Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1830-07-09
POHIPI0NR.
iHE ANSWER OF MILES KING.
~ Late Navy Agent at Norfolk,
TO THE REPORT or THE FOURTH A,,nyro, ,,no,,
(Conci,ided. }

| (Concl,ded)
Nh'er TINS we have general and sweep;no ,o,.x
-; i.i tue resi- OF his whole lot of accounts for va
ou "yoI"ahhes, originating, for the most mar, in ,ho
a., re anu sisge TACT that they had been overlooked NJ
sicp;n ~ VI uei, origin as already stated Hence the
isnS oy an administrator in case and bv an agent
~ 'holher, &c sc. all things that occur eor,, Is -;
iseement OF all long accounts of any standng bm
''''h our Auditor would ain represent 10 ,l,ona 80.
inohstrous in mine. In all of them observe tIo ;
uce oil Tie charges themselves is established by c;aJ
hov lusl sausiy every rational understanding Vel
~ are rejected; and not only rejected but absoIucI,
rP'00dted, as il they had been actually tainted Vii
Iu' ought to add, also, that presented all ,l,;s
fnn accounts TO the Auditor, not exactly as GER
80, e'"S; but as probable omissions i'm nv account
u requested him accordingly TO examine his books
mnue.y to ascertain whether any of them had been
PasSeu 10 my credit at any time before He admits In
"eeu himself that did So but colourinr Tho e., =
uua with his own dye, he artfully and falsely renre
e me as wishing him to ''eXaInne the proper quar-
% W. accounts only and affecedy asks "with these
changes oil dates, throwing them inoother quarters ana
omeules other years, with changes in con,ions ;,cs
49, - ~ eP's ana even amounts carried out, with one
~ uee new bills made out OF different parts of an
ola one, how was it possible TO trace then, in ts
whether they had been passed TO his ere
Tn - AiI this Is gross and wul exaggeration
"'""f changes i'm the accounts, as his own So
iec'eu specimens have showed, were very tr;ains.
" u,lcIences in the dates usually few DAYS ONLY and
u uley uiu occasionally into different quarters or
even years, it would still have been ouite nossibjo
or hm' or any one of his host of clerks with onIv
nue. patience TO have traced all the leading articles
=" mem on the books. In point of fact indeed the
most thorough search made for them (hough not
perhaps exactly with view 10 do me ;,stco L,i3 g. -
dlIerent purpose0 and if thev were NOT found ON -,
go " was most assuredy, only because they were
nor mere, and had never been passed TO my cre, NJ ali
Gnu ,s conclusion, moreover, was vet further confirm
ga o inc iac that the Navy Store keepers book shey
ha they had never been certified bv him and ,boro
pe, could never have been presented by me: bnt that
o nave been as supposed, altogether OperIooked
"Ihe vouchers marked from an TO DoO> ,vere r
because oil their age; their informative or their
dehelencies in proper evidences of authority sc tla
ono S''e reasons over again which have already
W. 700, are NOT pey old No 90 for instance is dated
jan ~ 1927, and No 100, Nov. 22 Is2s. In some
aIso me "inormaies" is very slight, and i'm other;
nor even perceptbe. ''Some,' indeed as no eavs
nave not the Storekeepers receipt' but il was onI
as ne was informed, because they had been overlooked
~ e .e oil ther origin, and the subsequent death of
e 'o'e-keeper, Dnton, had made il impossible TO oh
tain his signature. But in the absence of that his L
WIN the certificate of his successor Calf sheNyed
~ that the articles had been received and ,epe ceitf
H IN o'er cases the evidence ofthat fact yet more
complete For example, No TO- TO which hoo the
reader particular attention) is account of Edward
o. ."dey dated Dec. D. 1915 for III erces of Rice
furnished TOR the ship Congress- weighing SOL lbs ~
ID, SJll Oh. Mr. Waddev's recent 10 me for III
money IS mere oil the same date with the account; and
his account has not been ''receny written over ogai
by Mr. Murden, (Which might have spoiled il perbans
out II Is all iair and formal as far can see TO let
M ~ mas not however acknowledge, the receipt of
lne Sorekeeper Dulton, or the approval of the Com
handing Officer, Captain Henley because. having been
overlooked at the time of its origin the one was dead
ana me other out OF the country, when afterwards
presented il to the Auditor But the Auditor himself Ala
not at first seem TO think that this deficiency ON b 10 H.
aiS b; ' I'LL '4r H. Tor ne goes very properly, TO
ca with IT before, and not finding that had he writes a
letter to Mr. a. p. Darragh, in which he saws ssLearn
E '' you were rurser OF The Congress at that time
% o oehg able TO trace this voucherin your accounts
have 10 request that you will state whether vo, La
any knowledge or recollection of the delivery of this
rice on board OF that ship, elsewhere for the so ol
the Navy" OF course, il must be presumed th,t ba
intends TO allow me for the rice if he can onlv be sure
% me iSct at the article has been delivered on board
q a. so rIaapa 49,.
Now Mr. Darragh, in his answer dated Norfolk lam
airy N7 io3O referring the Auditor to his Purser's hooks
%g accounts winch he had deposited in the auditors
on ms return from the voyage on which he had
sailed in the Congress in 1921 and particularly ga at
oook - ihches long, and containing perhaps two uuires
IN which,, he says 'was entered i'm ap,ronria no column,
all the provisions taken on board with the time ra
and from whom received, Sc goes on 10 add from, bi
own memory: eve certainly took board large GUAM
NY OF rice, presume about much as is charged in
IN Mr. Waddey's bill, which would SUNNY tbe ebin Co.
about six months" He says, further have examined
me "sFact DOCK and accounts of Mr. King, from Octo
Der ole' TO June, 1919, which embraces all the time
me Congress was here in commission and believe ina
Two uerces OF rice 1921 pounds furnished October 2
ISIS is the whole quantity CHARGED i'm tben eitbor O.
the Conpress mr. Nay,, VI sIyrI " ~" ei',IeI u
Wdddy IS not charged This was surely sufficient y
GS,aoish ali that was wanted showed clearly ina
nan bought The rice for the service and actually deli
yered it, but yet had CHARGED for il ON INV boo
Bu,, besides this, exhibited to the Auditor the Month
return oil the Store-keeper for january 1919 in which
e TWO uerces oil rice mentioned by Darraph as CHARGE
on my books, (embraced in the account of Sev,no,,r
anu also Oo9I lbs OF rice corresponding exactly viii
the weight of the IL terces embraced in the account -
Waddey, are noted received for anil delivered n,
Oo"yd ~ me J1gdte Congress. Here then is full an
perfect proof OF the ac-(o say nothing of that ia
book Is inches long, &C. into which orr Auditor has nr
baby looked before this, and found the same thing nro,
ed over, again) and now them this claim must be al
loved But not is rejected q! (See documents O
~ Our Auditor proceeds: "Many of them appear (,
nave been based upon private traBsacons'-the fdcf
@ TWO or three only made out against me indvidu
ally for articles furnished for the service; for example
no ~ Tor two barrels Of Irish pork by James Wioiab
V ana thcy were presented not to be nIlOwed i'm tina
or but TO be traced on the books; and in all the in
stances, the fact that they furnished for the pub
nc service, was proved by the storekeeper's book
some OF them have been recently altered i'm C,rm,-
yes in Jor but not in sstance and that for the yer,
purpose OF curing the "nformalty which is obiectet
to- and some may hare been pGssed TO his credit in
corporated in other bis;" but il fhey had tcen 20 il
must have appeared his books i'm one account n,
or other, and yet he has not found them in anv sI
they were just claims would that they you'll
nave been presented. exclaimed and allowed long since
but the evidence before him was complete 10 she
that ihey mere u't, and had been overlooked and 20
never presented bsfore" and that there thew OUGHT
10 have been allowed now. "From g. n 10 (IO0l ,bev
ore all executed recently in Mr. Murden's hand tyrin /,
yes TO put them in form: he objects 10 them II they
are not an form and yet will allow them to be put
INTO II. This Is 6ne justice indeed
"Ihe vouchers numbered (i0D 10 (106) contain l.
~ns OF commissions, &c which gisersd in
ana 1917 and are now again advanced By Mr. King
not onlY deem the charges nadmissible but would not
AZ this late day, undertake 10 re-examne decisions then
gwen, especially wi hon, the production Of evi.
dence which was not before the Auditor" The item,
OF commissions here spoken Of are small sums charged
I n ~ he That f.