The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-04-16
Correspondence OF the Herald


We have had regular fare-up about these
dggings, and hasten to lay before you and your
readers description of the doings among the high
functionares and other digntaries of the State of
Mississippi. Of course you know that Hagan, of
the Vicksburg Sentinel, has been absent from these
parts nearly year, and as the old adage runs,
"when the cats away the mice will play" The
dignity boys about these parts have been presuming
and have ventured upon new plan of fnanciering
or raising the wind. The Doctor, after Staying all
the banks in Mississippi and knocking the commits
sion merchants alias cotton stealers, into cooked
hat before he left, fondly believed that he had de-
stroyed and for ever extirpated the genus fnancer
from the State; but alas! his return, shortly after
his arrivaa struggling varmnt of that same species,
who gloried in the euphonious soubriquet of
"Graves," the treasurer Of the State of Mississippi,
somehow or other fancied himself prodigy of
finance, and straightway set about drawing from
the treasury of the United States During the Doc
tors absence) the {" five pei cent? of the public
lands donated by Congress to the State of Mis-
sissippi.
1t is not known for certain whether this feat of
the end of all hesh-Graves--was performed by the
aid of the new system of magnetzing," the d.
rect application of the modern principles OF finance
be this as it may, Dickey Graves succeeded in mes
merZng the secretary Of the treasury of the United
States into the belief that he the proper person
authorised BY law to collect and receive the same
and the amount of one hundred and sxty-fve thou
sand dollars was actually paid into his hands; With
this amount of the " available Dckey Graves
fourished for while in most of your eastern cities
during the last summer like an eastern nabob,
making splendid purchases for the executive man
sion while acting ex-officiO commissioner OF public
buildings. and bestowing upon himself at the public
cost, every luxury which your far famed city could
boast. Late last fall he returned home considerably
changed in person and In manners, with rather more
of the rhno" than he chose at that time to account
for. An uncommon generosity IN Dckeys DISPOSE
ton about this time began to manifest itself towards
his fellow laborers in the public service, which ma
turally enough excited thes curiosity of the vulgar
public, all Of a sudden the funconaries 1ourshed
their "yelow boys in the sreets-fush and well
supplied with the best currency in the world Vague
were the rumors afoat in Jackson, some believed
one thing and some another until your old friend
Dr. Hagan, visited the capitol. when he soon made
discovery which accounted for the strange pheno-
menon. 1t was not long after the Doctor COM
menced plucking his feathers and exposing his ma
kedness ere the whole secret of his great fortune
and success as State financier, in cashng State
warrants, was explained by the fact above stated
of his having drawn from the United States trea-
sury, contrary to law, the two and three per cent
fund Dickey shortly after his arrival commenced
"shaver" on large scale, specializing in State
rants and buving them up at the then rates of fifty
and sixty cents to the dollar. placing the difference
in his own pocket, making the grand discovery for
himself that the State knew no difference between
specie funds and dishonored deprecated State war
rants
This was the game Dckey played of under the
noses of the Governor and other unctionares of the
the capital of the State until
that lynx-eyed exposer of public abuses, DR.. Hagan
happened in Jackson about the time of the meet.
ing of the Democratic Convention, when he called
public attention to the fact; advised the authorities
high functionary of the State, lest he might take it
into his head some morning before day to slope off
for Texas with the Treasury of the State in his
breaches pocket These admontions at length
alarmed the senslbties of our highly concentra-
ted double distilled, constitutional Governor Thigh
man M. Tucker, who straightway commenced
most scrupulous examination OF the Constitution of
the State, TO see if there anv power in that in
strument authorisng the arrest OF the defaung and
theving Treasurer After pouring over thus chart of
official duty for two months. and consulting with
Freeman. and others Of his quondam friends. he
came to the conclusion that lnasmuch as Treasurer
Graves name was no where to be found in the Con-
stitution that il his bounden duty let him
CAPE Now Bennett, don't laugh outright. because
this is all feet, and certainly occurred few days
ago. Onr notwithstanding Governor s in
strange fix; qualms of conscience beset him by day.
and the ghost of the departed funds, in hord
dreams, disturb his slumbers by night. The press
and public opinio have been loudly calling him to
act, and thoroughly to examine this nest of corup-
thousand rumors was rife in srrmises and inuen-
does. Aroused at length bv these various rumors
the Governor brought himself to look upon the awful
chasm which yawned between him and Treasurer
man, who lives with the Governor, even limited
that the Treasurer might draw him into this chasm
where he would not only find ''Graves," but his own
political death and burial This was too much for
the sensitive nerves of our tmid Governor; it
brought him to dead halt at the brink of most
awful precipice, and while he stood aghast on one
side. with the poor Constitution of Mississippi in his
upfied hands, he beheld Graves on the. other
making rapid strides for Texas, carrying with him
every dollar in the State Treasury. In this extrem
ty of his Distress turning round to his old friend and
predecessor, McNutt, OF Union Bank repudiang
memory, he exclaimed, with look of holy hor
"Oh Nc, here's chasm in the Constitution.
scoundrel"
"Can't get7over it, you old nincompoop?' says
McNutt, " why don't you leap the chasm. and col
lar the id thief as ., | would have done if my
aside "Your term of office, Nc, you
mean! All McNutt. this constitution of our needs
nursing, tor i has suffered much from previous vo-
(poitcaD life. will try what virtue there is lett in
law, and let the hungry harpies loose upon him."
The Governor at this stage Of affairs goes to the
uson affidavit Of embezzng the public money has
him brought before the Judge; here tedious ex-
animation is gone through, and long defence set
up by Graves counsel against the order of the court,
which at the end of two days was made out for the
purpose OF examining and counting the money in
the public Treasury. The execution of this order
was postponed and on the fourth day of the exami-
nation OF witnesses and speeches of council, the
Chief Justice reversed his order, and referred the
whole question back to the Governor, who. it would
seem, is the only authorised person call the Trea
surer TO account during the recess of the Legsa-
ture; Inc Chlet Justice remarked that the Cover
nor had the right and might also, if necessary, en-
force this right, by force of arms IA other words
the Judge very politely invited the Governor to Jump
the chasm, which himself had so ingeniousy got up
m nd 9th E.
This ne continued to decline until Dicky Graves
made his exit from Jackson last Sunday evening,
March ~, escaping from the custody of strong body
guard OF well armed men, following after the funds
OF the State towards Texas, where they have been
travelling with lightning speed for some days past.
Graves, on the fifth day Of the trial (being Sun