The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1841-01-14

| ~ WIZ fVitsc, Jul UCAiiS 100 tdtt iOF Tie
mail. and the public ,la,y requiring me
to return 10 Portland. informed the
Quarter Master tina, would attend TO il
after my return. | arrived in Portland
from Passport on the 3lst Of October,
and on the same day I wrote to Mr. Lang.
don, informing him of the mistake; and
]. authorized him TO draw for the money a,
sight. (See page 66.)
4 On the question being put by the Judge
Advocate to Mr. Langdon, who was ex.
amined as a witness for the prosecution
'preyious 10 receiUing Col. Learned's
letter of the 3lst Of October, hal yo,
any k'sowleage Of th;s mistake" Mr.
Langdon answers-"No, l HAD NOT"
(See page 81 TO the question: by me-
"Do you recollect in what manner the
money was refunded! He answers
4 Yes, I are,c on you for part Of 1t, aaa
The balance aoas pad me at Portsmouth,
'Iby an Officer, to ach M I receiptea for
j the aUh le.' About the 10th of Novem-
Der, Mr. Langdon dew on me for the
}, sum Of Sl35, in favor of a Mr. M'Cleary,
and on the 9th day of December, 1878,
the balance was paid him by Capt. Doug
lass, by whom the money had been sent,
and for which, as MIR Langdon testifes,
he gave the following receipt:
! PORTSMOUTH, N. H., Dec. 9th 1918.
Received of Col. ]. D. Learned. by
the hands of Capt. Douglass. one hun
dred and seventy.6ve dollars being a
balance overcharged on David Stan
:. woods receipts for cartridge boxes.
which was settled by said Learned. bear.
ing date September Goth, 1918, which
balance is to the credit of the United
States. JOHN LANGDON, Jr.,
Deputy Commissary.' =
t On the 2lst of September, 1918, the
sum Of sl75 of the public money came
into my hands, through the mistake of
another. On the 3lst Of October of the
same year, l gave the first information to
the Commissary Of this mistake, and au-
thorised him to draw for the amount.
On the 10Th of November, the Commits
sary did draw for $l35, which was paid
and on the 9Th of December next fol-
lowing. being the first convenient oppor-
tunity had, the balance was paid, and
the whole sum receiptcd for. This is
: the fraud upon the Government, for
which more than one year afterwards, !
was arrested, tried and sentenced, by a
Military Court Martial. And so reckless
J was this Cour. Of all the common princi-
Piles of justice, and so anxious to serve
the views of their employers, that they
had not the grace TO say. in 'helr vile
sentence, that the moaeyha all been re-
funded, nor to initiate such thing, ieav-
ing the ,yorM to understand and believe
that 1t acas retained IN my pocket, The
sentence thus went abroad, and had no
r means to let the truth be known, but by
senting the whole record after it. This
did, as far as my resources would
enable ne to do it,
, The attack in the Globe, in Jan. 1886
was similar to the present. ,i'ha. dfath
f bloW, as it was hoped. gave me an oppor
tunity to publish these facts to the world
On the Goth of Jan. 1876, ! published :
, similar statement to this in the Washing
e ton Sun, then conducted by me in sup
port of the distinguished patriot juror
!. WH1rE, for the presidency against Mar
tin Van Buren, and distributed upward,
OF 10000 copies of the paper thronghn
J. he country. Does this look as though
: wished concealment Of ibis matter, or tina
feared the disclosure Of II.
| have reason to thank my malignant
. and graceless enemies for giving me al,
!, other opportunity o: laying my wrong,
. before he world. And for what have
: been thus attacked. Have done any o
:. them any wrong! No, but it was to serve
). base party purpose.
TO show what others have thought o
: this trial, will lay before the public
' some further evidence. The late A,tor
ney General of the United States, ths
: Honorable William Writ, to whom
copy of this trial had been sent, says
:. II have read the military trial of Col
!, Learned. again and again, to see if coul.
7 find any evidence to justify the ex,raor
binary sentence of the Court. hav
looked in vain, not only for evidence i
= Justify the condemnation, but on which t
- found a doubt of his entire innocence O
:, the charges-tle ough! to have been HON
=; - ORALLY ACQUITTED.
" 'rhe trial Of Sir Algernon Sydney
= should no longer be considered an unpre
- !, cedented instance of malignant persecu
:. ton, to destroy an innocent man."
:, WIN. WRIT.
h After the sentence of the Court ha
!, been promulga,ed-hav1ng been carrie
% into execution by the Commanding Ger
~ Dearborn, before the facts were known {
70 Washington, repaired thither with tn
:. Hon. John Holmes, late of the Senate {
- the United States, and who had been m
10 Counsel in the trial, to lay the case be
fore the President, and to seek revers;
% of the sentence. AS the sentence ha
q been carried into execution, it was deem
J, ed the most honorable and satisfactor
!. testimonial Of the appreciation of the g
:. vernment, Of my public conduct. to reil
~ state me in a new command, of the sam
i grade. The following letters from NJ
a.. H. Top, LJ,,LLo.,