St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-07
sILCOrT's BIG STEAL.
Members of Congress, and Not Mr..
Leedom. Will suffer by Ii.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6.-The special
committee charged with Investigating
the accounts of the Office Of the SER
geant-at-arms met in the room of the
house committee on public lands at
1890 this morning. After formally or
ganizing the committee went into secret
session in order to make out the plan of
procedure. At the end of half an hour
word was sent to Mr.. Leedom that the
committee desired his presence. Mr..
LeedOm. accompanied by ex-Congress-
man Phil Thompson. whom he has re-
tanned as counsel, responded to the
summons, but MIR. Thompson was de-
MED admission. MIR. Leedom has made
another searching examination of the
books of his office, ard places the
amount of the defalcatiOn at 81, 800
Mr.. Leedom's examination was confined
to an investigation of the manner in
which business has been transacted in
his office in its various ramificatiOns
with the treasury, the national banks
and the representatives. 1t lasted nearly
an hour, and he was followed on the
stand by j. w. Whelpley, assistant
United States treasurer. He testified
as to the mode in which the drafts of
the sergeant-at-arms of the house are
presented and paid at the department.
After hearing Mr.. Whelpley's state
ment the committee made an inyestiga-
ton into the
LEGAL ASPECT OF THE CASE,
with result most unsatisfactory to the
members whose salaries are in arrears.
Although the matter Is still an open
question. 1t appears, as result of the
inquiry thus far, that the responsibility
for the loss cannot be located. AS the
bond OF the sergeant-at-arms was given
to cover the performance of his official
duties 1t cannot be seen how his bonds
men can be held for any loss incurred
by him acting as a disbursing officer
without any authority of law, or how
his private property could be touched.
SllcOtt'S bond might possibly be held
good, but even this is doubtful. Much
depends upon its phraseology. and then,
as it was given to assure Mr.. LeedOm
against loss, it must be made apparent
that that officer has sustained per-
sonal loss before the bOndsmen could
be called upon. Altogether the Situa-
ton is distressing to those members
who at first had no doubt that they
would promptly recover their missing
salaries. Having exhausted the knowl-
edge of the treasury officers. the cUm-
mittee went down into the Office of the
sergeant-at-arns, and, tuning out
everybody not connected with the Of
fee, began an examination of fOrmid
able array Of books and accounts. In
this work they were
AIDED BY TREASURY EXPERTS.
and all day tomorrow will be occupied
in this examination. Ex-Congressman
David FL. Paige, of Ohio. bondsman for
Mr.. Leedom, emphatically denies the
statement, which has gained some cur
rency, that he was indebted to SilcOtt,
the defaulting employee of the sergeant
alarms office. He says he owes Silcott
no money whatever. Representative
Adams, chairman of the investigating
committee, says that no evidence of
Mr.. Paige's Indebtedness to Silcott has
been brought to tight. MIR. Adams says
that the story that Silcott had gone TO
New York to collect money of MIR.
Paige, is doubtless one of SIlcott's lies
invented to gain time.