Mr. WINDOM. This case is too well known here to require any extended remarks from me.. I am well aware of the objections in the mind of the Gentfrom Ohio. I am also aware of the resolution that was passed by this body to govern the ComClaims with reference to cases similar to this, and I know the fear on the part of the chairman of that committee that if this bill be passed it will open up so vast a number of this class of claims that the Government will be unable to o them. I think this claim, however, may e distinguished from those which will be presented hereafter. I think it may with propriety be today made an exception. But whatever may be the rule of the House here after in regard to claims of this character it seems to me the peculiar circumstances of this claim call upon this House to act upon it favor ably at once. o This bill has passed the HoRep twice already; once in the 37th and once in the 38 h Congress. It also passed the Senate in the 38 h Congress, and would have become a law, having passed both branches, but from a mere accident on the part of a clerk of the Senate. And in order to substantiate what I say I will read a few lines indorsed on the former bill by the Clerk of the Senate. “Office of The SENATEof THE U.S., “March 10, 1865. “I herebycertify that the above bill passed the 2 Houses of Congress as above stated; but through mistake in the hurry of the last moments ofsion, the ses the Clerk, whosebusiness it was, inadvertently took the engrossed copy of JtResolution (H.R.No 161) to the HoRepinstead of the bill, (H.R.No. 161,)which alone caused the fail ure of this bill being passedthrough, all the formal ities necessary to its becoming a law.” Simply a mistake on the part of the Clerk. It has now passed the Senate a 2nd time. It has on 2 occasions received the sanction of this House. I believe it passed the Senate twice at the last session, for a message was. sent to the House requesting it to be returned, and on being returned it was reexamined there and passed again, making 3 times there. That, I think, makes this bill an exception, and I cannot believe there is any danger to the country if this House shall choose to do justice to this most worthy claimant, who has rendered service to the Government amounting to a dozen times the value of his claim; who at the peril of his life has rendered it; whose house has been burned down almost within sight of the Capitol not many miles from where we are now sitting being destroyed by the order of our own generals. It does seemto me, when both Houses have thus approved of this claim, giving a little more than.amount proved to be due, this House should act upon it at once and grant the relief. r I will, with the permission of the House, send to the Clerk to be read the report of the senate committee, which states the case more briefly than I can. I will say, however, that the House committee in the 37th Congress made a report of which this is almost an exact copy. I happen to know something about the action of the ComClaims at that time for I made the report myself. There has been no report upon the claim in this Congress. It was not referred to the ComClaims because the House having adopted a rule to govern that committee it was known that it would be applied to this case no matter how just the claim might be. I ask the Clerk to read the Senate report.