Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1889-12-20
NOTES FROM THE CAPT. IL.
The Silcott investigation in Progress.
His Chief Not Blameless.
a Detroit Omcial Censured.-AIger
Writes "a Letter.-Thc Case
Of Mrs. Carey.
From Our Own Correspondent /:


! From Our Own Correspondent:
The committee appointed to Investigate
| the condition OF affairs in the office OF the
| sergeant alarms in general, and Silcotts
rascalities in particular, Is hard at work.
! Considerable testimony has already been
taken, and that Of very damaging charac-
/ ter.
The notes which Silcott is accused OF
! having forged and Afterwards taken up at
! the Metropolitan National bank number
| 3d. the sums named in them aggregating
about 5,OOO.
The status OF the sergeat at arms is
stumbling block OF no mean proportions &c
| a thorough examination one member OF
the committee says that if 1t is decided that
the sergeant at arms IS a disbursing officer,
| then a serious question at once arises as 10
/ how the individual deposits and accumu-
| lated salaries of the members are 10 be re
garded while If it Is held that the ser
! geant- at arms is not a disbursing officer,
! then the extent of his agency and other
vexatious questions must be at once set
tied. The developments already made
show an astonishing loosencss In the fnan-
cial transactions OF the o.ice. The testi-
mony already taken by the committee
shows that Leedom simply neglected the
| financial affairs OF the Office, leaving every
thing to Silcott. The evidence shows that
Mr.. Leedom neglected TO count his cash
and attend 10 the financial affairs Of the
office. He is severely criticised for this,
and for the practice he had OF allowing
members TO discount notes on their salaries
! before they were due, ana IN many cases
allowing members TO overdraw their sal
aries
Is is also alleged that both Leedom
and Silcott were fond of attending the races
and betting, and that Leedom knew OF this
habit OF his cashier and of the fast life he
was leading.
1t is indefn mite when the committee will
finish the work. II is proposed by the
committee that the matter be sent 10 the
! Court of Claims for ad lustment, and that
! the action OF the house in the matter of re
! imbursing the members be guided by the
decision of the court, and this course may
be adopted as the most expeditions way of
settling the matter.
Samuel III. Row Of Lansing and John II.
Damon OF Milington both think that the
general superintendent of census for this
state will be safe in their hands, and are
! laboring hard TO secure the appointment
Senator Stock bridge is advocating Rows
| interests, and Senator Mcmillan is doing
all he can for Damon, and it now remains
to be seen which senator has the most in
tiuence with Robert p. Porter. superinten-
dent of census.
Supt. Porter will spend about a week in
New York and Philadelphia, where the
special agents in charge of the collection
of statistics relative to manuf ctures and
other matters have their headquarters and
the Michigan appointment will not be made
until after his return.
CHARGES OF unfair and unjust treatment
I of passengers from Canada at the post at
/ Detroit having been made, Secretary Win
dom addressed rather sharp letter TO Col
| lector Campau, and this will undoubtedly
be followed by request for Campau's res
/ NaN Il MIA
that the collector has been reprmanded.
and says that such course should be pur
sued in the case of every official who abuses
the privileges OF his Office. All things con
sdered, IL is not improbable that change
will soon be made at the port OF Detroit.
and should this occur no time Will be lost
in wedding out the subordinates who have
brought the administration OF the Office
into disrepute.
Gen. Alger has written Repr esentative
Cutcheon and Superintendent Porter call
ing their attention TO the ACCESSIBILITY OF
enlarglng the scope Of the enumeration OF
soldiers in the census. Gen. Alger says
the returns should show the amount OF
pension received il any: the names of the
battles in which the soldier participates
whether he was wounded or not, and
whether he appears TO the enumerators TO
be in comfortable circumstances, or
whether there is want to he relieved. Gen.
Cutcheon will confer with Gen. Porter.
and there is a probability that bill will be
introduced enlarging the subjects of inquiry
TO the utmost limit consistent with the
best working of the census bureau.
Representatives Bliss and Wheeler are
strainng every nerve 70 secure al this SEES
sion appropriations for public buildings at
East Saginaw and Lansing, and the success
of their efforts is not improbable.
The efforts OF Congressman O'Donnell TO
secure "A pension for Mrs. Nancy Carey Of
Charlotte recalls some very interesting
"reminiscences
Mrs Carey is now ~ years old, and her
father, Thomas ID. Cornwell, lost an eye in
the battle of Bunker Hill He bravely
persevered TO the end of that eight years
struggle ana lived to the ripe age of ninety.
Mrs Carey remembers the day in 1924
when the Marquis de Lafayette visited her
father and how the two fought over the
old battles, particularly the surrender Of
Burgoyne az Saratoga.
In the early part of 1862 Mrs. Carey.
who had been a widow for over eight
years, was living at Lewiston, N Y,
spending much Of her time attending the
sick and unfortunate among the Indians OF
the Tuscarora nation, whose principal war
chief, 4. 4. Cusick, bears evidence that
she was "a lady of good reputation, with
many good virtues" AT that time Mrs.
Careys two sons, one of whom was 10 and
the other Ii years old, became fred with
the patriotic desire TO serve their country
and the widowed mother determined 10 90
with and care for them. They enlisted in
, company q, One Hundred and Fifth New
York volunteers, and she Joined
the same company as nurse.
She was sent with the other nurses TO
Fortress Monroe, and when Gen Pope
took command of the army of the Potomac
she was ordered first 10 Alexandria, Va
and then TO her regiment near Warrenton
While nursing the sick she was Frustrated
by sunstroke which disabled her for
about three weeks, and from the effects of
which she has never quite recovered. As
soon as she was able she tased TO Join her
regiment, then at Culpepper. Losing her
way she was captured by the rebes and
taken to the headquarters of Gems. Lee
and Longstreet at Waterloo Bridge.
There she was charged with being spy
For four days she was kept In
sitting posture with her hands
tightly bound behind her. and was
fed by a colored woman. On the
arrival Of Stonewall jackson he
ordered her release, and sent
her to Washington, whence she
a. fnftn naA hA~