Letter from William Loeb, Jr. to E. A. Hitchcock

Kitty 1249 Irving Street N.W. Washington, D. C., July 18, 1906. The President, Oyster Bay, I. I. , New York. Because I believe the case I shall herein present is a little unusual among its kind, I bring it to your attention. During the Civil War my Grandfather, Ishmael Day, resided in Baltimore County, Maryland, which had long been his home and where suspended between two trees in front of his residence hung an American flag. For miles the stars and stripes could be seen playing in the breezes. Grandfather often said, "Any dam rascal who hauls that flag down, I will shoot. A troop of Southern calvary drove up to his home one Sunday's morn. While the man in the lead dismounted Grandfather ran for his gun and by the time the flag was torn down the offender foll dead to the ground. Grandfather then snatched another loaded gun from it's rack, ran and hid in a swamp under the brambles running over a large rock where he saw his property burned to the ground and the soldiers hunt for him half a day, then finally give up in despair. After his escape, he was taken to Baltimore by a neighbor and quite a large meeting consisting of speeches and songs was hold, in the town hall, in his behalf. If there is a law to the effect that soldiers and soldiers' widows shall have the first preference in government positions, why should not this heavy loss of property in my family, because of hero- ism and patriotism, count for something, when I am the only one who has ever sought a government position? Last spring I passed a creditable Civil Service examination for stenographers and typewriters, and since have been seeking to obtain one of the t emporary positions created in the Land Office to copy records to take the place of those destroyed in the San Francisco' disaster. I have sought the influence of Mr. Stillings, Public Printer but so far have been unable to get the place. I quote a paragraph in a letter of introduction, given me by Mr. Stillings, in order to show my capabilities. "Miss Phillips was formerly my S tenographer when I was located in the Star Building some two years ago. Her work for me was quite satisfactory, and I found her very onscientious and faithful, as well as thoroughly competent. I write the above because it may be worthy the consideration of our democratic President. Respectfully, (Miss) Cecelia Day Phillip