Year: 1872




AS AN OFFICE BR0KER-HE ACCEPTS ONE


HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR HIS SERVICES


fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRiBuSEI


WASHINGTON, Sept. 1S-Another case showing I'll"
responsibility which the President has assumed IN
the appointment of brothersin-aw to Office mas
Just been discovered, and is the most fagrant thas
has yet been made public 1t relates TO Gen. FRED X
T. Dent who is Northumberland OF artillery
in the regular army, and brother Of Mrs. Grant,
and who is borne upon the official directory 40 Sec
retary to the President It is well known to those
who have frequented the White House, and to tho
attentive readers of newspapers that Gen. Dent has
charge Of the ante or waItng-room OF the Execu-
tive Mansion where all visitors except the priyl-
legged ones like Cabinet officers, have 10 wait before
being admitted INTO the official apartment OF the
President. The statement which follows is gath
cred from a conversation have had with gentle
man whose name is at present withheld and It ~
vouched for by him as trustworthy in every respect
The gentleman in question is prominent resident
of one of the Southern States who has served in
the Legislature, and is now engaged in
the campaign. During the Spring of 1871,
be was an applicant for appointment as Consul al
one of the ports in Japan or China. After spending
some time in Washington, and making no headway,
he was advised to apply to Gen. Dent. Accordingly.
on the 18th of May, 1S he addressed that officer,
n
the Presidents approval, and he therefore
wanted Dents assistance for which no
expressed himself as willing to pay Dent, ii is
alleged, answered the letter, appointing an inter
view at the Executive Mansion at p. H. on the fol
lowing day. The note of Dents was shown TO two
friends ex-army officers, of them held on the re-
tired list, who recognized Dents signature by say
ing, Yes that is old Sevcnty-seSen Dents auto
graph we used to call him Seventy-seven Dent be-
cause the and I were Just alike, and resemble tho
figure T."


At the time indicated in the note the applicant
went to the White House and told Gen. Dent he was
there in response to his note The two then entered
private room, where the o1ice-seeker told the
army officer what he desired and asked his assistance
with the Presidents saying he would be willing
to pay him well for it, Dent told him TO file at once
his application for appointment as Consul ut Singa-
PORE India, because there was vacancy in that
Office, as the person whose name had been pre-
viously sent to the Senate had refused it, which
was not, Dent remarked, generally known. The ap-
pcant then said that he would bring the papers to
the Executive Mansion the next morning. To this
Dent answered, "No bring them at once, so can
place them before the President to-day. Your
papers will then be the first filed for this position"
The applicant for consular honors thereupOn re-
turned to his hotel, obtained his papers. and re-
paired again to the White House, where they were
placed in Dents hands. This officer looked them
over casually, and went into the Presidents room
with the papers in his hands, whereupon the gem
tleman left the building. This was about four
o'clock of May 49, 1871. On the morning of the 10Th,
before calling at the White House, the gentleman
saws he wrote note to Dent saying that when no
should leave the White House on that day he lDenD
would find upon his table under the blotter letter
10 his address. The applicant says further that no
placed upon Dents table note in which was 500
bill with few words asking the officers accept
ance of that sum for his services thus far.


The gentleman says he very confident of snc-
cess when he left the White House that morning.
On the 22d which was Monday, he called again,
when Dent assured him that all would be right, and
said: "Oh found something on my desk after You
left on Saturday. The gentleman said, Never
mind; that is all right Subsequently the gentle
man sent his friends to the State Depart
ment where they found that man named
A. G.. Studer had been appointed lie
again went to the White House. when Dent
informed him of the same thing, but did not say
anything about the 800 bill, although it was ex-
pected he would The gentleman says he knows
the papers were not torn up in this case as he saw
them recently at the State Department. The fore
going is almost in the exact words of the gentleman
whose name is withheld at his own request until the
main facts here set forth are contradicted.