The San Francisco call., 1898-03-25
PASSING OF
 LENNON AND
 zEMANSKY Revenue Deputies Dis missed From the
 Service. Charges of Misconduct Sustained by Wash ington Officials. Recommendation of Collector Lynch Approved by the
 Department.
REINSTATE MISS DAVIDSON
Influence With the Powers That Be Saved for Her the Position
 She Will Resign.


 nal Revenue Department at Washing ton are like the mills of the gods that grind slow, but grind exceedingly small" is proved by the fact that they have only re- gently handed down their decision in the case pending against the Deputy Collectors who were suspended last December Collector Lynch received the report from headquarters some two weeks ago, and although he at tempted to keep it's contents to him. self ru1nor has it that J. H. Zemansky and E. F. Lennon have been sum- marily dismissed from the service, while Miss Alice Davidson is to be re- instated.
 Early last December Revenue Agent l.. A. Thrasher filed with Collector Lynch a lengthy document charging the three late deputies under exCol- lector o. NJ Welburn with official mis- conduct The charges came directly out of the trial of Welburn for embez- clement and Thrasher accused Lennon and Zemansky of perjury when wit nesses in that case. w. H. billiard, the colored messenger of Welburn's office, testified that both Zemansky and Len non had seen him sign the name of Welburn to official papers. This the two deputies denied on the stand when called to testify for the defense. The second charge against Lennon and Ze mansky and the only one against Miss Davidson was that they had repeated " signed false jurats, swearing per sons to papers when the one signing the documents was not present.
 Collector Lynch, according to the civil service law, suspended the three deputies pending an investigation, and supplied them with copies of the charges which had been preferred against them. Gavin McNab, the at torney for Welburn during his trial, was consulted by the suspended depu- ties, and under his instruction they made a spirited reply to the charges, denying that they were guilty as charged. This was answered by the revenue agent, who produced affidavits from Louis Loupe and B. M. Thomas to prove that the case was as he had asserted in his first statement to the Collector. In these affidavits Thomas and Loupe swore that they had not only personally seen Zemansky and Lennon watch billiard sign Welburn's name but that they had heard the two deputies frequently request the mes senger to sign the Collectors name to documents. Further evidence was pre- scented in proof Of the charge or sign ing false jurats
 Collector Lynch took the matter un- der advisement, and, after long in- vestigation pro and con, decided that the charges against the deputies were warranted by their actions while in office, and made his report to Wash ington advising the dismissal Of all three from the service.
 This action leaked out and the Sus- pended clerks have been exerting every influence they could to secure an un- favorable reception of the Collectors recommendation by the Washington officials It is stated on good authority that the matter was taken up by friends of Lennon, Zamansky and Miss Davidson, who were close to Senators Perkins and White, and that an at tempt was made by these two gentle men to secure the reinstatement of the deposed parties. The fact that all three of the deputies are Democrats and that the Republican Senators made such an effort to have them reinSJated Is an odd feature of the case.
 Despite the pressure brought to bear in favor of Zamansky and Lennon, the case against them as reported by Col lector Lynch evidently appeared so clear that the recommendation of Lynch was looked upon with favor and the charges against the deputies sus- tained, so they will feed at the public crib no longer.
 The case of Miss Davidson is differ ent, however. The lady had "pulP' not possessed by the other deputies. Just what it is cannot be learned, but comes, it is believed, through Gavin McNab, who is a relative. Besides the fact that she had friends at court, the charges against Miss Davidson were not so serious nor so clearly proved as those against Zamansky and Lennon In reply to the charge of signing false jurats, Miss Davidson brought evidence to show that in the specific instances cited in the charges she had not been at her desk, but her place had been filled by her sister, Martha Davis, who acted as substitute and signed Miss Alice Davidson's name to the documents. While Miss Davidson is to be reinstat- ed to her old desk in the revenue of fees, she will in all probability not re- tain it long, as it Is reported that she will resign her position.