The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-03-22
THE RASCALITIES OF robson.
potv THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
BUILDS AND DECORATES
A HOUSE.

A watch, however, mas been set on
the navy yard to see that neither
Robeson nor Belknap makes use of
this convenient method of escape
The ooints of evidence against Robe
son are gradually leaking ont, and
they disclose that, as in the Belknap
ease. the wife has been one of the
active participants in the husbands
corruption. The testimony of Cap
thin William P. Ferguson, former
chief clerk to General Franklin A.
s,ratton, civil engineer of the Wash
iua,on navy yard, is full of interest
in showing how Mr.. Robeson's cor
ru,tions have extended to the small
ost branches of the service. His tes-
t;mony in brief is that Robson has
ha1 his new house on * street finish
ed off and deliberately furnished by
Government workmen, who brought
with them material from the navy
rarJ, This is also testified to by the
former chief clerk of the pay-rolls,
and the muster clerk, who had charge
If the mems time and has alleged to
know the duties and objects of the
mems work. He noticed that the OBJ
ieet of tie mems work was misrepre-
scnted to him under the head of Incl
dental labor, furniture, and the like,
and that this misrepresentation was
afterwards corrected upon the books
az General Stratton. The foreman Of
the yard, William 2. Childs, pro-
tpge of Senator Dawes, of Massachu-
sets. was the main instrument en-
ployed in perverting Government
material to private use. He was
made much of by Mrs. Robson, and
be in turn to show his gratitude,
worked q large number of his men in
this lady's service. When Robson
first came here he lived in humble
bachelor style upon Vermont avenue,
street. When he became married,
of course he had to branch out in
STYLE to correspond to Mrs. Robeson's
ideas of what was due their situation.
The Secretary bought lot upon K
street, just below the Hamilton
House, and here he erected a snowy
dwelling. The interior of thi build
ing evidences unlimited wealth and
expenditure. Every room, from
basement to attic, is wainscoted with
elegant black walnut, here and there
beautifully carved with excellent
Judgment and taste. This work
would have cost upward of $4,000
had it been done private hands,
Here the advantage of being Secre
tary of the Navy is made to appear.
All of this work was done by men
from the navy yard, who received
their pay from the United States
Government The black walnut EN-
rloyed was also government property.
Besides trimming this house
throughout in the most expensive
manner, the genial foreman of the
navy yard, Mr.. Childs, also took oc-
casion to further ingratiate himself
into the good graces of Mrs. Robe
son by manufacturing various valua-
bic articles of household furniture
An elegant and deliberately carved
sideboard in Roheson's dining-room
is the work of Mr.. Childs. 1t cost
the Treasury of the United States
$500, under the item of incidental
labor. Hat-racks, card tables and
kitchen dressers are few of the nu-
merous articles manufactured by this
industrious and patient soul, Childs,
for the sole purpose of pleasing Mrs.
Robson. One day Mr.. Childs as
sumed lavish mood and ordered
two of the best wood cutters at hand,
Fred. Boettscher and VIM. Noak,
Germans, to 60 to work and make up
a lot of work boxes for distribution
among Mrs. Robeson's friends
These work boxes were very costly,
and occupied the attention of Boetts-
cher and Noak for several months
Captain Ferguson's testimony shows
that upwards of $4,000 worth of
time and material have been diverted
from the navy yard to the private
house of Robson for his domestic
use, = Washington Correspondence
Chicago Times.
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