Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-08
IrRoM A STAFF coaREsPovDEvr,I

lFROM A STAFf CORRESPONDENCE
WASHINGTON December THE sub
ject of the notes forged on members bY
Cashier Silcott was the interesting ieature
Of the secret session to-day Of the commit.
tee Of the House engaged in the investigs-
tion of the scandal of the Sergeant-at-Arms'
Office. Members whose names had been
attached to notes testified as to the forgery,
invariably denying that they had ever
placed their paper in the bank.
Each day something turns up to show
each step on the road to ruin taken By Sill
colt. To Herminie Thibeault, the woman
in the case, he paid stated sum per week,
which was not so large, and yet too large
for any man with an income Of not more
than s., 900 year, with a wife and several
children to maintain. This and his losses
at the races were enough to get the cashier
deeply in debt, and in his struggles to ex-
tricate himself he took the first money thai
didn't belong to him. This was upon Ger.
ti6cates of members.
sICoTT's SCHEME.
When Congress adjourned, last March,
many of the members gave Silcott receipts
for each month, from the 4th of April to the
4th of November. 1t is probable that :
great majority Of She members did this,
many OF whom did not ask a remittance dur
ing the entire period, and with these eertif-
Gates in his possessson he could draw money
at will from the Treasury, as fast as the pay
of members fell due. lfhe drew and retained
a months pay of a member, and was after
ward asked to remit, all be had to do TO
make the former theft good was to use a
certificate of another member VINO allowed
mis- accrued pay to remain in the Treasury.
This resource exhausted, pay he had
squandered having to be made good, Sill
colt had recourse to the forgery Of notes,
forging the names of as many as 30 mem>
bers, and the notes aggregating, so far a.
now known, about S15,O 900.
IN A FOOLS PARADISE.
Living constantly in the hope Of making
, big winning, plungIng in the pool rooms,
buying the Louisiana and Mexican lottery
tickets Wholesale, hoping to strike the cap
ital prize, Silcott constantly found himself
sinking deeper and deeper in debt. With
Ihe forgery of the notes rendering him lia-
Die to discovery at any time, and with that
discovery certain to come upon him
Joon at any rate, be determined upon
he grand coup, and at the last moment
wasted SIS, 900 to take up the notes, with
he crazy idea Of putting his extradition out
# the question, ignoring in his excitement
he fact that the fact of the forgery rendered
him extraditable, no matter whether the
lotes were producible or not, and that his
heft Of private funds deposited in his safe
vas grand larceny, also crime recognized
)y the extradition laws.
THE NAMES FORGED.
The following are the members whose
Iames were forged: Herbert, Turpin,
Davidson, of Florida; Bullock, Of Georgia;
Jrisp, Grimes, Boothman, Thompson, Of
ohio; Wiekham, Richardson, Washington,
3. A. Pierce, Kilgore, Grain, Moore,
'arletOn. Lawler, Gest, Gear, Hayes,
longer, A. ]. Anderson, Stone, OF Ken4
ucky; Stone, of Missouri; Goodnight,
'aruth, Paynter, j. A. Buchanan, @. L.
Manner, Wade, Chatham, Brewer
nd Ewart.
While there is a desire oD the part Of
very one that Silcott may be caught and
aged, an immediate and pressing question
nth many of the members is In regard to
heir reimbursement. A great majority of
be members have lost at least months
ay, and many Of them several months.
While some are rich and able to endure the
'ss, many cannot afford it. To some it was
Il they had upon which to depend until
le aeeruing OF another months pay.
REIMBURSEMENT WANTED.
1t is probable that bill will soon be IN
odueed, providing an appropriation To-
,ver the loss. Some hold that as the
louise was primarily responsible for the.
ose manner in which the banking busi-
ess OF the House was carried on, the people
lould not be forced to bear the loss. But
is generally recognized that the method.
as one Of 80 years OF precedent Again,
Iere is good law for the theory that the
srgeant at Arms is really disbursing off,
T of the Government, and that the Gov
nment is therefore responsible.
A first endeavor will be made to secure
gh legal opinion that the Government is
sponsible, TO silence the fears of some Of
e members who have a recollection of the
orm excited by the back pay performance.
is pretty certain that all such qualms OF
'litical conscience will be soothed, and
at the robbed members will make them
Ives whole from the public treasury.
LIGHTNER.