The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-06-23
The Navy Department Fires.

A dispatch from Washington, June IS, to
the Hartford, Conn. Times, says:-According
TO the latest information given out at the
Navy Department, Secretary Thompson ex-
poets to have better luck in getting the bot
tom facts in connection with the thrice re-
peated attempt to destroy the Navy Depart.
ment, or at least certain records in il, by
fire.
1t is said that Thompson has secured lnfor-
nation which shows the full depth of the
conspiracy which was placed on foot with
a view Of destroying large quantity of re
cords, which interested persons, officials and
contractors, wanted to put out Of the way
1t has not yet leaked out who the guilty
parties are, or how much each of them is
implicated. 1t is asserted, and always has
been since the several attempts to destroy
the building, that Roheson had hand in it..
At one time Mrs. Attorney. General Williams
threatened TO expose the whole plot, because
Mrs. Robson made her angry in some way
Aferward Mrs. Williams wrote several anon.
ymous letters to Grant about it, as also TO the
editor Of Sunday paper here. For time
full exposure seemed inevitable, but mutual
friends stepped in and quieted down the vol
cano that would have otherwise soon boiled
over. Judge Williams wentbeiore commit
tee of Congress and denied that his wife had
ever written any anonymous letters about the
FIRE, or that she had any information in con-
nection with it. Bluford Wilson, on the
other hand, testified that Grant had sent him
several letters which he had received and
that he had some OF the Treasury detectives
investigate the matter, and ascertained that
without doubt Mrs. Williams wrote the
letters. There was great deal of scandal
- a,,l koA q fh,t h.,
were cooled down as soon as they we're there
would have been great deal more.
Well, now, in regard 10 the fires themsel.
yes, it will be remembered that two of them
were discovered at night time, and one late
in the afternoon. In each case experts testi
fed that the indications were that the fires
were not accidental; that, on the contrary,
they felt confident that some one had set the
building ON FIRE about the close Of Office hours,
and that it did not burn sufficiently TO be dis
covered until several hours afterward. Each
time the fire was started in the uppermost
story and in the same wing. Men who are
skilled in investigating such matters were
called in at the time for blind, but soon af-
terward cold water was thrown on their efforts,
or they were persuaded into giving up the
job. One thing was diseovered-and | have
been told the same thing by several of the
men who were allowed to partially investigate
the fres--that a colored messenger named
Daniel Muse had always been seen about the
rooms when the fires were discovered Just
before the breaking out of the fire. Now,
this might have been accidental, but some
thought otherwise. No one, as far as / am
aware, ever made direct charge against him,
although the suspicion against him was very
strong. Who was behind Muse, or who paid
or induced him to do wrong If he did, has
vet to be ascertained All that is known
about him is this Soon after it became ru-
mored around that the detectives were deyot.
ing their attention to Muse, he was suddenly
transferred to the Navy Yard at this place, by
order Of Secretary Robson. 1t was not long
before Daniel was caught stealing some brass
or composition from the Navy Yard. Instead
Of being sent to court for trial, he was quietly
shipped away in United States vessel. He
is now somewhere on the Indian ocean or on
the coast OF Africa; at least, when his ship
was last heard from she was in that section
Of the globe. Now, as | said before, these
things may have occurred and not proved
anything against Muse, but it must be admit
ted that it is q circumstance. If Mr. Thomp-
son has Muse brought back, he may learn
more than he knows about the Navy Depart
| ment fires