The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-03
SWAIM'S STRATEGY.
A Lady Tells How He Succeeded in Out
Thanking the Garfield Fair.

Washington Special.
General Swain, who is now on trial before a
court-martial several serious charges, appears
to be getting into hot water His dismissal from
the service is extremely probable.
| The Sunday Ratchet, of this city, prints to-
day little "Reminiscences Of Swaims conduct
during the Garfield fair. A prominent lady con-
nected with the fair is given authority for the
statements made. She states that she had charge
of a rattle for wine-set worth about $50. Two
hundred tickets were sold. Number 80 drew the
prize. ''We had a good deal of trouble finding
the holder of ticket No. 50. We advertised and
advertised for it. Finally General Swain came
to me and said: 4 drew that wine-set. l held
No. 30. but lost my ticket
" You can not have the wineset untilyou pro-
duce ticket No. 3d. said l, and it must CORE
spond with No. 80 in the book, too added.
General Swain persisted and expostulated
and tried to get the set without the ticket, rep
resenting that he had the ticket somewhere and
he could prove it. I told him firmly that he
couldn't have the wine set until he produced the
the ticket and he could not. move me from that
decision.
He we away and sent some of his friends
to me to coax or brighten me to give up the set
to him. Finally o letter came to me from the
secretary of the fair lit was dictated by SWAMI
that the committee was satisfied that General
Swain had drawn the wine-set, and directing
me custodian of it to deliver it to him. L re-
fused, saying did not believe General Swain
had drawn it, and that would find the holder of
the ticket AT the eLd of four or i've weeks q
gentleman from Baltimore came to my house
and stated that he had seen the advertisement
for the holder of ticket 50 on the wine-set He
said he had purchased several of the tickets and
believed he had No. So We looked through his
tickets found 90 and it matched the So in the
box. The wine-set was thus his beyond any
question of doubt and l delivered to him.
knew that General Swain had not drawn it be-
cause I knew his ticket was below 81 for 1 had
bought tickets myself at the same time. Gen
eral Swain doesn't look me in the face when he
sees me now. The wine-set was donated by an
Eastern Pennsylvania glass firm.
"But that wasn't all of Gen. Swaim's con
nection with the fair" said the lady. I'VE had
rug sent to US by a Pittsburg firm, McChntock,
l believe. 1t was donated, but the donors said
that if it could not be sold for $50 to sendit back
and they would pay the expressage and send us
the $50. When the fair closed we had to clear
out the rotunda of the Capitol in hurry The
rug was not disposed of. 1 took it into the
room of the committee of which Gen. Swain
was chairman and told them the request of the
donor. What shall we do with itP l asked.
we will send it back was the reply left it
with the committe, and that was the last of the
$50rug. We got neither rug nor money. 1t
was not sent back"
The above matter, it is understood, will be
submitted to the court martial as evidence
against Swain to sustain the charge that he has
acted in a manner unbecoming an officer and a
gentleman.