Litchfield enquirer., 1829-08-06

character, unless explained to Mr.. Paulding
and yourself, the only two agents upon whom
INV drafts had been made, and Immediately
wrote to both of you full exposition of the
reasons for suspending those items 10 your
accounts. You tell me you have not received
nv letter; tie same fate has attended al my
letters which wrote, and left as usual to the
care ofthe messenger of the Office, on the 18th,
goth, and 2lst March. Not only did none Of
my letters reach their destination, but no let
tiers have been received by me through the
Office since the first mentioned date. The
inference is irresistible, that from the mo-
ment it was decided TO remove me from Of
fee, it was also decided to adopt all means
that vindictive malice could invent to injure
my character; and Mr.. Kendall has not scru-
pied to detain my private correspondence,
with the hope, no doubt, of finding some
thing in that upon which to build his imputa-
tons.
That he has found his Clerks ready to pay
court to their new master, by aiding him in
his work of detraction, is but too apparent
from the fact which you state to me OF the era
sures and mutilations in your accounts. He
may triumph in the success Of his villanies for
a time, but il God spare my life, he shall ere
long be made to feel the force Of the recoil of
his blow upon himself. As far as relates to
yourself in this transaction, your official con-
duct is unimpeachable, You did nothing but
by official authority, which you could not dis
pute; the evidence Of that official authority is
probably by this time in the hands ofthc 9TH
Auditor, who can have no plea to withhold
from you credit for the sums paid on my or
der.
Do me the justice to believe, that no era
sures or mutilatiOns of the accounts were
made by me and with regard to the Recon-
elements. these have been ever since enter
ed that Office, trusted to the examining clerks
themselves, who wrote their own letters, and
forwarded them to the different Agents. If
none have been received therefore, the failure
is. in no instance, chargeable to me. am,
(Signed) T.. WATKINS.
Richard D.Harris, Esq. Navy Agent, Boston.
The anonymous letter which follows was
addressed by Watkins, to the Ex-Secretary
Southland, with the purpose of persuading
that gentleman to confirm the above false ex-
plantations -
PHILADELPHIA, May 1, 1899.
On you, and perhaps on you alone. my
worthy and honoured sir. depends the future
peace or lasting misery Of an innocent. excel
and father appeals to your mercy to save, not
himself, but them, from shame and contume-
ly. Driven to desperation at times, by the
embarrassments in which his long and ardent
political warfare involved him, every other
source exhausted. he resorted to his official
authority to raise funds, which he most firmly
believed, at the time, would result in no loss
either to the public or to individuals. Fate
has decreed It otherwise. And those against
whom he had fought and against whom he
would willingly have lost every drop of his
blood, have triumphed. and now trample up
on the enemy whom, worse than all Others,
they hated and feared. He is here in the
hands of the Marshal of Pennsylvania on a
criminal charge-he was on his way to Wash
ington where his family are anxiously, tremb-
lingly expecting him.
The enclosed paper will show hoW you
may save that family from wretchedness and
degradation. 1t is the copy Of the explana-
ton forced from him at Boston and address
sed to Mr.. Harris the agent. He forthwith
sent copy Oft to the 9Th Auditor, who will
receive it by this days mail. Contradict it,
and the family Of the wretched being whom
you once honored with the name Of friend,
will henceforth live in ignominy and disgrace.
Confirm it, and they are saved. The papers
TGbGrTeU W WeTO uhtSb0lU VI bUSt UuTtuk yVus
illness and absence from the Office" O God
he can write NO more-the officer is at his
elbow to carry him to Washington. Write
to Mrs. w. under cover to her son, w. H.
w. at the Branch Bank, WashingtOn-make
her happy and may the all powerful SO bless
and prosper you. ,.. ...
Hon. Samuel l.. Southland. Trenton, N. J..
The National Intellgencer in commenting
upon some intimation in Virginia paper, that
the delinquency of DR.. Watkins-for ofthat,
whatever or however the juries may decide,
the public can entertain no doubt-must az
feet the char acter of the late Administration !;
very justly repels such an unfoundcd and un-
justi6able suggestion. The course, indeed,
-ofMr. Southland. the late Secretary ofthe Ma
Wy, during the trial, has been such as entirely
to satisfy even the least friendly inquirer that
he had no reason TO suspect in any manner,
the misconduct Of the 4th Auditor. As to
that individuals original appointment. the Ma.
tional Intelligencer says, "neither blame or
credit can thence attach to the late Admins
tratiOn. He was not appointed by It: and.
so far from any thing appearing in his official
conduct worthy Of censure during its contin-
uance in public Office, it was universally ad.
United, by all who bad business with his Office,
that ne was prompt and efficient public Off
Ger. His appointment took place under the
administration of the venerable James Mon
roe. and was made, it is understood, at the We