Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1830-07-07
LIEUT. RANDOLPH'S ANSWER. TO THE
FOURTH AUDITORS REPORT.
I'D TIIG PHRI
TO THE PVBLJ

u nave HIS UaUlG presented to the public,
coupled 9th impu'otions upon his integrity and lo-
nor He cannot find a sufficient soluce for this mis-.
!o1'ane IN the consciousness of innocence, or even in
the character OF the individual from whom the SLAM
aers nave Observation-Disclosures clear may be the for
mer, however degraded the latter. when these
calumnles are directed towards an officer whose no
nor aud unsulIed reputation arc essentially connected
With his existence; upon whom even suspicion, how
ever groundlcss, intiicts an indelible stain; when hey are
publicly promulgated, with all the sanctions that oGi-
ce can afford, the injury becomes doubly severe, and
the wounds Inflicted almost beyond the hopc of
cure.
Such is tho pred;cnment in which hay. been re-
Gently placed before my country, and before Inv bro
ther officers. by the Report of Amos Kendall. the
Fourth Auditor ofthc Treasury cf the United States,
submitted by the Honorable the Secretary of the
Navy to tho House of Representatives, on the 9th
May, 1880 However formidable may be tho char
acter OF this accusa' ion, however elevated tho official
RANK III my accuscrs; however dignified the tribunal
sofore which 4 have beeu arruigu.d; a deep sense of
what l owe to the nstun-.to the service. and 10 NV.
Sell compel me TO the only course which is allowed
me OF pleading not guilty t. the ciiarce-of CLAIMING.
us q matter OF sheer justice. that l may not be con
oetinea unheord, and of %proffering myself ready and
anxious to encounter my accusers, proofs-nav. even
Their dark lnsinuntions and eround;css suspicious be
lore a tribunal competent to investigate and to decide
upon my case.
AZ have been guilty Of pccuniary defalcaticns or
frauds, to ha t the extent With which I an CHARGED
ey the Auditor, / am unworthy of the commission
WITH which | have been honorcd, and deserve the
NDD II utAittho uuu DNlllSlrlNnl. III N
guilty OF OBTAINING public moneys in my hands, in vi,
oiaiion e: the trust upon which they were received,
justice to the nation demands that / should be com
Peiied 10 d!sSorge the spoil. 1t | have connivcd at
tne suppression OF important documents; if l have
ncen guilty OF preVarication and ~falsehood; If [ have
cndeaVorcd to shift z1y pccuniary responsibilities and
iuss debte Upon the shoulders of others; why is no,
nc criminal pursued through the instrumcn,ulity of
!ne law, and 10 ctd to sohmi; TO the requirements of
justice! iet, with ali these charges, oficiali pro-
inuigated, and sclcn!nly preferred before the Lcgisla-
cure o! my country, the accused, although he knows
them to be false, has no alternative, and no other
means OF redress, but to ask for a Judicial enquiry
into his conduct
1t must be Obvious to all who have examined the
accusation to which l have referred, that a minute
and datailcd exposition of the facts of nv caso wouId
be unnecessarily tedious Dark suru,ises and fnrl
inslnuatIons. which may be made to mean any thinn
and every thing, would demand a circumstau,ial mar
native, and fitness of proof, which would unwarront-
aDiy extend this short address No exnosit;on
which Is not public, and in the face of the accusation
and the evidence upon which it rests, can be entirely
satisfactory; that can be attained only in a court of
jnstice-and TO q contest there l invite and challenge
those who have aught to lay to my charge. am
not pcTmittcd to become the actor in such a contest.
1 cannot bring the matter into a court; I must wait
the pleasure or the Government, which, it cannot
euloe oeneVed' II 1t attachescredh to the charge. will
furnish an opportunity of bringing it to an issue, Of
proving lis truth, or demonstrating its falsi.y.
linus situated, l may be permitted further to Oh
serve, that considering the nature of the accusa,;on
"'iI HS OF the materials Ont Of whirb ~ hoe
.eeh constructed, the most obvious dictates of oru-
Gcnee require that | should rescrve for such an i,ves-
tiGntion the evidence which / possess VIXEN precise
ana distinct allegations arc made and exhibited in a
io,m winch may be tangible, and before a tribunal
which may be selected to pass upon them dedn,tiveIv
IL win De my duty, as 1t will be nv pleasure. to stake
my character upon the iasue-
~ ne mean time, eannot permit myself to refrain
ton hoticinS some oil the assertions and comments
OF tho Auditor, md making some remarks upon Tho
general character of the accusation.
1t appears from tie d%ocuments which he |.us eyhi-
oited, that, On or about the ed ApriI. 10on i,
consequence of the death of Mr. John u, T;m-
ocrlake, 1 was appointed acting purser of the
irigale Constitution, then under the commapd of CaD.
Iain Daniei I. Patterson. In this capacity | remain
cd until the arrival of that vessel at Bosto, s,d N.
discharge of her crcw-which latter event occnrrad
In August 1879. During this period, public proper,v
aha moneys were placed in my hands, with which /
was charged, amounting to sos, 800 80; every cent
ol winch mas been fully accounted for 10 the office ofI
the Fourth Auditor, and my accounts finally closed
and reported on The 9Th October, 1923. Not ON,
no" item of charge, So far as I am appr;seJ has
pcen made against NE on the books Of the Depart
hew advances have been made-no mistake
or error IN the accounts has been detected and rec,i-
I!aa-and yet l am presented before the Legislature
vi the Nation as q defauIter,
1t appears thst thus accusation grows out of The
settlement OF the accounts Of Mr. T1nberla,xe. not
OF my owp. a balance has been reported oo,;,.t
MN; and, Tor The avowed object of diminishin9 or de.
stFoying this debt, apparently due from him to the
hOh IL Is 6SSdI, ed, and fraudulnnt |
conduct attributed to me. The settlement of NJ
iilnoeriases accounts was made at the Department
ny the onceFs OF the Government, without INV know
ieoge or intervention. and Oh the 18th August. 1929.
a balance was reported against him of Sl7,a4I os
This amount was reduced in the account renorted on
Toe iltb September, to the sur, Of gl43JG So. Mt
having access 10 the accounts and papers rclnt,pa ~
them | take the dates and GUNS as stated in the eff,
ciul report Of the Auditor. y"
tiere L must remark, that in this carly stao of b;s
report, a view is gwen of this matter by the Auditor,
calculated to lead to the rDoa erroneous conclusons
re STATES mat ION The eth October, Lieut.. Ran
ooiphs account, as acting purscr, was closed and 70.
ported While The previous accounts of sir. Tjmber |
LAKE renamed untouched no intiina;ioD is oive,
thas there was any other account between the Go
Fernlnen and Mr. Timberlake than that which re1a.
,eo 10 The cruise of the Constitution. In fact. the
iaHgusge used by the Eourth Auditor throurbont. is
calculated 10 leave an impression that tic entire ac-
COUNTS WHICH were invested. and upon which the bal
snces we're struck related exclusively to that cruise.
- > however, material to observe, that Mr Timber
IaKe rad been the Purser Of the frigato President IN.
ring Inc war and, in that capacity, alsrge balance an