Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-06
BITS OF WASHINGTON LIFE.
Minor scenes and Incidents sketched
on the SPOT.

mNhoE SCENES HuN
on the SPOT.
A story is going the rounds in washing
ton about a Chicago woman who had been
using the mails in an improper way. Post
master General Payne ordered that her let
ters be excluded from the mails, where
upon the fair Chicagoan wrote a daintily
perfumed letter asking for a personal hear
ing so that her side OF the case could be
presented II feel sure" she wrote, that
IL could get chance to look straight into
your beautiful brown eyes you would hear
my story" Mr.. Payne by the way OF a
Joke wrote on a blank leaf Of the letter.
Respectfully referred to the secretary Of
war for advice" and sent It over to Mr..
Root. The latter Immediately returned It
with this Endorsement: Risk one eye.
Elihu Root"
It is not often that men 60 around with
1t is not often that men go around with
SO, ,000, 900 In dress-suit cases, but that was
the amount which two representatives Of
the government carried into the Offices OF
the Guaranty Trust company in New York
one afternoon last week The gentlemen
we're messengers Of the Insular bureau OF
the War department and we're charged with
the delivery Of 100000 in Philippine
| bonds to the trust company, which is fiscal
agent Of the government for the Philippine
| islands. Incidentally the government saved
something like 5000 by having the bonds
| transported in dress-suit cases instead OF
by an express company.
The pension once oficials are looking
anxiously for Boston Corbett, the man who
shot John Wilkes Booth and who was
| thought to be dead. Information has been
received. reports the Washington Star
| that a man answering the description Of
! Corbett is making his way from Arizona tc
Kansas with a peddling outht and the pen
| sion agents in that locality have been in
| structed to look the matter up and deter
! mine the mans identity. 1t is a matter OF
some Importance to Corbett to make him
self known, as he has not drawn a pension
for a number of years and there remains
! to his credit in the treasury considerable
money.
The records of the pension office show
that Corbett enlisted in the Twelfth Regi'
ment of New York Volunteers in April 1861
but was discharged a few months later. He
again enlisted in a New York regiment ant
| was discharged about a year later. Agar
! ne enlisted anu Teudlneu III Tue SERVICE
about one month, being mustered out with
his company. He enlisted again in tht
Sixteenth New York cavalry and served tC
the end Of the war. 1t was while a ser
geant in the New York cavalry that Corbet
was detailed with the party which pursued
the fugitive assassin of President Lincolr
after his escape from Washington. Bootl
was found in a barn and the barn was Sc
afire. The fugitive made dash for libert!
and Sergeant Corbett shot him.
After the war Corbett returned to hi
home, where he worked at his trade as
halter, and in 1873 moved to Kansas, TAX
ing up a homestead He divided his tim,
between preaching and farming, and late
was placed in an insane asylum. He was dis
charged from there, however, and that Il
the last the pension Office heard Of him.
The question involved is entirely in tn
identity of the man said to be Corbett. Th
department is reliably informed that tn
Arizona peddler is the man they are look
ing for, but It is desired that the question
OF identity be established beyond a doubt
and to this end the pension agent in tn
Kansas district through which the peddle
is likely to pass has been requested to lool
out for him.