Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-04-29

How Things Were Fixed in Florida---O Our
Sandy Dunncll Sent Selkirk Money---He
Saw McLin Change the Votes---Hayes
Promised to Take Care of Him but Didn't.
The N. Y. World publishes curious story
which it obtained, it says, from William H.
Selkirk, for the sum of $500. Selkirk, now
book canvasser for Scribner, Armstrong &
Co., has letter of recommendation from
Thurlow Weed, H. G. Thurber and others,
and is we'll connected. He called at the
Worlds office and said he had valuable in
formation which would show beyond doubt
that the vote of Florida was fraudulently
counted for Hayes. Selkirk explained that
He SOLD THE NEWS
because he had not been paid for his i'm
portant share in the frauds and crimes. All
ne received, he said, was order on the
treasury Tor 1920, pay for ninety-two days
work as special agent of the department of
justice, which order he could never get
cashed, as there was no appropriation to
meet it.. He succeeded, however, in getting
temporary employment in Washington at
$50 month, paid out of the unexhausted
appropriations of other departments, and,
when that ended, he determined to get paid
for his work as best he could.
81 HELPED TO MAKE TIE ADMINISTRATION,
and 1t has steadily gone back on me.
want my little consulship or it's equivalent
IN sugar." Telling his little story, Sell1irk
said "About the time of the trouble with
the returning boards South was in Wash
ington. One evening a messenger arrived
from the department of jnstice, and said
Secretary Taft wanted to see me. went to
him. He received me very cordially, and
said had been recommended to him as
reliable man to undertake a diplomatic lob
OF great Importance. He wanted me to 90
at once to Florida, as special agent of the
department, to cooperate with the marshal
Ill securing a fair and honest count of the
vote. He handed me my commission, and
told me to report to the marshal, and said:
"Now, there's your written instructions.
Put them in your pocket and listen to me.''
Then for an hour he gave me verbal instruc-
tions, which were
''To FIX TH1NGs,''
no matter what it might cost, and keep him
advised of the progress made. He went to
drawer and took out a lot of money for ex-
penses, saying If you want any more you
can draw, but be sure you fix things Be-
fore II that night was on my way to Flori-
da. When [ got to Atlanta I met Bob
Toombs. I had shaved my chin-beard, and
passed for an Edglishman on my way to
buy an orange grove. Toombs and 1 got
thick. He kindly told me, as an Englishman
naturally interested in foreign customs, what
was going on. He explained to me the sit
uation in Florida, and told me the United
States marshal there
HAD BEEN FIXED,
and would work for the Democrats. This
was the very marshal to whom was to re-
port, SO telegraphed to Taft that the mar
shal was against us, and he telegraphed me
not to have anything to do with him, but to
watch him, and
GO AHEAD ON MY OWN HOOK.
Toombs also showed me $500, 900 in checks
and orders which had been brought on for
the Tilden cause, and, dividing it into two
parts, said: ''That's for Louisiana, and
that'c for Florida I travelled all over
Florida, and saw all the visiting Republican
statesmen. The only one VINO knew my
business was Alfred P. Morton, of Virginia.
He was a creature of Conkling, sent to
Florida by Taft in the same way was, and
Conkling had him keep him advised of all
that was done. He did not do much him
self, but
WAS VERY USEFUL
in Tallahassee, and when he came back was
we'll taken care of. They have all been taken
care of but me, and they thought was safe
not to squeal, because l was SO we'll connect
ed, and had so much to lose. I have an
uncle in Albany, N. Y, who is minister. 1t
was who got eightysix atfidavits for $40
apiece that carried Alachna county, and it
was [ who seated Horatio Bisbee in Congress
in the same way" Selkirk continues: 81
carried the papers that made an Administra-
ton in my pocket. 1 was in the room with
McLin when he was changing the votes, and
saw him do it. Dockray, since appointed
Consul to Leeds, was his body-guard, saw
him to bed at night and tracked him around
all day. He did all the dirty wsrk. William
E. Chandler and wife did the fine business.
You should have seen the Jewels McLn and
his wife got. Money and diamonds were
AS PLENTIFUL AS ORANGES.
Isee it stated that McLin refused to change
the votes, but I saw him do it. The only
thing he refused was to make alterations
after he had changed them to cover the
tracks of others who were scared of being
found out. While this was going on, the
Democrats were keeping
N.
1 saw Marble down there, but he did not
know ne. / received letters from Senator
Teller, of Colorado, who sent nue. $50, and
from Dunnell, of Minnesota, who sent me
money too. II was hard work sometimes
changing the votes, harder than in Louis
lana, but we were all given to understand
that when Hayes got in we would be taken
care of. thought was
ALL RIGHT RECAUsE OF TAFT.
He expected to be in Hayes cabinet. After
I got back to Washington, and things were
all fixed, was walking with Taft. It was
the night before the day on which the cabi-
net was announced. left Taft at the Ebbit
house, and he assured me I should be we'll
taken care of. Taft did not get into the
cabinet, and next morning by 8 o'clock he
and his wife and daughters had packed their
trunks and were on their way West, and he
has never set foot in Washington since
Selkirli said Kasson and Noyes were very
active, and was especially bitter because
they and Stoughton had been rewarded and
he had not. He said he had been promised
a position in Brazil, but
HAS GOT NOTHING.
He claimed to have letters from every mem
Der in the cabinet excepting Devens certify
ing to his claims upon the party. He said
of McLin's confession: s'Its only fault is
that it don't tell the half. Conkling was
kept informed by Morton Of all the frauds
in Florida, and could if he wanted to, prove
tomorrow that Hayes was not elected. Sc
could I. Unless they have been removed
since the night of Dec. 80, 1 could go to thu
department. Of justice in Washington anl
mt nv hands on the proofs of the Who'll,