Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1852-09-30
GENERAL WILSON'S REPLY TO GEN.
DEVEREUX.
N.r,cv sen, Ok 1S52.

NATlCk, sept 20, lCJ<'
To THE EDITORS OF THE COMMONWEALTH:
find in the Atlas OF this day, q letter from General
)evereux, late Adiutant General Of the Common
wealth. in which he attempts 10 explain away the
harpes preferred against him in my Worcester
sneech. or To DENY their correctness lie says, ut
ien Wilson has not been grossly deceived by 9TH
,rs he must be aware that his statements, ana es-
1ecially his differences, are eHirayaeant dlsto',eu
md unjust" AID again, ''Gcn, w ison has either |
made his statements without any reasonable knowI-
edge of their correctness else he, or the person
or persons from whom he derived his information,
have stated ,chat they must have hnopn to be false
Gen Devereux aud his friends may be assured
that am not accustomed To speak OF public meas
ures or of public men, ',cthom any reasonable kfo'o
edge" and before | close this letter, he and they
will be abundantlv satisfied that | have not been
dces;re m anv information" or stated ''wha must
hare knoupn to be false.p Each and every charge l
preferred against him, can an will now prove be-
yond all caviI or doubt Each and every SPECIFIC
charge am prepared to establish by evidence now
in the Adjutant Generals Department, or among the
records OF the Executive Council.
The following are the precise charges which
made against Gen. Devereux in my recent speech at
Worcester
1st. "'That thousands of dollars worth of the pub
lie property scattered over the State, was IN con-
dtiun of decay and determination through the negect
of Gen. Devere,x,' and that "Adjuiant General
Stone had visited several parts OF the State. col
Iected and thus saved large amount oil public prop
erly, which was going to waste.
ID ssrhat. on The llth Of June last, General
Devereux paid into the treasury one hundred and
seyentv-one dollars and nnety-nine cents, fcr sheu
and some other public property he had sold, put
the money III his pocket, and made no fecord oil the
sae.'
3d. .sThat Gen. Devereux sold 10 Mr.. AlSer the
brass cannon with the following inscription upon
7 of Massachusetts
crate the names of Major John Bpttrck and Capt
Isaac Davis, whose vaor and example excited their
fellow citizens 10 successful resistance oil brush
,roops. al Concord Bridge, the 10Th of April
- 7rrrfeI 1t ar IHtTPpghuehtqniest !"
eth. That General Deyereux sold DO cannon
"iottom any authority, and maze no record Of the
Sale.o
9th. That Gen. Devereux took Mr. Ayers note
for these for four months, and had the note
shaved in State street, paving extra interest there
for, and pocketed the money.
9TH. That Gen. Devereux had restored these can
non, but not until the Council had instructed the
Adjutant General to commence legal proceedings
against s'the sureies on said Devereux's bond.''
These are the specific charges preferred by me in
my Worcester speech against Gen. Devereux. In
reply to them, he undertakes to explain, qualify, or
deny Them now proceed to prove that each aud
every charge is true in each and every particular
Gen. Develeux and his political friends will find
TBfSOfLU0te
edge" stated ,ohat must haze koeoa to be false.
My first charge Isl
s'That thousands of dollars worth of the public
properly, scattered over the State, was in a c0ndi
ton OF decay and deteriOration through the neglect
OF Gen. DPvereux," and that seen. Stone had Wis
tied several parts of the State collected and thus
saved large amount Of public properly which was
going to waste"
Gen. Devereux replies that this is "simpIp false"
He further says, that he has the certificate of Gen.
Stone, that he received in good Older and condition
the property under his charge in the Arsenal.''-
This answer simply raises an issue which did not
make did not charge that the public property in
the Arsenal "was in condition OF decav,' but |
spoke OF the public property scattered the
State, switch going to waste, through the ne
glect OF Gen. Devereux, whose duty it was, as Adj
jutant General, Inspector General, and Quartermas-
ter General, To protect and preserve it, When Gen.
Stone came into office, the 9Th OF MAY, 1851, he
found that certain portions OF the public property
SIN "a condition of decay aud deterioration,''
and as an efficient and farhiul public officer, he at
proceeded to secure this property. On the 18th
OF July, he made TO Gov. Boutwell, report of his
d0mgs. give below extract from that report,
which fully sustaius the charge have made. The
plymouth Artillery COMPANY had in 1913, ceased
to do duty, and il had been dsllande1 by GEN Dew
ereux, and reported the Leg isature, in his An
nual Report Of 1851. The public property in it's
possession had not been returned to the Department,
although it is the duty Of the Adjulant General,
when Company ceases 10 make report, or is dis
banded, To see that the public property in its keep;
feq rfyi ym0uih TO 3ok after this property
which Gen. Devereux had neglected TO take care Of
or to have returned. Gen. Stone says of it, in his
report to the Governor. of July I'll found the
public property IN such condition that aOas necessary
to thoroughly clean and repair much Of it as was 10
be sent to Fall River. This was done at Plymouth
in order to save expense of transportation to Cam.
bridge, and also to enable to deliver the property
to Company b in perfect order and condition The
remaining part, consisting of tents, muskets swords
and equipments lor the same, together with lot Of
lob. shot, (worth and costing the State upwards of
thirty dollars,) ordered to be sent TO the arsenal
This found also in bad condition. and it had EVIL
IDENTIFY BEEN LONG NEGLECTED. The cost of
this property upwards Of fifteen hundred dollars.
The field guns and harness have been put in good
order, and are ready to be transferred to Fall
RIyer.''
might make other extract from this renort. tend.
ing to show that the public property chad been ne
glected'-that 1t ''was going TO waste and that the
present Adjuant General felt it to he his duty to take
care of this property, which his predecessor had ne
elected TO do. But the above quotation abundantly
sustains my position
The second charge preferred against Gen. Dever.
eux, is
'That, on the llth Of June last, he paid into the
treasury one hundred and seventy-one dollars and
ninety nine cents for shed and some other public
property he had sold, put the money in his pocket,
and made no record Of the sale''
now proceed to prove this charge to be true in
each and every particular. On the 18th Of March,
l849, Gen. Devereux sold aquauity Of iron for S67,
made no record of the sale ia either Of the account
books of the Office, and pockeicd the proceeds. On
the 22d Of june, 1919. he sold a shed for 500 made
nc record of the sale in either OF the account books
OF the department, and pocketed the proceeds The
books are in the office Of the AdIuant General.
open to inspection, and no human being can find any
account whatever Of these sales or of the receipts
These sales were made in March and June, lS49.-
Gen. Devereux left office May 9th, 1851 with the
proceeds IN his possession, and no account of these
sales on the account books. This is true, and Gen.
Deverenx knows il 10 be true. for he has examined
these books in the presence Of Gen. Stone andsthe
State Auditor, Mr.. Wilder In April last, these
sales were discovered by the Adutant General, who.
on the 8 OF May, requested an interview with
General Devereux, at the State House. few DAYS
aerwards, Gen Devereux called, and in the pres.
ence OF The Auditor, Gen Stone communicated the
discovery Of The sale Of this property, and also Of
the cannon The result was, that on the 18th Of
June. he maid into the treasurv II "a, fi -.