The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-12-26

spring. One day while l was passing from
the Treasury down + street, he was talk
ing win a group or gentlemen. lie callsd
me and came up TO me in the middle of the
street. He asked me If 1 knew the attor-
ney for the Pacific Mail Steamship Com
pany said that it Mr.. Irwin 1
did not know him except by sight.
No. he said. he is the agent. l mean
the attorney in New York. You have
New York office. have you not?
said that probably knew most OF the
attorneys In New York. He said:
They are to send over their attorney to
pay me some money. Have you any objec-
ton TO identify me"
II told him certainly not went along
down the street. Three or four days passed,
when one morning John G.. Schumacher came
into my office and threw down a check for
$4,000. saying:
:" L was Instructed to give that check to
you.
| mistaken
mo said he. the Pacific Mail Steam
e snip company company told me to pay that to you
i told him that l knew who the gentle
man was and would see him during the day
probably and would let him know.
Il remember making this remark: You
are not going to pay in a check, are you?
1T has got-even without any necessity
object here in washington ''' to ~ receiving
checks.even checks payable TO bearer
especially II the checks are in connection
with Hesitation. for fear of suspicion at
taching 10 them / allude to the uneasy
timidity which exists for fear there might
be suspicion attached to the receipt of a
check. 1t runs throughout almost all trans
actions although it only refers TO certain
transactions which are observation-disclosures
in which money goes TO influence legisla-
ton That was a large amount of money,
10000. and l presumed it was to be dis
tributed by General Smith. L did not sup
pose that he would want it traced back to
a check. My remark was natural re-
mark of caution. He then said he would get
it cashed. L made an appointment with him
between and o'clock. / met this gentle
man. Mr.. Smith, and he came to my office
about 80 My own desk being in the back
room. he sat there reading papers and be-
that he thought Schumacher had made up
his mind not 10 come around again. But
some time after 8 o'clock Mr.. Schumacher
came in. The only remark L made to him
was:
This is the General Smith who says he
was to meet you here
Il was not going to assume the RESPONSE
bility that he was the man To- whom the
money should be paid After shaking hands.
Mr.. schumacher stepped up to the dress
ing bureau back of my desk and pulled out
a roll of bills and said, Count that After
counting the money, General Smith said,
That is all right After making some re-
marks about Brooklyn Mr. Schumacher left
the office. then made the jocular remark
TO General Smith that that was too much
money for one man TO carry. He said if it
was for him he would be very glad TO
make a divide, but that he had nothing to
do with ii, except that he was receiving 1t
for other parties. He left the office. A few
not here for several months. 1t was a mat
ter of surprise TO me that such a trifling
identification was all that was required to
deliver over that sum Of money. When
Mr.. Schumacher laid the check on the Ia
bic and said that he was Instructed to give
me the money or check for a moment
did not know what il was, and said that
1t was a mistake. But when he said that
the Pacific Mail Steamship Company had
sent him and told him to pay 1t to me.
or to some one whom l would identify, /
said:
"'Oh I know who the money is for
And then | told him of the circumstance
of the gentleman having asked me to iden-
He said, THAT is the man,, and he request
ed me to see him, which / did. I had no
more acquaintance with General Smith than
l had with one-half of tho>people knew in
Washington / had been introduced to him
and had met him and known him socially
probably three. four or five weeks
General Smith was never identified. All
that John G.. Schumacher could tell was that
as an attorney he had received this check
for $4,000 from the president Of the steam
II to Washington and deliver it to un-
named person. whom he would be able to
| locate through Mr.. Gilmore. The rest of
Mr.. Schumakers story matched pretty well
wi n ElmoreS.
L hesitated about the matter" Mr. Schu-
maker said. Il did not want to do it.
told them that if it was to pay it TO any
member of Congress l should have nothing
to do with it. They assured me that there
was no member OF Congress who was TO
have anything to do with the money"
Mr.. Schumacher declared his inability to
identify General Smith. He had never see7f
him before and thought at the same time
the name was a fictitious one. Such is one
legislation. The history of the lobby
aboundS in these strange tales.