Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1885-07-15
"REMINISCENCES Or PUDrlC Mn.
BY BEN PERLEY d

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BY BEN PERLEY Po0nk
The "safs burglary ii ne the
spring Of 1874. disclosed 5 very discred-
table scheme concocted BY tie district
attorney, Richard Harrington. He
was from Delaware, whore his father
had served ~ chancellor for more
than a quarter of . century, and he
had been educated at Georgetown Col
lega. One day, according to his &C
count, he received = letter from New
York. anonymously indicted. telling
him that the safe in his Office would be
robbed on or about . certain night, and
to be on the lookout. He handed the
letter to the chief Of police, and to Mr..
ClarvOe, the chief Of detectives. The
watch was set, and about half-past
eleven o'clock at night, persons were
seen to enter the Office, and after 4
short stay slip out again. In . little
while they returned, and soon aftcr-
wards q light explosion was heard,
which shattered the safe and broke the
window glass in the Office. The two
burglars coming out doubled over and
over each other - they crossed Louis
lana avenue, and that one Wa closely
shadowed who carried = carpet sack.
1t is to be mentioned that In view of q
robbery all important papers relating
to the district attorneys official BUSH
ness had been remove from the safe
and worthless documents substituted.
The ~colporture burglar was tracked to
the house Of Columbus Alexander, the
leader of an organized opposition to
Governor Shepherd, where he rang the
bell some time without response from
within, and was then arrested and
locked up. No doubt existed in the
minds of the police that he was . reg
ular professional and hailed from New
York. He made = statemenfo osubiect
to his attorneys diction, whick was the
only clue anybody possessed to this
remarkable mystery. It afterwards APP
peared, however, that the whole affair
was . "set-up job" for the elimination
OF Mr.. Columbus Alexander, by max
ing it appear that he had instigated the
safe burglary in order to obtain the
papers which il was supposed to con.
tain.
The people responded gloriously to
the demand for more troops, and by
the middle of August, 1862, they were
pouring into Washington at the rate OF
. brigade q day. The regiments, on
their arrival, marched past the White
House. singing I'VE are coming.
Father Abraham, three hundred thou
sand more" and then crossed the Poto-
mac. where the hills were whitening
with the tents Of a camp of instruction,
whore an army of reserve was o
found. Mr.. Greeley. however, was not
satisfied with the military preparations,
and he published an ~insolent letter to
President Lincoln, in which he charged
him with being "di%sastrously Iemiss in
enforcing tho laws" Mr.. Lincoln re-
piled, calmly but positively: II would
save the Union. I would save it in
the shortest way. under the Constitu-
tion. If ! could save the Union with
out freeing any slaves l would do il,
and if | could ave it by freeing all the
slaves / would do it, and il / could rave
1t by freeing some and leaving others
alone l would also do that. What I
do about slavery and the colored race,
I do because l believe it helps to save
the Union, and what / forbear. I forbear
because I do not believe it would help
to v the Union. I shall do less
whenever / believe that what / am
doing hurts the cause. and I shall do
more whenever I believe hat doing
more will help the cause. ! shall try
to correct errors when shown to be err
rors, and I shall adopt new views SO
fast as they shall appear to be true
views"
The Tice meter, for measuring the
product Of whiskey-stills, received the
approval of scientific experts, but it
was necessary TO carry through the
House q clause in . bill requiring their
use by distillers. An adroit lobbyist,
known as Gen. Boynton-not the gal
liant and incompatible correspondent
of the Cincinnati Gazette of that name
undertook to secure o favorable re-
port from the committee on ways and
means, of which Gen. Schenck was the
He accordingly arranged
for q quiet game Of draw.poker in a
at Wizards Hotel. Gen.
Schenck, Tice the inventor, Boynton
and another member OF Congress made
up the quartette. The game was a
one, $40 "ante," $50 blind" and
a "straddle," if anybody felt reckless
enough to try it on. When the party
broke mp rosy-fingered morn was roll
ing back the sombre-hued curtains Of
night and ushering in another day, and
old Tees wallet was empty. He was
apparently very much crestfallen, and
Gen. Schenck was correspondingly
The next day the ways and
means committee reported in favor Of
the Tice meter, and the bill became a
law, very much to the sorrow Of the
distillers. The meter was . fraud of
the first water. Each oDe cost from
81. 500 to $4,000, giving Tice . margin
Of 81 900 or $4,000, according to the
size of the meter. Scores Of distillers
compelled to pay for the BLASTED
as they all called it, but not n
succeeded in running q gallon Of whis-
key through the so-called meter. Tice,
however, WAS not to blame-so he said.
His meter was q good machine as he
invented il, but the committee of sci
entific men who sat upon it under the
act Of congress directed various i'm
provements to be made, which rendered
it impossible for a drop OF high wines
to get through it.
A Barnce!Ona Rabbit Shoot.