Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-01-31
BRATTLEBoRo FRIDAY JANUARY 1896
PICTURESQUE FRAUD.
The Man who "saved the Life OF Lin
coin" and who Formerly Worked at
Relloyvs Falls. is Heard from Again.

The Man who "saved the Life OF Lin
coin" and who Formerly Worked at
Bellows Falls, Is Heard from Again.
Col. W. A. II. Sillowaye has been heard
from again. 1t will be remembered how
he was railroaded ut of Massachusetts,
last year after being proved a fraud. Sill
lowaye first gained notoriety through his
testimonial of the efficacy of patent med
icne. A picture of the colonel was given
in full uniform, with a fort in the back
ground, the advertisement telling how he
saved the life of Lincoln by taking him
from the despatch boat Brooks when it
was disabled on the Potomac in 1863 by a
rebel battery, and carrying him in safety to
the Maryland shore.
The advertisement pictured the colonel
as man of great accomplishments, an
Englishman by birth, who received the de-
| gree of LII. D. from Oxford, who, as a
compositor, set up the Greek Bible for that
university, and who had also put in type
articles In the Spanish, French, English
and Hebrew languages.
Sillowaye claimed to have served on the
staff of Gen. Mcclellan, and the advertise
ments stated that he saved the life of John
Jacob Astor in the Peninsula campaign.
of the Bellows Falls Times three years ago
and with his wife lived at the Pierce board
| ing house in that village. His work on
the Times showed nothing of the education
which was claimed for him. When he
| first came to Bellows Falls Sillowaye told
the story of being a staff officer of Nc
| Clellan. Mr.. Mason of Walpoe, who
served on the generals staff at the time
named, at once pronounced Sillowaye's
statement hoax, and no attention was
| given him after this by the Bellows Falls
/ Grand Army men. Sillowaye worked his
/ game in Boston by getting stories of his
! picturesque record published in many pa
| papers, ending with staten INT regarding
his present restitution. The stories usually
| brought him assistance, and it is said that
he received hundreds Of dollars and wagon
loads Of supplies.
Assistant Adjutant General Moore of
/ the Massachusetts department investigated
! Sillowaye's claims in order to get pension
/ for him. II was found that the old soldier
was humbug of the first water, that he
never served in the Union ranks, and that
his claims were wholly fictitious. He was
| given a pauper's ticket and placed on a
train for New York.
Now the colonel appears again in New
York city as civilian A. De Silowaye," a
man with mania for writing letters threat
ening suicide, One of these letters was
found in Hartford last November and Sill
lowye disappeared from that city at that
| time. A body which was found in the
river was at first supposed to be his. One
| OF his letters giving tale of woe was found
in the corridor of the New York post-ofiice
this week. It related the saving of Lin
coin incident, said the writer had paid
! $500 to Grand Army organizations, and
now the Grand Army would not give him
cent 81 might as well end my existence
and change this life for a brighter existence
in future world beyond this sphere, and
| when | am gone wealthy relatives Of mine
! Will then regret it" is one sentence.
This letter was turned over to the New
| York Herald and that paper investigated
| De Sillowaye's case. He now claims that
/ he was born in Boston, was brought up in
| Vermont, served in the Mexican war, and
in Vermont company in the Civil war.
He says that he has worked at the case
| with Robert Bonner of the New York
Ledger. One of the bright touches is re-
garding his work as a comedian with the
| elder Davenport and Forrest at the How
ard Atheneum in Boston in 1852, and his
employment by the secret service of the
| government.
The Herald takes him seriously, says his
friends advise him to go to the Soldiers
Home in Maine, but that hewould rather die
than do this, and closes by stating that'hs
papers and records were held in Boston
some years ago for a small debt, but were
recently replevined by Grand Army men of
Hartfnrl