Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-05-09
One Of the Gases Filed Before the
Ford's Theater Committee
By 1 MAN WHO WAS NOT THERE
Hundreds of Thousands Needed to
Repair His Injured Feelings.
A COMPROMISE PROPOSED

Every session Of Congress has its own
distinctive grist Of crank bills. crank pc
eitious. crank letters ard the like. and
should library be made today of all the
e-rs:ic documents that have ever reached
Senators and members it would probably
be found to contain some Of the most valua-
BILE contributions to the literature of mono
mania. Congress is the dumping ground
of all the quaint characters Of the country.
Every man with grievance looks to the
national legislature for relief and for each
case like that of the late William McGar-
rahsn there are thousands Of utterly flu
tile. uldeserving claims brought to the
attention of Congressman. The organiza-
t.cl of the select committee of the Senate
during the EAST winter to investigate the
Ford's Theater disaster was. strange as it
may seen. the signal for quite al outpour-
ing CT crank letters, and the records of that
committee have already been swelled by a
considerable number OF curious documents.
Perhaps the most interesting o. these cases
was filed during the latter part of April
by a man now living in Ohio. who at one
tine was quite well known to certain citi
Zens CT Washington.
a Surprising Claim.
The inquiry now in progress by this Sc
lect committee is for the specific purpose
of determining the exact nature of the
injuries received IN the Fords Thea,er
disaster and of fixing a scale CT cor:pensa-
ton for damages. TIE establishment CT
Chairman Harris may therefore be dtmly
imagined. perhaps, when he received fer
NAL Claim blank filled oat w..h the follow
ing Interesting Information:
Ny name o. j. Mark.e; age forty
five; trade or profession was formerly that
or teaching; place held at time OF diSas :e-,
out OF employment and SICK; p.ace Eow
he'd. out OF employment ana still il ill
healtS. Mr.. M2rkle goes on to state that
he entered the War Department on tie
Stl CT March, 1888, and July. 1891. wss
transferred TO the record ard pension di
VISOR.
the government service the time of the
disaster, interest, or course, centers upon
tAe exact nature of the damages claimed
ty h.:n. .I-ls information Is somewhat
NeSSeIy given IN answer 10 tae Iol.owiL5
question: Mature OF injuries sustai-eI,
IL response to winch Mr.. Mar.!e wr.-es as
follows: INJURY 10 Dodiiy heaIIn; e.-.reme
nervousness or nervous prosIrauon neu-
ra.SIa or facial neuralgia; INSOMNIA; c-Cly
10 T-.lnd; mental depression; injury to mem
oTJ, reasoning ana Constructive faculties
ana TIE w.d, injury to Ieelngs-re.ig- Gus
fee!!nS, social feei.ng, ambitious Ieehn- and
aesthetic feeling; INJURY reputation; IN
jury 20 social stancing-and otner injuries"
This leaves the case in d. very interesting
condition, but the claim OF Mr.. Margie 1t
seal affords little or no information as u
just now this complicated collapse OF hs
physical, men,al anu moral consI. tution was
produced by the 1aiilng OF the o.d building
On loth street, especially as he was not
present when the accluent occurred. He
goes on TO remark: II know 1 sEau never
he SO strong physically and men ,aily as
wnea j entered the once, Marcn ). 1888,
AID 90 not believe morally o. rei.g!oGs.y."
Under the iIeEl, "IJemIzed statement OF e.
pendltureS incident 10 injury ne noses
siVV Tor medical attendance, and continues:
Expenses from lnabInIy - WORK wodId
amount 10 several hunGrei dollars loss of
income from inaoinry TO 60 literary WORK
or mental or physical work UP to the pres
ent time alone would probably amount 70
SloO1OU or more"
Has Little Bill.
Taat is all of Mr.. Markles formal Cain
as set forth in the blank which he nlied out
and forwarded 10 the committee but a vast
amount CT light is thrown upon the ques-
ton b. printed BIN OF SIX page-, v-aicn he
fled a, the same tine. with d request that
e.t2er the committee o. some ckar.ta3.y IN
ciinei Senator might introduce it. IT the
top re writes this gentle hint: Please in
t:odace exact or mod!nei. Keep this oil
private and preserve till II has been passed
Cr damages have oeSl opsaIEei d. NE" In
view OF the Eact tnaI The passage OF the bill
is somewhat doubtful, fEe star is con-
strained 10 INFORM the puohc on trls IN
por;ant matter now Wni.e ii n2S chance.
me bill is composed OF eighteen where
2Ses, 10 eacn one OF wh.cl Mr.. MarhIe
states he is willing and even eager tes-
ufy under oath, and one enGctlag cause,
wnIcn apprOprlateS for the reLef OF Mr..
Marhle the CT S4UU.0op which he sem
erously agrees TO accept as full Compens2-
ton for all the manifold injuries reserved
by him in the government service. In a
foot note he remarks that he claims s4o0,
600 by the private bill buJ If his case ST Ould
be sent to the Court of Claims he should
claim about 100000.
Bat il is unjust to delay longer the icfo-
ma ton contained in the eighteen where
asses. which set forth with more less
clearness just how Mr.. Markle suffered
anywhere from s4t0,Gn 10 S.W,UOo worth OF
damages TO his physical. mental. neral ard
religious constitution. 1t might be interest
ing to give the ''wnereaSsS'' in all the beau
ty of their legal literary style but MIR.
MarSle mas nothing else to do at present
ne has evidently spent a great deal OF tine
in preparing the bill. and as consequea &c
II is somewhat verbose, so that al a5b-2vi-
alton Is absolutely essential.
The first 'whe,e2s' sets forth that Mr..
Markle entered the War Department on the
| 9th of March. 1855. endowed with good
bodily health. sound mind and feelings.
good reputation and social standing." and
was discharged from the service on the sd
of March, 1892. on account CT sickness and
injuries. Incidentally ii .l;ght be noted
that the collapse of the Ford'a The2ter
building did rot occur until the 9TH of June.
1893. A gli:nmer of light begins to dawn
upon the case in the second whereas,
which announces that several weeks after
entering the War Department the sad O.
l. J. Marble was made an object OF annoy
ancz ard -idicuie, for cause of his
therein, by one or more officials clerks or
other employees in the Office to which an
royance or ridicule were soon added insult
and provOcaton by these or othe-' en-
pioyes willtully or maliciously or negligent
ly uttering one o. more words. PHRASES or
sentences. or making one o. more signs of
the hand. coun terance or otherwise. which
conveyed meaning greatly injurious to him
in reputation, feelings or otherwise. treat
irg him, ne verify believes, as no other
cle-k il TIE departmental service has ever
been treated since the formation of the
government, a-'Eoying, ridiculing, insult
ing end provoking him. causing him sorrow,
grief. anger undue excitement. mortific2
ton of feelings, etc, and concentrating tire
attention of otha- clerks and employees
de.r.mentally upon him till he was injured
exceedingly.
Many AnnOynnces.
The aOs-r ce OF diagrams makes the claim
bit obscure upon the ways ard means of
these annoying processes. and the magma
ton is le:. unaided. Whereas number
threa S.Gt-s that this process continued for
thirteen hundred dag, "ainlczt without a
days or-;ssloE, EXCEPT tie thirty day.
annual leave and the days he YVES sick ard
the Sundays and holidays on which he was
absent from the office each year" Nj.