The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-04-26
The Latest Scandal.

The Washington CORES spondent of the Bos-
ton Journal writes under date of Monday
Democratic members of at least one of the
House Committees to-day discredited them
selves far more than they can hope to disgrace
the Administration. In the history of the
session thus far the cutters of politics and
society have been raked to make case against
the Cabinet. Bank accounts have been ran
sacked, tatte of frontier camps has been lis
tened TO, detectives have been made orscles to
prove high officials of the government guilty
of crime. 1t was only few days ago that a
committee permitted false and malicious
statemen, to he telegraphed throughout Christ
endom that the President had been detected in
taking money from the Treasury to purchase
votes. But it was left for the Committee on
Expenditures in the Interior Department
to-day to surpass all others in the attempt to
'catch Grant"
The Democrats on the committee had caused
all the Republicans to be notified that an i'm
portant witness was to be examined, and that
all should be present. No hint was given of
the nature of the expected evidence, but the
fact escaped from some of the less careful
Democrats that the committee held President
Grant in the hollow Of their hand. The com
mittee had been sitting with open doors, but
but mysterious witness was produced and
doors were barred for two hours. The witness
upon whose lips hung the fate of the President
OF the United States was an ordinary lacking
business man. The Democratic members were
on tip-toe with expectation. Republicans were
interested but ignorant of the forthcoming re-
suits The witness was almost Indifferent
His marvellous story was this:
Some years ago person in high station did
him great injury. 1t became important to
the peace OF mind of tina: great parsonage that
the witness should be harmless. Hired detec-
tives soon hurried him to the Government
mad house. He was kept there friendless and
powerless for months, when one day agents of
this great parsonage approached him, giving
him his choice between life imprisonment with
lunatics or life Of exile in Europe. He chose
steamer, and he left for Europe. Becoming
weary of Europe he returned, and appeared
before the committee to-day to tell this story.
The committee seemed paralyzsd, in part with
astonishment, In part with the diabolical job.
w VINO , was that ina great PERSONS ige that wronged
you? asked the Chairman.
The President of the Unitsd States, was the
reply.
What wrong did he do you? Here the wit
ness stopped. He would die before 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 coutumacy The
witness yielded. He said the President of the
Uuited States had done him moral wrong.
That he had ruined his lthe witness betrothed
and since that time the witness bad been
pr scribed and prosecuted man. Hence these
detectives, beuce these mad house bars. The
President bad frequently come to the house OF
the witness about 1t at the dead of night, and
had importuned him at his bedside not to ruin
his great fame
But" interposed a Republican member,
"how did the President get to your bedside at
that time of night; did he ring the beI?"
The climax bad come. The Democrats were
enthusiastic in their sardonic joy, and were
just ready to render their verdict against the
President, when the witness quickly inter-
posed:
81 want you to understand. gentlemen, that
President Grant in the body never did me or
mine harm He has only done me that great
wrong as spirit"
The collapse came. The witness was a mad
man. The committee instantly discharged
him, immediately ordered the stenographer to
suppress his uotes, and begged the Republican
members to keep the matter silent. One of
the latter with good deal of indignation said
that he hoped he might be as mad as the wit
ness if he kept STILL
In this way Democrats of the Committee on
Expenditures in the Interior Department
caught the President