The daily gazette., 1881-08-02
GAN OFFICE OR YOUR LIFE"
Dismissal OF Clerk Demanded
Officers Threatened with Assas-
sinaffOn the Alternative.

ASABhuAbb1A VI - Ol0EA 4bOHthnM&AC~-
Officers Threatened with Assas-
stnatiOn the Alternative.
A special despatch from Washington
to the New York Tribune says
1t Is understood that since The shoot
ing of the President several members Of
the Cabinet have received threatening
letters from persons who are evidently
imbued with the belief that The Govern
ment owes them living, and that where
importuuities have failed threats may
succeed. These letters have not created
any feeling OF alarm or excitement, and
the recipients of them have said as little
as possible regarding them but, rs one
Cabinet officer remarked to Tribune
correspondent to-day, "Such letters are
annoying"
One member of the Cabinet In his
mail last Sunday morning found letter
which In substance was as follOws:-
"Y0a retain In your department that
-. This is to warn you that uH-
less he is dismissed before August J.,
1881, you will be shot down the first
chance. Unless you remove him before
the 1st day Of August, goodbye! for we
mean business.
u0I0 WcI6 CcIJutu CliCutuoIhhtCo COh-
nected with this letter which appeared
to render 1t possible that The writer
might be discovered, and steps have
been taken iD that direction. 1t is un.
derstood that suspicion points strongly
to man who Was for several years EN-
ployed In the department In question In
one of the Southern States. He finally
lost his place in the public Sc tvlce, and
has been trying for some time to secure
a reinstatement. 1t Is said that he
nearly succeeded before IL was discov-
cred that he was untrustworthy and un-
worthy of appointment, and 1t appears
that the fact of his unw0rthiness was
made known through an in Vestigation
made by the officer who must be re.
moved before August, 1881, as the price
of the personal safety OF the bead of the
department. This individual Is now In
Washington, and, as before mentioned,
circumstances recently discovered strong
ly indicate that he Ia the author of the
threatening letter.
Whether sufficient evidence will be
found TO warrant his arrest Is stlll uncer-
tain. or course, such threats make nc
serious impression upon the officers
against whom they are made. In thii
very case the Cabinet officer who re-
ceived the letter is reported to have
said:-If the man should be fOnnd and
arrested, should not feel that / could
90 into Court and swear that bis threat
placed me in fear of bodily harm, for
do Eot think that men who make suct
threats ever carry them out. 1t Is very
unpleasant, however, 10 know that there
are in the community persons who fee
J toward you as the writer of hat letter
does towards me-"
There is, however, certain elemen
Of danger in the feeling which engender
such threats. There are men In WASH
ington who have been vainly striving to
! months-some OF them for years-to Sc
: cure Government employmeh ht. Some
these persons have families and are i
destitute circumstances. They do no
appear to think that they can do any
thing except Government work land the
are thoroughly possessed by the belle
.. that the Government owes them iiv
! ing, and that they are SUFFERING grle
I vous wrong because it is not bestowe
: upon them. Some of these people al
d quite as desperate and almost as unprir
Q cipled as Guiteau; and long brosdin
over imaginary wrongs has nndoubtedl
weakened their moral restraints.
Said Cabinet officer to-day:-"I hay
often thought, and sometimes said, thl
our civil service is as bad as it coul
9 possibly be; but begin 10 think th
threats of assassination as q means
d securing public employment are wor
r even that the annoyances and perplex
10 ties caused by the opportunities Of POI
D. ticians."