, when one day agents
of this great parsonage approached him,
giving him his choice between life inn
prisonment with lunatics or life of ex-
lie in Europe. He choose the latter.
Detectives accompanied him to the
steamer, and he left for Europe. Be-
coming weary of Europe he returned,
and appeared before the committee, to-
day, to tell this story. The committee
seem paralyzed, in part with astonish-
ment, in part with the diabolical job.
Who was that geat parsonage that
wronged your" asked the chairman.
"The President of the United States"
was the reply.
What wrong did he do your" Here
the witness stopped. He would die be-
fore he would tell. 1t was delicate
subject and should not be mentioned.
For an hour the committee piled him
with questions. They threatened him
with Imprisonment, with severe punish
ment, with the terrors of contumacy.
The witness yielded. He said the Pres
ident of the United States had done him
mortal wrong. That he had ruined his
| (the xitness's) betrothed, and since that
time witness had been prescribed and
prosecuted man. Hence these detectives,
hence these mad house bars. The Pres
ident had frequently come to the house
of the witness about it at the dead of
night, and had importuned him at his
bedside not to ruin his great fame.
But" interposed republican men,
Der, how did the President get to your
bedside at that time of night; did he
ring the bell 2"
/ The climax had come The democrats
were enthusiastic in their joy, and were
just ready to render their verdict against
the President, when the witness quickly
interposed:
!" want you to understand, gentle
men, that President Grant in the body
never did me or mine harm. He has
only done me that great wrong as a
spirit"
/ The witness was madman. The
committee instantly discharged him, or
dered the stenographer to suppress his
notes, and begged the republican MEM
) bers to keep the matter silent. One of
the latter said that he hoped he might
be as mad as the witness if he kept still.
i And this was the way the democrats
of the Committee on Expenditures in
the Interior Department caught the
President.
President Grant, on being informed Of
this affair told the whole story of this
crazy man. He said that some time
ago he was conscious for many weeks
that he was being shadowed, that he
could never leave the White House
without finding the maniac turn upon
him at the street corner and lower upon
him with his raving eyes. This espion-
age became intolerable, and the Presi-
dent one day stopped the man and told
him that it must cease or he would have
him arrested. 1t did not cease and the
President in his walks carried a cane.
The mailman still continued to haunt
the White House grounds and the streets,
and was finally taken to the Asylum.
He had been there but short time when
his friends at Washington told the au-
thorities that they would take him to his