20 FACTS RELATING TO GROTON, MASSACHUSETTS. 



in King Lear. At Philadelphia I bought a copy of Byron for 

 three dollars. That volume I yet have. 



The Hon. William Parmenter, a Democrat, then represented 

 the district in Congress, and I carried one or more letters to 

 him — one from my employer Mr. Henry Woods, who was an 

 active Democrat. Mr. Parmenter was then about fifty years 

 of age, of heavy frame, swarthy complexion, and a man of 

 good natural abilities. He took me to Mr. Van Buren. We 

 found him alone, well dressed, polite- and rather gracious than 

 otherwise. Quite early in my visit, Mr. Parmenter took me 

 to the Pension Office, then presided over by Mr. Edwards. 

 Mr. Parmenter stated his business, and immediately attention 

 was given to my applications. In the course of a few days 

 some of the cases were disposed of, and in a few weeks my 

 docket was clear. 



Caleb Butler was then postmaster at Groton. He had had 

 the place, probably from the days of John Quincy Adams 

 for as he was a violent Whig, he could not have received his 

 appointment from General Jackson. My employer, Mr. 

 Woods, was an applicant for the post-office, he being the only 

 Democrat in the street who had accommodations for the of- 

 fice. I carried papers in support of the application. Those 

 I gave probably to Mr, Parmenter, as I have no recollection 

 of any interview with any post-office official. Amos Kendall 

 was then Postmaster-General. He was a native of Dunstable, 

 and he had been a student at the Groton Academy when Mr. 

 Butler was the preceptor. Naturally and properly he sus- 

 tained his old teacher. The change however was made, and 

 upon the express instructions of Mr. Van Buren it was said. 

 Mr. Woods retained the office until his death in January, 

 1 84 1, when I was appointed without any agency of my own, 

 but by the agency as I supposed of Gen. Staples. Upon 

 the election of General Harrison I was removed in the month 

 of April, and Mr. Butler was reappointed, an act of which I 

 never complained, nor had I any reason to complain. 



At Washington we stopped at Gadsby's Hotel, now the 

 National. There I met and had some acquaintance with Mat- 

 thew L. Davis, "the Spy in Washington" as he called him- 



