Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-22

The following from "Curtis," regu-
lar correspondent of the Inter-Ocean,
from Washington, hits very near the
truth in the Belknap matter, proba-
bly,:
The true story of the Belknap cx-
posture has never been told. 1t was
conducted secretly, and was exposed
so suddenly and unexpectedly that
the real origin was concealed, as Mr..
Clymer meant il should be, and vari-
GUS parties have laid claim to the
honor of having destroyed Bclknap.
But
THE TRUTH WAS THIS:
Hester Clymer was appointed to the
Craftsmanship of the Committee on
Expenditures in the War Depart
ment much to the surprise of every
one. He was prominent man, and
that was an inferior committee. 1t
was expected that he was to be
Chairman of the Committee on Rail-
roads or Public Lands. He wanted
the Military Committee, but that is
always assigned to soldier, and
Clymer was never a soldier. He in
sisted on having the Committee on
Expenditures in the War Depart
ment, and Kerr finally as
signed him there, although at
first his name was put at the head OF
in the Public Lands Committee. 1t
was said that he told Kerr, as the
reason why he wanted an inferior
committec, that he was familiar with
the War Department. Democrats
who knew Clymer's professed friend
ship for Belknap said it was q game
| to shield the Secretary of War. But
, Clymer proves Judas. 1t seems
that Clymer knew all about these
: Marsh Belknap transactions; that he
was intimate with both parties and
| it is said that Mrs. Marsh in order to
revenge herself on Mrs. Belknap,sug-
gcsted to Clymer the plan of calling
Marsh as q witness, and made ely
mer out schedule of questions for
Clymer to ask Marsh. When the lat
ter came to Washington his wife
came with him, and it is said she
: forced him here when he tried to es-
l cape.
e 10 go back little: The Marshes
S and Tomlinsons had been intimate
! for long time and when Miss Tom
9 linson's husband, Mr.. Bowers, died
Mr.. Marsh became the executor o.
= the estate. He invested the money
: advantageously, and Mrs. Bower
I. and her sister, Mrs. Belknap, wer,
!. very grateful to him. Once whel
!, the two ladies were very i'll at Mr.
J, Marsh's house they arranged plal
TO PROCURE MARSH A PROFITABLE AP
PoINTMENT
: under Secretary Belknap. The Sec
rotary, when the plan was propose,
- to him, said that the Senators claime'
the patronage of his office, and woul'
s make trouble if they discovered a
= appointment had been made withou
Senatorial Endorsement. So Mars
d got two Senators, whose names ar
d not known, to indorse his application
l. as a matter of form, and he was give
e the leadership. He sold the place t
\, Evans, and paid Mrs. Bowers half Q
II the proceeds transaction the Secre
tary knew nothing of until after hi
marriage with Mrs. Bowers. The
81 the facts were disclosed to him grad
y ually, and he accepted share in tn
Is contract. When Marsh came her
$: and went to warn the Belknaps of til
II investigation, he wanted to leave tn
re country, but the Secretary insisted o
his staying and telling the true stor
is to the committee, relying upon Black
,e burn to shield his old playmates-th
n women in the case. 1t was suppose
s, that Blackburn would allow the in
II terest of party to be sacrificed for tn
IS sake of shielding old friends, an
l. ladies at that, and Belknap agreed t
resign if no disclosures were mad,
But the cold cruelty that mad
q Blackburn the guerrilla, the mul
N derer of innocents during til
q war, kept him cool in the destrut
q ton of playmate's reputs
n ton. After Marsh had told his stor
s Mrs. Belknap sent for Blackburn
le She told him the whole facts but az
quilted her husband from any part O
if lot in the contract, and begged tn
a Kentuckian for old acquaintance SAX
N to spare her from disgrace. Belkna
ar then went before the committee, mad
O. proposition to resign and take til
" blame If as much of the details as rt
IS lated to his family were omitted fror
ir the report. This the committee nc
fused to do, and Belknap braced him
self to bear.his disgrace like a soldier
These facts will come out officiall
g, before long, and it will also be show
's that there was meeting at the Al
I: lingtOn Hotel between the Marshs
Mrs. Belknap, Blackburn and hi
81 wife, and others familiar with tn
r facts, at which Mrs. Belknap insiste
that her husband should not alone
IF disgraced, but that others who wer
h guilty fall with him. Mr.. Clymer
a committee having made sensation
,e and having furnished political capits
q for New Hampshire, declined to in
r. vestigate farther. But farther invest
d CATION was forced upon them, and tn
facts will soon all be known.