The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-05-28
!. Fitz Lee Surprised
When Appointed

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III the very interesting sketch OF Gen.
eral Fitahugh Lee, given In the Rich
mond Timcs-Dfspatclll n day or two after
his death, there occurs the statement
that he was appointed collector OF customs
at Lynchburg during Cleveland'a first ad-
mlnistration, and resigned that position
to enter the gdbernatorlal canvass. This
Is n mistake. He was appointed collector,
during Cleveland4 second administration
and resigned the position to accept tho
unsolicited and unexpected appointment
By Mr.. Cleveland OF consul TO Havana,
the duties OF which dificult and delicate
position he discharged with cpnsummate
SKIN and ability, stanton Dispatch,
That is true, and the mentipn Of Gem
cral Lees incumbency of the Office OF
collector of8interna revenue for SNORT
perIod reminds me Of bret chapter IN q
his history that | have never seen IN
print. IT was told to me by Genera Lee .
himself about q week before he sailed Tor 4
Havana us consul general. III
He was appointed collector for the SIKH
Virginia Revenue District by Mr.. Clevc-
land to succeed the late Captain liam
.Shepperd who died while in Office.
Il While General Lee was holding tire o.
flee, and before he had really gotten the
business we'll in hand, IT. was reported TO
him I hat one OF his deputies. VINO was wa!
In office long before the general TOOK
charge, was short In his accounts, 7tand
that the depnty's books and papers We're
! In such d tangled condition that he SER
vices or special agents from w Washington \
would be arcquiredtto straig hten them OUT
54S Two agents were sent from Washington
E and, they spent absit three weeks N y
I.ynchhurg. but kept mum s 10 what they
so n
e General Lee on the eve of their sdepnr-g
ture set IL a large and SERIOUS short
age.n They left for Washington on
"Wednesday afternoon. The next day cen
$eral Lee received a telegram from MS
superior officer, the United States COM
missioner OF Internal Revenue. at v ash 4
ington, which read: Come to Washing
ton by first train to see the President
VIII meet you at the depot.
or course II must he the silortase or
defalcation Of the deputy that was the
urgent business to call him TO Washing
ton, and surely 1t must be a very serious
matter II 1t had been carried up to the
President so soon The thought OF
scandal In his office SO soon after he mad
become collector almost made me gem
cral sick. To say thai ne dreaded 9, nhe
ltrtpto WashlnItoffis to put II very mild
sly, but he was not the man to shirk any
duty, however unpleasant. and although
the next train for Washington LETT
Lynchburg within thirty minutes after
the receipt of the telegram, he was AZ
the depot In time, he was Worrle .,,,. e. =
the way to washington, ind could thinK
of not hing else but that defalcatnn. re
had told the special agents when they
first reached Lynchburg to make q tho-S
rough Investigation; hat me neputys
bond was probably good for the shortage,
but II not, his own was, but that was
not what bothered him SO much, ~ The fact
that a large defalcation had been founns
! in IN office over which he presided and
the publicity that would necessarily fai--
| low were bound 10 worry a man OF MS
| calibre and temperament
! $50 r.. NJ. aud was met al the depot by
| Mr.. Miller the Commissioner OF Internal
] Revenue, who escorted him 10 c.ose3
| carriage. and they drove rapidly TO the
! White House. Mr. Miller left the gen
| eral there without referring to the bust.
ness In hand
In a few moments Mr., Cleveland came
| in and after passing the usual salula-s
| lions, said In his blunt way: General
| Lee. want you to go TO Havana as con
| sul-general. to succeed that fellow Wal.
lis, who has been recalled. General
! Lee said to me: .'WhenI heard that.you
| could have Knocked me down With q
| feather was SO nonplussed could not
utter a word. stood there gazing III
MIR. Cleveland, and i have no doubt !
4 appearcd ike u lOOi.t tt sts n
short while afterwards the President
I and General Lee took supper together,
no other person being present, and while
| thus alone Mr.. Cleveland Went over the
1 whole situation, outlining the delicate
/ duties 10 be performed, the trouble that
1 was likely to follow, the shortcomings
/ and unsatisfactory work of the former
4 consul and closed by saying that In his
/ opinion General Lee was the one man IN
4 the whole country to undertake the BUS
mess In hand,
! II is a matter Of history that General
i Lees reply to Mr.. Cleveland that night
was that tho proposition was attractive
| to him, but that he never took any serious
/ step in any direction before consulting
] his wife. and he would have tn5take time
4 to speak with her about it. Mr., Cleve-
4 land commended that policy and wrote q
i letter to Mrs. Lee. urging her to approve
i the move, The balance of the Havana
story Is written history now.
4 The shortage In tho deputy's accounts
i at Iynchburg was never mentioned. In
i fact ii Is more than likely that Mr..
4 Cleveland had never heard Of It. The
4 shortage ulrned out. to be ahnlt 5000
i and was due largely to the deputy's care
4 lcssness and lack of business capacity
i and not to real dishonesty. The amount
I: was made good to the government and the
a deputy lost his place, and that was the
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