For The Love He Bore Her

Gen. Belknap, President Grant'asecretary of war, Is dead, and his lips can no inore peremptorlly refuse tliat the story of his Ufe should be told. It bas been whUpered In miny circles since the terrible blast tliat virtuitlly ended hls career, but he stood unflinchingly the storm that assuiied him, stood with tirraly closed lips, whlle the whole country rang: with tlie sad story of the post trader scaudal.wrote nis reslgnation and went into retireinent tliat was worso tlian death, and all for the love he bore his wife. To one friend he coufiued tlie miserable story, and that friend was the silent man in the White House, and thereafter the fiiendship that bound them was cemented by stronger ties. Williara E. Curtís, the well known Washington correspondent, giyes what wc well know to be an authentic versión of the story, as follows: Gen. Belknap wonld never allow it to be said while he was living, but now tbat he is dead justice (Iemands that the truth should be told. He laid that which ia most precious to all honorable men- his reputation - as a sacrifiee upon the altar cf lus affection. Of that crime for which he was impenched before the Senate of the United States he was entirely innocent. He was charged with having accepted a bribe while seeretary of war for the appointment of one Marsh as the posttrader at Fort Sill, I. T., and the evidence against him was furnislied by Marjh. He did appoint Marsh at the request of a woman who was very dear to him, and Marsh paid her a percentage of the profits of the business, supposing tbat Gen. Belknap knew the facts. But he did not. He was absolutely ignorant of the whole transaction, and never suspected it uutil afier Marsh had made bis confession. It happened to be my fate to first inform Gen. Balknapof Marsh's disclosure. While on my way home one night about mldnight I met Representative Lyman B. K. Buss.of Buffalo, at McPherson square. He was just from the meeting of the Investigation Oommittee at which Marsh made his disclosures and confession. Mr. Bass told me the whole story. I drove at once to the resideuce of Gen. Belknap. I related the story as I heard it from Mr. Bass, and he was the embodiment of righteous indignation. He said: "Marsh is a dlstant connection of my wife. At her solicitation and for the sake of bis family I took the miserable whelp out of the mud and gave him the most protitable position ander the War Department. I kcpt him there as long as I could, but the complaints from the ollicers were so frequent that I had to remove him. I wrote him that bc had disgraced me, and that 1 never wanted to see him again, and now the infernal scoundrel is trying to ruin nie. But I will go before the coniinittee to-morrow and crush him as I would a vipor under my heel." Then cooling down a little he ligbted a clgar and told me the history of Marsh, the circumstanccs of his appointment, and all his relations with him. Wiiat liappened after I left the house that hight is only & matter of conjecture. The next niorniii}r at 7 o'clock Gun. Belknap was at the White House with big reslgnatlon in his hand, and it was accepted by Gen. Grant in a letter of the Wiirmest sympathy and expressions of complete confidence. I saw him agaln about 10 o'clock that ïnorning. He seomed to have aged twenty years during the nlght. Gen. Belknap did not go before the investigating committee. His lips were forever seiiled. Gen. Grant was the only man to whora he revealed the f acts in the case and was bis stanchest defender. His intímate friends learned the trutb, little by little, but would never permit an allusion to the subject. Mrs. Belknap went to Europe shortly nfter and rematBed ibroad twelve yearg. Tlie General continued to reside in Washington as the attorney for the state of Iowa and several railroads.