Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-04-05
From the Bucyrus, (ohio) journal, March 18th.
- RELRNAP GUILTY.

Two weeks ago, the news fell like a
from a clear sky, that
Secretary of War, Belknap, has been
proven guilty of selling a military
leadership, and had resigned.
This astounding news was quickly |
followed by proceedings for his inn
and by common consent
the public seemed to settle into the |
that belief the Secretary was guilty.
With one party the wish is father to
the thought, while the other is so in
tenscly anxious to "let no guilty man
escape" and so intensely fearful of
seeming to defend even an innocent
person, that Judgment has been taken
against Mr.. Belknap. not so much by
default as by assault-and all have
conspired to howl him to perdition.
1t will be as well just here to refer
to a few points and pause to consider
how inconsistent the facts are with
the idea of Mr.. Belknap's guilt; an
idea that the people have literally
been scared into by the Democrats, as
hunters drive partridges into nets.
If the testimony of Marsh be exam
ined the following statements will be
found:
II do not remember saying that if l
chad valuable post of that kind l
"would remember her, but l do re-
"member her saying something like
this, IF can prevail upon the Secre-
"tary of War to award you post you
s'mcst be careful to say nothing to ham
..dJou presents, for a man once offer
.ed him $4,000. for a leadership OF this
"kind, and he told him that ifhe dfd
mot leace the office he scould kick hin'
''doacR STAIRS"
A few weeks after Mrs. Belknap
the first wife, returned to Washing.
ton she sent for Marsh to come over
when, as he testifies:
s.She told me that the post trader.
'.ship at Fort Sill was vacant; that il
'.was a valuable post, as she under.
''stood, and she had either asked fol
Kit for me, or had prevailed on thu
Secretary of War to agree to give j
''to me-"
After Mrs. Bclknap's death, thi
witness probably being at Washing
ton to attend her funeral, went will
Mrs. Bowers, now Mrs. Belknap III
to the nursery, to see the baby; thu
following is the account Marsh give
in his testimony:
81 went up stairs in the nurser.
"with Mrs. Bowers to see the baby
; 81 said to her, this child will hav
"money coming to it before grea
| "while.' She said, yes tho mothe
"gave the child to me, and told m
..that money was coming from yo
(which she must take and keep TO
ct"
II said Sall right and it seems I
.'me / said that perhaps the .tdtht
sought to be consulted. 1 said it seen
$50, and yet can give no reason fo
sit, for as I knoac, the father hne
"nothiag of any money transaction
: "bet,ceen the mother and myself.
shave faint recollection of a remar
> ''of Mrs. Bowers that if sent none
: ito the father, that it belonged to he
: ssand that she would get it anyway,
f Certainly had some understandin
q subsequently with her to him, fl
"when the next payment came due al
twas paid, sent one half to the Sc
: s'retary of War, and have continue
t substantially from that day forwal
r ito the present time to do the same
; Is there anything in this slight col
!, nection of the Secretary with the +
ceipt of money to show that the me-
q who was ready to kick fellow dow
IS stairs for making dishOnOrable pr
/. position, was now aware what mOnt
he was receiving. No honest, fai
+. minded man will so declare. Shou
q any one suggest that the Secreta
p might have known, let such cOnsid
h the following from the testimony
" Marsh:
IS "By the Was the co
s'tract between you and Evans ev
"the subject of conversation betwe
''you and the Secretary of War Z"
Y "Answer-H neUer scds, as I .
q ",nember. The next time l saw t
Secretary of War he asked me i
. chad a contract with Evans. I tt
Is "him I had. I necer shoced at
II slim or any one else, until Iproduc
a at here"
Ill So the Secretary mecer knew I
:, nature of Marsh's contract wi
: Evans. Much less did he know I
IS nature of Marsh's transactions wi
G. the first Mrs. Belknap, and afterwar
D, with the present lady.
, How does the following harmoni
- with the idea of the Secretary havi
as any knowledge that his honor q
s. official integrity was compromise
Ill 'By the Chairmrn-After receivi
he "by telegraph a subpoena from
"Sergeant-at-arms to appear beft
.'the committee, which was on Nj
er ..day, 21st OF this month, did Y
~ ''come to Washington, and if SO, h
pa ssyou an interview with the Secreta
"of War, and when and where p
" "Answer-I came to Washingt
n '.on Wednesday, the 23d of Il
h. "month. l went to the Secretary
3 "War Wednesday night, and retul
ted on Thursday morning. show
a. 'him a Geographic subpoena, a
De "asked him what it meant. He Sc
by :'he supposed it was to state beft
m .'the committee what l knew abe
''our transactions together. l salt
"did not like to appear, becaus
p Thought my testimony would
damaging to, or would implic;
ny ''him, or give him trouble. He Sc
OF .'he thought not, and advised me
i'm "stay and meet the committee. j
q. ''ring that evening my conversati
"was chiefly with his wife, he bel
OF s'present part of the time, and und
d, standing the general tenor of G
ne conversation"
I'd Why did the Secretary think
. testimony of Marsh would not imI
cate him? Obviously because he "
~ wholly unaware of the nature of
to dealings with the ladies for whom
to had been receiving money FRI
Marsh. The following also so
from fixing criminal knowledge
the Secretary, is strongly indicati
T. of his ignorance of and innocence
; the whole affair:
: 81 said, 4 think I had better lea
u sthe country The Secretary sait
lg "srouN ruin him If left. I said,
ly II 90 before the committee, i a
lis s.,Wi,a you, for 1 qciU tell the truth
- "He was greatly excited whe
''' "came down stairs to leave. He I
II Flowed and asked me into the parl
- "and said, want to make last
"peal to you TO stay longer. He S.
= Of l went he would be ruined.
OF "sdsd 4 qcould ruin him IF 1 aren't
10 store the committee, and l left a
:, "took the limited express for N
:" "York."
Had the Secretary possessed
cd full knowledge that Marsh had,
- would have acted otherwise;
eu Marsh not daring to tell him all, v
by speaking in riddles and the Secreta
lie confident Of his own uprightnt
NJ could not understand why MAJ
-, should be frightened.
:! A DR.. Tomlinson, the brother
as Mrs. Belknap, knowing all, steps
on and makes matters worse; but in
,as place, and under no circumstances
-. there any evidence that can be 4
OF torted into even an inference L
he DIR. Tomlinson was in communicat
e." with the Secretary-it was he q
Mrs. Belknap striving together to
lie fend the unsuspecting Secretary fir
,ot the results of Mrs. Belknap's own
happy errors.