Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1895-03-29
"C0L." SILL0WAYE A FRAUD.
Obtained Hundreds of Dollars
from G.. 4. X. Men.
Life of Lincoln and Was on the stan
of Mcclellan.

Fictitious Stories of How He Saved the
Life of Lincoln and Was on the stan
of Mcclellan.
p. T. Barnums assertion that the
American public liked to be humbuged is
again called to mind by the disclosures
which show that Col William Allen Hunt
ley Silowaye is one of the biggest Grand
Army frauds the country has produced.
Sillowaye claimed to have saved the life of
Lincoln and he has secured hundreds of
dollars from individual members of the
Grand Army. His favorite mode of opera
ton was to write letters to newspaper
offices purpOrtng to come from disinterest-
ed persons who had discovered a brave
veteran soldier in great need who deserved
help from the public. Then Sillowaye's
fictitious career, as he gave it, would be
told over again in the paper addressed,
and generous assistance would follow. He
told very picturesque story, n an Eng
lish background, winding up with a yarn
about his service on the steamer Brooks,
used as a dispatch boat on the Potomac in
1868. He claimed that this boat was fired
upon by rebel battery. Disabled, it was
drifting toward the rebel forces, and boat
was putting out to capture it when Sillo-
waye declared that the President must be
saved at all hazards. At the head of a
volunteer crew Sillowaye manned a small
boat and with II carried Lincoln in safety
to the Maryland shore. Sillowaye said
that President Lincoln wrote him and
thanked him for what he did, continuing
as follows: my daughter has got that
letter now, and nobody will see it until
after am dead. Secretary Stanton wrote
me: 1.-THE President believes that you,
under the guidance OF Providence, saved
| him from capture, if not instant death,
and has ordered that special record be
made of your service upon the records of
the war department; and that when peace
again comes to our land, you will surely
be rewarded" Columns and columns
about the bravery of this man have been
published both in the Boston and New
| York papers. Assistant Adjt-Gen. Moore
of the Massachusetts, department went to
work to investigate the "coloners" case, in
order to get him pension, but he could
find no record of man by that name en-
listing in either the army or the navy.
When told of this, Sillowaye acknowledge
ed for the first time that he enlisted in the
navy under the name of William Huntley,
first assistant engineer of the United States
steamer Princess Royal, commanded by
Lieut. Worden. The falsity of this state
ment was proved by the appearance of two
men who had served on the Princess
ROYAL, one of them a friend of the original
VIM. Huntley The Colonel" broke
down and cried like a baby and asked to
be allowed to leave the state. He declar-
ed that he saved the life of President
Lincoln but refused to sign an affidavit tc
that effect. A pauper's ticket was then
procured and the colonel left head
quarters, and before many hours was or
his way to New York. He, however, left
his wife for friends to take care of anC
support. Sillowaye's record was also toe
in flaming advertisements which set fOrtl
how his life had been saved by a paten
medicine, or medicines, for he gave testi
monials to this effect to at least two con
Germs. In these advertisements he wa
also credited with having saved the life o
John Jacob Astor in the Peninsular cam
paign. From one of the advertisements
''He knew all the Union generals ant
, Secretary Stanton and Mr.. Weles. II
+ was lieutenant colonel on Gen. Mcclellan
staff in 1862. Col. Sillowaye is practica
: printer engineer and linguist. He ha
z set up works in Greek, French, Spanish
Latin and Hebrew. He was employee
during five years at Oxford, Eng, on He
mans Greek Bible, and there, in 1859, tn
= degree of LII. d. was conferred upo
him. His first wife was daughter of 81
William Blackie and niece of Sir Richar
Houghton. His present wife is a relatiy
of Hon. William M. Evarts, and yer
gifted lady" Col. Sillowaye was emplo!
ed for time in the Bellows Falls Time
office. He left there for Boston aboU
two years ago. When he first came
Bellows Falls he began telling his hi
stories. When he claimed to have bee
on McClellan's staff he was at once show
to be an imposter, as Mr.. Mason of Wa
pole was one of that generals staff Officer
at the time Sillowaye claimed to hay
served in that capacity. He cut no fgul
among Grand Army men at Bellows Fall
and had no associations with them. Viii
at Bellows Falls he and his wife lived
ierce's boarding house.