Evening star., 1902-08-09

fused only by the persistent efforts or a
personal friend was he finally induced to
make a statement. His acquaintance among
prominent men during the last half CEN
tury extensive. He was well acquaint-
ed with Mr. Lincoln. and sat near him when
he delivered his first inaugural address. AS
Mr.. Lincoln stepped forward 10 speak. Mr..
Ford remembers. he removed his hat. Sena-
tor Douglas rea ched for it and held it during
the address. Mr.. Ford also heard the cele-
brated Gettysburg speech, and was of
the mounted marShalS at Mr.. LincOln'S fu-
neral in this city.
In June 1910. Mr.. Ford, then eleven years
old, was appointed by Chief Clerk George
c. Whiting assistant messenger in the
Home Department at a salary of SIS per
month. paid out of the contingent fund. By
act of March 3, 1S49, the Home Department
was created. with Thomas Ewing of Ohio
| as secretary. 1t was located in brick
building at the southeast corner of F. and
18th streets and had in front big wooden
sign in black letters. After a few months
the name was changed to Interior Depart
ment. The first duties performed by the
Home Department was to organize and send
out commission to locate the boundary
| line between the United States and Mexico
A. G. H. White, who died recently. made
number of cartoons of the commission He
also made the first impression from the In
terror Department seal.
Carried Mail at First.
Mr.. Ford's duties consisted largely in
| playing marbles and hunting pigeons on the
roof of the treasury and enjoying himself
as most boys of his age. He carried the
mail for the Home and Interior Depart
ments to and from the post office at 7th and
| F streets The other mail carriers were
| Jim Croggon, formerly with The Evening
| Star. and Joe Ourand for the Treasury De-
| partment and Burt Pettet for the land Of
| flee. The mail was taken from the post
| office to the departments at am. and to
| the post office at pm. with many game
al m a O. II fla
| closed at 3 pm. Each boy carried a sack
| which. when filled with the mail did not ex-
| ceed in weight twenty or thirty pounds
| The Home Department owned an old sway-
| backed horse. which was kept in stable in
| Wizards alley, and which young Ford used
| in taking messages to Congress. The trim
generally took half a day by riding around
| the city. Old Jimmie Shields the chief
| messenger was continually hunting after
| him.
Mr. Ford. in 1852, first went on duty as
| messenger in the pension Office which was
| then in the Winder building He was in
| charge of the work of removing the pension
| office to the north wing, second story of
patent office, in 1859, and used fourteen
| furniture vans for two weeks in making the
| transfer. The Office had been recentlv in
creased by the passage Of the bounty land
| act.
The Interior Department was formed by
| transfer OF the pension and Indian Offices
| from the War Department, the patent office
| from the State Department and the land
office from the treasury.
| Subsequently the census office was added
| Prior to It's transfer to the Interior the
pension office was in two room in the base
| ment of the War Department. and at the
time of transfer consisted Of the following
| force: Commissioner, James l.. Edwards Of
| Virginia, salary, $500; chief clerk, George
G. Crump of Virginia, salary, 81 500; Francis
H. Davidge of MARYLAND and George G.
| Crump of Virginia, clerks, at s, 400; French
S. Evans of Virginia and William ogden
Niles of Delaware, $1,000; William H. Stew
| art of Virginia, $1,000; Daniel Brown of
New Jersey. $1,000. and William Gordon of
| Maryland (about eighty years ODD, 81 900
| The messengers were Charles Hobbs Of
| England and Nathaniel Leake, each receive
| ing salary of $500
| In the early ffties business in the pension
| office was conducted in crude way Printed
| blanks We're almost unknown. There were
| no headings or printed lines on the letter
paper Quite number Of clerks still used
| quill pens. Mucilage and rubber bands
| were unknown, and waters and red tape
| were used
A Pension Office Tragedy.
A tragedy In the pension office occurred
in 1857 At President Pierce's last recen-
| ton Col. Lee, clerk of the pension Office
| attended. In the crowd he was pressed
| against Mr.. Hume, prominent merchant
of Alexandria. Hume. in raising his arm
| pressed against Lees pocket Lee. finding
that his pocket had been picked, accused
| Hume of stealing his pocket book
| The next morning Hume called at the
! pension office, inquired for Lee introduced
| himself and demanded that Lee should re-
| tract. Lee declined SO to, and again called
| him a pickpocket. Hume then struck Lee
| with cane. Lee retreated, Hume follow
| ing him to his desk, when Lee turned and
! shot Hume dead.
| Mr.. Ford was an important witness at
| the trial Mr.. Davidge and Edwin NJ. Stan
| ton defended Lee, who was acquitted on
| the ground of sef-defense, 1t having been
proved that a big man had attacked a
| smaller man with a deadly weapon and
| followed him to where further retreat was
| impossible. The man who picked Lees
| pocket was never discovered
Shortly after the firing on Fort Sumter
! twenty-five clerks In the pension office re-
1 signed. They were all colonies and judges
| Many of them came from Virginia They
were given the option Of taking the oath