The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-17
PULESTDN, N. p,
An M. p. Banquet Followed by an
Ord Bill.
tChicago Times Philadelphia Lettert


tChicago Times Philadelphia Letter.
John Henry Puleston, an English
Member of Parliament, arrived here hast
Sunday and. Immediately was over
whelmed with the fawning adulation of
the toadies and funkies who form the So
called best society of the Quaker city.
Colonel Forney, better known as Andy
Johnson's dead duck" and few others,
went to work vigorously to drum up a
dinner to Puleston, to which every one
was free to come who was willing to pay
$40 for the privilege. Just why he should
have public dinner given to him, no
one exactly knows, as his record is not a
particularly brilliant, one. He first
came to this country in 1852, to seek his
fortune and started several enterprises in
the northern part of Pennsylvania, all of
which failed. Then he went into politics,
although he had never renowned his
allegiance to the Queen of England, and
was sent to Washington just after the
beginning Of the war as a State Agent to
look after the supplies of Pennsylvania.
From this position he was removed for
some reason, and, after the war, went
back to England, where he became
member of the notorious banking firm of
Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Co. After this
firm failed, Pnleston took turn in Eng
lish politics, and seems to have been more
fortunate in his native country than he
was in America, as he now sits in the
House of Commons as member of Parlia-
ment for Devonport. Owing to the
strenuous efforts of a mixed committee,
the secretary Of which was an obscure
shoemaker named Alexander P. Brown,
enough people consented to pay $40 a
head to make the banquet a success from
a financial standpoint. Many prominent
and respectable citizens refused to have
anything to do with the affair, among
others Col. Elisha W. Davis, member of
the Pennsylvania Legislature from the
Fifteenth Philadelphia District. Col.
Davis had known Puleston when he lived
here before, and listened with amazement
when asked to contribute to the feed.
Using big d, the Colonel promptly de-
clined to be present, and remarked that,
if Puleston had become such a prominent
man, he thought there was a trifing
matter Of business that he had left un-
settled when he went to England which
might as we'll be attended to. .
The banquet went off all right last Fri
day evening, and the toadies and funkies
were in ecstasies. Yesterday morning an
attorney called on Puleston and asked
him to settle claim of $4,000 which
Col. Davis held against him. The Brit
sh member of Parliament agreed to pay
the sum tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock,
and if he does not capias will be issued,
and, as he is a nonresident, he will be
sent to Jail. The inside history of the
case is that in 1865 Puleston gave his note
for $40, 900 to Mr.. Peydrick, of this city,
and persuaded Col. Davis to endorse it
for him. When the note fell due Col.
Davis was compelled to pay the whole
sum, although the debt was not his.
Puleston subsequently repaid him $4,000
and promised repeatedly to pay the bal
ance, which he has never done. In 1872,
while member of the firm of Cooke,
McCulloch Il Co., Puleston voluntarily
wrote from London to Col. Davis, saying
he would pay him shortly. Davis has
never asked him for the money, and
never heard from him since. The bal
ance, with interest from 1866, and costs,
amounts to about $4,000, the original
sum, and this Col. Davis is determined to
have.