Several years ago, I came across a reference in the Congressional Globe to some sort of crime which seemed to have been committed by a member of Congress. I was intrigued and being an avid mystery reader, wanted to discover who had done what to whom!
The entry which originally caught my eye appeared on April 25, 1838 in the House of Representatives. The House began work on that day by continuing its consideration of “the report of the committee appointed to investigate the causes which led to the death of the Hon. Jonathan Cilley, late a member of the House … ” What, I wondered, had happened to Rep. Cilley? The debate on the report had actual