American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-07-03
Tm ALLxaED STUPEsDoUs FRAUD.--The New
York Herald Of yesterday contains the follow

York Herald Of yesterday contains the follow
ing:
"WAsHINGroS, July l, 1851.
"The statement in several New York papers,
that the Government is in possession of infor-
nation that one of the largest awards made by
the Mexican Board of Commissioners is q fraud,
and that the guilty party win be arrested, is
supposed here to refer to DIR. Il. A. GARDENERS
claim, and, if so, have the best reason to know
that no such discoveries have been made. Pub
lie opinion has been freely expressed against
the claim but after an examination of the
evidence which was presented to the Board,
attested by the Alcalde, and the signatures GER
tilted by the Mexican Minister, am convinced
that any jury would have awarded as much
The claim was for damages incurred by being ex-
PEELED from certain silver mines in San Luis
Potosi, upon the approach Of the American
forces, in 1916. The award, with interest
amounted to $428, $50, of which w. w. Cor
coran was paid, as assignee, $lO7, 1877, and
Gardiner the balance. Mr.. Gardiner has gone
to Europe.
"Hon. Waddy Thompson was counsel for the
claim. 1t may or may not be fraudulent; but
the Government has no evidence that it is
fraudulent"
In the National Intelligeneer Of this morning
Charles W. Davis, Secretary Of the late. Board
on Mexican claims, says to the editors:
"Jf forgery has been pe,petrated, you will ac-
knowledge that any jury, in this country or any
other, with the same evidence, and backed by
certificates of character from Col. --, DR.. -,
-, U. s. Army, and Messrs. and -,
would have been deceived, and given o larger
amount of damages"
The editors reply:
nNo or;o,sn o1;t,v could ,,ooa;bly of{och 70 ony
Board for being imposed upon by forgeries but
it is due to public justice that if such forgeries
have been perpetrated, the authors should be
ferreted out and punished, or the innocent re-
lieved from undeserved reproach and calumny.
1t is due to the administrators of this Govern
ment, themselves men Of high and unimpeacha-
BILE character, that they should not be misjudged
and stigmatized by vague charges, limiting at
fraud somewhere, and leaving 1t to be inferred
that officers of Government have not used due
vigilance in discharge of their duty in regard
to it."
ssIt is intimated in some quarters at a distance
that the claimant who was fortunate enough to
be the beneficiary of the large award said to be
alluded to received in reality but small part
of the amount. This, we understand, is an
error. He received all the amount to which he
was entitled. He is now visiter to Europe,
of his own reputation, SO roughly handled in
the New York papers"
This is perhaps all correct too ); but the
whole truth is not yet out.
Who was the claimant? DR.. G. A. Gardiner,
we are told. This gentleman was in 1874 q
dentist at the city of Mexico, and very poor !;
in the same year he is alleged to have been dis
turbed in great mining operations at San Luis
Potosi His claim for loss and damage is un-
derstood to have been 81, 100000 The Board
awarded him about one-quarter of his claim,
say $428, $50. Now let us ask, were his youch-
ers as good for the whole as for one-fourth of
his claim If SO, why was not the whole al
lowed?
We are informed by the Herald that the Hon.
Waddy Thompson, of South Carolina, was his
counsel Why does the Herald correspondent
stop theref We have heard from other sources
that Messrs. Corwin, Edward Curtis, and Major
Lally were also counsel for this claim, and it
has been said that they received ten per cent.
each on the award, or about SAL, 900 each.
One of the rumors is that Mr.. Corcoran, the
broker, advanced $27, 900 to enable DR.. Gar
diner to prosecute the claim, and thus became
owner of one-quarter of the claim We see by
the published awards, as in the above extracts,
that this amount was awarded to that gentle
man, as assignee
We understand that this subject has been
brought before the President and the Attorney
General and, further, that the District At
torney, Mr. FENDALL, is engaged in preparing
papers to be sent abroad for the arrest of Dr.
Gardiner.
1t is rumored here that, before sailing for
Europe, DIR. Gardner met Mr.. Post, or Port,
of Puebla, ut New York, and told him that
900 was all his share of the award-that
agents and others had absorbed the other
$348, 750l and that it was this information that
led to exposure
Mr.. Curtis is now in this city, and last even
ing had a long interview with the Secretary of
State.
1t is our earnest wish that all just men may
pass unscathed by this transaction; but let the
truth come forth, and let justice be done, suffer
who may.
ARCHBISHOP EcCLEsToN.-During the past
week there has been on exhibition, ut the
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