The times., 1897-03-21
SERIOUS CHARGES If TRUE
The Union Veteran League Hot
After Francis Scalp.
WANT HIS OFFICIAL HEAD
1t Is Charged That the Captain of
the Weather Bureau Watch In
suited the Memory of Dead Sol
diers and Called the Flag "Rag."
To Be Carried to the President.

The Union Veterans Patriotic League
is considerably excited over certain al
legged Official misconduct on The part OF
Mr.. F. L. Francis, captain of the watch
of the Weather bureau The gentlemen
of the league have been investigating
charges against him and have discussed
his actions at several meetings Every
one in the league seems 10 be thoroughly
wrought UP about the matter and at the
last meeting OF the union it was decided
To prefer charges against Mr. Francis TO
Secretary Wilson Df the Department OF
Agriculture.
The following are, in brief, the charges.
They are made by DR.. Williams, the sec
retary of the league, to Col DEVICES, the
president, and q copy or them Will be
sent to Secretary Wilson:
To the President or the Union Veterans
Patriotic League: l hereby prefer Charges
against F L. Francis, the captain OF the
watch of the Weather Bureau, and ask that
a committee be appointed TO Investigate
the same, and that swift justice be admin
istered.
Charge L Whenever Francis sees fu-
neral going over 10 Arlington for the burial
OF a Union soldier b e expresses his gratifica-
ton, and says; There goes one more old
pauper with the Yankee rag wrapped
around his coffin tmeaning the Stars and
Stripesl 1t is pity that there are not
more Of them dead There would be less
money To pay out for pensions
Charge .. He curses and damns every
Republican who Is or has been in Govern
ment employ.
Charge 2-He has denounced Gen Grant
and Gen. Garfield as having been
seoundrels, thieves, IoEbers, and Iascals."
a committee cT thee, Of which Dr. Will
iaHs is chairman, was last night appointed
to convey d copy OF these charges TO secre-
tary Wilson. This viii be done on Wed
uesday. 1t is said that the league viii also
carry the uatter to President Mckinley,
who is a member OF the local league. and
is said to have taken great interest in the
organization since he join ed it. Gen.
sickIes, the president of the national or
ganization, viii also be appealed to by the
local league people
a Times reporter had an interview with
DR.. Williams at the rooms of the league,
L
obtained from him the copy of the charges.
He stated that they were originally pre-
ferred in writing TO the leagHe by two EN-
employees OF the Weather Bureau, and ifit
were necessary these witnesses would
verify their statements The Weather
Bureau is at the corner of Twenty-third
street and Penns ylvania avenue, and the
Arlington funerals all pass by 1t. DR..
Williams statement is that Francis has
been in the habit Of making such remarks
as those alleged for the last three years,
every time funeral went by that displayed
u Union flag.
The names of the two gentlemen who
make the charges against Mr.. Francis
could not he learned by the reporter.
DR.. Williams absolutely refused to give
them, and said that they did not wish
to be known in the matter in any way
unless they were called upon by Secretary
Wilson to prove their charges.
There are other charges TO be preferred
against people in the Agricultural De-
partment by the league at the same time
those against Francis are made. They
are not deemed OF so much Importance,
however.
Mr.. Francis was seen by The Times last
night and agreed very readily to give his
side of the story and to make a state
ment MI Francis is a Democrat from
Lincoln, Neb., Mr.. Bryan's town, and was
a Bryan man during the campaign. He
came to the Weather Bureau in 1898,
an appointee of Secretary Morton He
was first Iaborer in the Agricultural De-
partment and rose by several promotions
hot Of tafv
OF the watch in the Weather Bureau The
position was not under the civil service
at the time he took it, but has recently
been put under civil service rules. Mr.
Francis is a rather good looking young
fellow of thirty on so, and speaks very
frankly about the charges, which he only
learned yesterday were to be made
against him 1T is said that his work has
been entirely satisfactory. He says that
as q BRYAN man he was very much dis
liked by some of the Republican clerks
during the campaign, and that he con-
siders this trouble entirely matter of
spite work His statement follows:
II have never made any statement about
the flag; I am as patriotic in that respect
as any may living. l never spoke dis
resDectfuIIy of Gen. Grant in my life. In
my work j never discriminate against
Republicans. Although 1 am a Democrat
in politics, i make no speeches, and my
politics have never had any influence ON
my official acts. j believe that any such
charges as these, coming from people who
will not give their names, are entirely a
matter of spite, and hope that Secretary
Wilson viii make a thorough investigation
of them, if such charges coming from I'M
know n parties deservedit. Such an investi-
CATION would vindicate me"