Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-03-23

than the merciless conduct of Congressman
! Blackburn in stamping on woman who is
said to be his own cousin, woman who was
his schoolmate and grew up at his side, and
who has more human respect at this moment
than is felt for him by woman or man. Black
burns father was horse jockey. hear that
Montgomery Blair, also a Kentuckyian, says
would care to know.
| Next on the list of men who like Blackburn
and Robbins, are the developers in committee
of Belknap's offences, is Hester Clymer. He
has been accused by Charles Nordhof of be-
| ing an accomplice of George H. Pendleton in
passing railroad claim for army Transports
tion through the War Department by enlisting
/ the sympaties of Mrs. Belknap. He has de-
MED it, and his previous character allows him
the benft of the doubt. But Mr.. Pendleton
has not yet shown his face, though they say he
is en- route. Clymer let Marsh escape, think,
| for want of wit, not of virtue. Like all i'm
peachers, from John Randolph down, his
vanity ran away with him, and, thinking he
flourish, he addressed the House, paced up to
the Senate arm-in-arm with his co-impeachers,
acted the solemn ceremony there, and retired
on nothing whatever. Now they all stand
with their fingers in their mouths, hoping to
catch another chance, and that think to be
a mean performance. For they impeached
the man on what they had, and now they are
waiting in the hope that the gods will accuse
him. 1t is like the wolf in the fable, wanting
to pick quarrel with the lamb. ''Sirah,"
said the wolf. ''you are muddying the water
of the brook that l drink" The lamb hur-
rdly replied that it couldn't be so, for ''Look,"
said he, lyon are upstream, and what l drink
or muddy does not flow up to you" This
made the impeaching wolf mad. ''Never
mind, sirah," he hOwled, '.your father was
anyhow, an internal rascal" and he ate the
lamb up. The moral is, according to Esop,
that when one is determined to pick quarrel
he is not nice where the evidence comes from
AccompIices Turning Informers.
Meantime Mr.. Knott has proved himself no
lawyer. The resolution to recover Marsh is
an eSopst .tacto law, forbidden by that dear
Constitution Knott respects. have heard
the opinion expressed from the highest law
authority in the land that the other law to give
wholesale immunity to accomplices who will
turn informer, is bid for treachery and
premium on villiany. There were 20 distillers
in St. Louis, all pleading guilty, though en-
riched by their crimes, in order to have con-
victed three poorly paid Government officers.
President Grant and the Attorney General
properly gave notice that to double ones
crime should not work cut pardon. Marsh
escaped, precisely like Irwin, by the stupidity
of the committee, who are set of mutton
heads. By the way, how much tobacco-ju juice
has Proctor Knott spit on the carpet of the
House of Representatives? A gentleman told
me yesterday that he saw him make the rich
tapestry around his seat float in nasty saliva.
A good law should come out of pure mouth.
An Umbrella.
We have had fight already. a reporter
misrepresented contractor after an affable in
terview, and the contractor pulled his nose for
wanting to shake hands over the bloody chasm.
They struck out and went to the police station.
Weapons are in request. l have bought
new umbrellaiand hope shan't have to open it.
The best way to fight is with dung g-forks as
Parson Brownlow suggested, and whoever
tosses his antagonist out of the cow yard is to
be the victor
How BeIknap Became Secretary.
Secretary Belknap was not a discovery of
President Grant. He had been man of po-
litical activity in Keokuk before the war, and
letters are extant to show that in the great
Senatorial contest between Lincoln and Doug
las, eigteen years ago, he was hilarious znp-
porter of Douglas. As he distinguished hin-
self in the war the leading men OF Keokuk
gave him every neighborly support from the
interest he readily awakened, and among these
were Justice Samuel Miller, of the Supreme
Court of the United States, and Gen. Wilson,
the capturer of jeff. Davis, who was ordered
TO Keokuk after the war. Wilson had written
a book, in conjunction with Charles A. Dana,
eulogistic of General Grant. 1t is known as
Drnas life. Wilson did not ask any Office for
the job on his own account, but supported
Belknap, and telegraphed to Judge Miller,
after the death of John A. Rawiins, that ac-
tive cooperation of Belkknap's friends would
take him TO the War office. Judge Miller,
who is both able and affectionate, headed the
list, and it was signed by about twelve of the
leading people of Keokuk. As President
Granite attaptiop anI baI NO.
before that time directed to Belknap, he re-
ceived a summons to Washington. His
character was hight. He was recognized at
home as good writer and speaker, a success
full soldier, and an educated man; and al
though it has been wantonly published that he
misapplied funds intrusted to him for invest
ment, there was nothing more than the fact
that the panic of 1857 had frightened Belknap's
affairs and his parHer helped him out The
partner was repaid, and has never ceased to be
General Belknap's friend.
The Woman in the Case.
When he returned from the war Belknap
was a widower, and he married Miss Tomlin-
son, of Keokuk, who had come there from
Kentucky to settle near her married sister,
Mrs. Worthington. Her other sister had al
ready married Mr.. Bowers, so there is no
foundation for the story that the Secretary had
courted Mrs. Bowers before he had addressed
his second wife. The Tomlinson family, to
which the sisters belonged, never was noted
for sense. Neither of these women were in
tellectual, and their brother, who has blunder-
ed into the recent mess by seeking with his
indifferent wish to extricate his sister, is no
exception to the rule. But the second Mrs.
Belknap, now deceased, loved her husband
with her whole nature. When Belknap lost
her he lost his trusty friend and most wise