The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-10-26
STORIES OF BELKNAP.
The Truth About the Great Post
leadership Scandal.
RUINED ~ ExTRAvAoANT WIFE,
Abe Generals Magnificent Appearances
Field and Lamar Feeble Old Msu-
"Reminiscences or Miller.

WAsHrEGTon CrrY, Oct. 20.-fCopv-
righted. 1880. Washington City is still
talking of the deaths of General Relkuap
and Justice Miller. The two men came
from the same state. They were the clos
est Of friends, and their careers during .
great part OF their lives ran side by side.
When Belknap was made secretary of war,
Justice Miller spoke OF him in the highest
terms. and when, through the fault of his
wife, he was forced to leave the war depart
ment Justice Miller was the first public
man to call upon him, and to tell him that
he still believed in him. More than one
half of the noted Belknap scandal has
never been told. There is no greater
liar than history. l know OF men
who have passed away within the last ten
years. ard who now shine in the minds of
the people as the brightest stars of morality
and purity in the heavens Of American
craftsmanship, who led double lives and
whose public acts were never truly re-
ported. know of others who were far
better than Dame History has ever painted
them. and the Angel of Truth, when she
reads between the lines Of Belknap's record,
will give him better place in his future
state than he has ever had in this.
chatted last night with one of General
Belknap's closest friends, . man who was
here at the time of the scandal, who knew
all the parties and who had been associ-
ated with the general from that day to this.
Said he: General Belknap did nos know
that his wife had been receiving money
from the post traders until it came out in
the investigation. He then took the whole
blame of the act in order to shield his
wife. and he has endured the shame from
that day to this rather than blame her before
the people. You remember the story BEL
KNAPP was married twice. and his present
widow was the sister of the wife whom he
first brought to Washington City. By this
first wife be had q child. He was poor
man, and both himself and his wife were
proud. His wife became acquainted with
his post trader at Fort Sill. The man
wanted to hold his position or secure it az
it was worth over $4,000 year to him.
Through his wife q deal was made with
Mrs. Belknap by which she received several
hundred dollars month of the profits as
long as he held the position. Mrs. Belknap,
without saying anything to her hus-
band about the deal. persuaded him to
appoint this husband of her friend.
She received the money regularly as long
as she lived, and Belknap, who paid little
attention to bis wife's money matters, sup
posed it was q part of her income. This
happened during Grants administration.
1t was the outcome of high living and
money spending. and the extravaganza of
that day was almost as great as it is now.
General Sherman. in speaking about it,
said there was not q cabinet officer who
could live on his salary, and that the only
man he knew who had not gone beyond his
means was Hamilton Fish, who had an in
come of $500 900, and who had spent SO, 900
a year in entertaining General Sherman
then said that it cost him over $4,000
year, and he attributed Mrs. Belknap's act
to the ridiculous extravaganza of the times.
He was right in saving that Mrs. Belknap