New-York tribune., 1878-12-18
The BAD BOY OF LONG ISLAND.
LETTER FROM GAIL HAMILTON.

THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CASE OF HENRI
HUNTING OF THE IIPE-sAvISG SERVICE.
To fhs Bdftor OF The Tribune.
SIR: IL appears from the columns Of THE TRIBUNl
that he Is caught at last. He is not only caught
but he is collared and called the floor, befor
the whole school, to hold out his hand and receive
feruling His name is Henry G.. Hunting. tie wa
a very bad boy. 1t took twenty separate charges
! against him to recount his badnesses-twentS
charges and an allegation. The charges evidently
| gathered up as much wckedness as they could hold
and the rest was put INTO an Annex and called al
"aegation." But they both came to grief. Ihe
twenty charges charged that he " had used his OH
cia position IN the interest of local politics, TO the
detriment of the Life-Saving Service" The allega-
ton alleged that he was guilty OF Official corrup-
| ton and dishonest practices" There could not Dc
much worse showing for Bad Boy than ths-oni-
cial corruption-putrescence, putrefaction' poiiu-
| tion defilement, contamination, depravlty, taint-
are some of the ugly synonyms which Webster gives
| of corruption Then "dIslonest practices es"-not
merely one sudden falling from grace, one lapse into
Sin from unexpected temptation; but staying IN
SIN and-stearng life-preservers, no doubt. and
cheating the sailors out of their wages and wrench
ing rings from dead fingers swept ashore in storms
and, worse than all setting ward politicians aIioat
in lIfe-boats to bring in the survivors. Verify he
deserved to be beaten with many stripes.
Happily for the of virtue, this thing was not
done in corner. Ninety witnesses were there to
certify that they it, And they saw and said
enough to cover 1000 manuscript pages. We can
easily believe it. Fifteen hundred pages is none too
much for ninety witnesses, twenty charges and an
allegation. That gives only seventy-tive pages to
charge, sixteen pages to q witness and the merest
vulgar fraction to the allegation. When we think
of the wrath whi.h one person has to expend on SO
Bad Boy. and then reflect that here were ninety
full-primed, we only wonder that they were COM
pressed into 1500 pages even though it were fools
cap. Truly here was dark outlook for the Bad
Boy.
But the Committee took out their jack-knives and
began TO whittle They whitfield away sixteen
charges Mt the first clip as "unfOundedD At the
second cut the whole ALLEGATION" fell, and, of
course all the corruption aud dishonest practices
had to be swept up and put into the wOod-box for
kimdlings. Then they hacked away at the four re-
naming charges till they had whitfield them down
TO the very fine point of being partially true
that is that in sererdl instances he was swayed by
political influences in removals and appointments to
office but that there eridence that IN con e
ouence there rds any lie lost or that The seTTco saered
Then they picked up the chips-which seem to have
been of laurel-woOd-and made very pretty wreath
for the Bad Boys brow, with this motto: Apart
from such conduct the highest commentator Is
bestowed on him for his eilciencyp That Is, apart
from not During the service he had greatly helped
i'll
So it seems he did not take percentage Of the
sailors wages. nor send political landsmen afloat.
Everything he had done had not only not been to
the detrment Of the service but deserved the high
est commendation for it's efficiency in beneftng the
service. All that the ninety witnesses and the l.5OO
pages and the twenty charges and the allegation
could make out against him was that In several
instances" the motives governing his highly-conl-
| mended efficiency were not the proper motives To
| produce snch results. SO THE TRIBUNE and the
| Committee announce, in large type
"Mr. Hunting Reproved."
And this is the way they reproyed him.
First, the Life-Saviug Chief. Mr.. Kimball pulls n
long face and Fuckers his seemy brow into as much
of a scowl as possible, and announces that the con-
! duct of the Bad Boy was "grayely reprehensble
| and merits censnre.'
Then he proceeds to administer it. Hold out your
| hand, little Harry, and meet il like man. Down
comes the ferule with the first singing blow: Ii
Is certain that since decisive official action has been
taken 10 prevent the subordnaton of tho service to
local party ends, disposition on his part to act
counter thereto has been apparent but, the con-
| trary, there is evidence of bis cheerful acques-
| cence.D
| What-what-what-Maste Kimballf THIS Is
not feruling; 1t is sugar-plums After they said he
must not, he did not This cleans him. Is this the
| way you administer severe censure y Try again.
| No wincIng now. Henry. This time it is coming!
"In view of this fact, in view also Of his high and
honorable discharge of duty in all other respects.
as established by the Committee Of Investigation
and known at the Department; and considerr z,
moreover that professional experience such he has
acquired il Of the greatest value in this service
| Wait minute, Mr. Kmball. Are you giving this
| boy a logging or are you giving him Reward of
| Merritt Oh I neither You are only passing him up
| to Sub-Master Sherman for discipline. That will be-
| the time when shall all sit pale and trembling =
on the benches while outraged justice ayenges her
self on the culprt with forty stripes save one But
Chief Klmbal shakes his head ominously, not at the
bad boy, but at who camorlng for his punish
| ment, and recommends to the Secretary to-wrte
| him letter informing HIM that recurrence of
| such practices ETC., etc, etc.
SO the allegation and the twenty charges and the
ninety witnesses and the 1900 pages and the Com
mittee Of Investigation and the Chief of the Life
Saving Bureau and the Secretary Of tho Treasury
| and THg NEW YORK TRIBUNE only get Mr. Hunting
reproved to the extent Of mot Guilty; indeed,
highly yirtuous for that matter, quite indispensa-
| BILE but don't do ii again" GAIL HAMILTON.
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DEDUCTIONS At JAMES a. HEARN'S.