The Brookhaven leader., 1889-11-21
a POLITICAL STORY.
70 Republican Civil-Serv4ce Reformer'
Listen to This Tale of Woe.


to the Senate, but to me it is in
fnitely full of pathos and indig- !
nation. Down on the Ohio river, in one
Of our Indiana counties, is the town Of
CanneltOn. The post-oftice there Is OF
the fourth class, and / regret it exceed
ingly, because IL withdraw5 from our
consideration here the case to which /
am about to refer. Isabelle DE Ia Hunt
was the widow Of Major De La Hunt, Of
the Twenty-sixth Indiana Volunteers.
lie was a Democrat-a Democrat before
the war, Democrat during the war, a
Democrat after the war, or after his re-
turn from the army. lie was a gallant
man. At Prairie Grove, in Arkansas,
he was shot down by wound entirely
through the body. Recovering from this
desperate wound, he rejoined his com
mand and again received rebel bullet
through his arm. Disabled by these
two wounds received in his countrys
service, he was compelled to leave the
army and return to Perry County, Ind.
In acknowledgment of his Democracy,
in recognition, | may hope, of his gallant
service as soldier, the Democracy Of
Perry County elected him to one of
the county offices. Rut his days
were few. His vital forces had
been 50 sapped by the wounds
which he had received that it was not
long until sorrowing widow and one
only child followed the remains Of as
brave a soldier as ever went out from
Indiana to his last resting-place in the
grave. This widow, left with small
means, entered upon the work of main
tanning herself and that soldiers orphan
| boy. For many years her Old father
was postmaster at Cannelton, and she
his principal and most efficient deputy.
| Something like year or eighteen
months ago, her old father being beyond
eighty years OF age and unable to dis
charge the duties of the Office, Isabelle
| De La Hunt, the widow, was appointed
on my request by Mr.. Hatton, then
| Postmaster-General, to this little post
| office.
| If there was in all this country one
| person who by reason of her sex, who
| by reason of her widowhoOd, who by rea-
3on Of the sacrifice she had made in Civ
ing the arm on which she leaned to her
/ .
| kept IN office, was entitled to have her
reputation guarded jealously by all men
| who represented the Government, 1T was
| Isabelle De La Hunt. Fearing, however.
| that some person might be mean enough
to misreprcsent her for the sake of OBJ
| tanning this little Office, she wrote to the
| honorable Postmaster-General in March
| last expressing her apprehension and
asking him in case charges should be
made against her to do her the favor OF
| giving notice thereof, 50 that she could
refute them. and also informing him Of
her husbands service, death, of her
financial necessities, and tho further
fact of her husbands politics.
Mrs. De La Hunt was removed, and
neither to that appeal nor to later ap-
peal to know the character of the vile
charges that had been preferred against
her was she given the simple recogni-
ton of an answer.
Now, Mr. President, perhaps my dis
tinguished friend from Kansas, whose
command of language 80 far surpasseS
my own, might characterize this trans
action, perhaps he could touch it up
little; but to me that work is impOssi-
BILE. The story of Mrs. De La Hunt car
ries its own pathos and it's own indigna-
ton.
CHAPTER II.
From the New York Evening Post May 25, 1899.
The Cleveland administration having
gone out, and General Harrison having
become President, Mrs. De La Hunt ap-
piled for restoration to her old position
as postmaster. There was no doubt "a
to local sentiment demanding the resto-
ration of this most efficient and worthy
person to her old office. She presented
a petition more numerously signed than
that of any other applicant, and repre-
senting an overwhelming majority OF
the patrons of the Office. OF course.
Mrs. De La Hunt was reappointed to her
old position as soon as her old champion,
Benjamin Harrison, became President?
On the contrary, the office has been
given to John Zimmerman, who has been
chairman of the Republican County Com
mittee, and whose only claim to the
place is party service.
CHAPTER III.
From the New York Press June II, 1881
WASHINGTON, June 1O.-A reporter of
the United Press to-day called the atten-
tion of Mr.. Clarkson, First Assistant
Postmaster-General, TO the post-office
case at Cannelton, Ind, about which the
President has been criticised because of
the appointment of Mr.. Zimmerman.
Many papers have quoted Mr.. Harrisons
speech in the United States Senate in
1886 in opposition to the removal of Mrs.
De La Hunt, former postmistreSS, from
this office, and have criticised his action
in failing to appoint her now, when she
was an applicant with Mr.! Zimmerman.
Mr.. Clarkson said: THE President had
made a memorandum directing the ap-
| pointment of Mrs. De La Hunt, suppos-
| ing the office to be Presidential, but the
appointment was really of the fourth
class, and had already appointed Mr..
| Zimmerman upon the recommendation
| of Congressman Posey, whose indorse-
ments are usually followed in the dis
trict, knowing nothing of the desire of
the President for Mrs. De La Hunts re-
appointment, nor of the circumstances
of the case. / am inclined to think that
it will yet be changed, and that Mrs. De
La Hunt will be appointed, as it was the
intention of the President to appoint the
Union soldiers widow to the Cannelton
post-office."
| cHAPTER-Iv.