The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-23

From the CINCINNATI Gazett6, June w.
David w. McNulty, who was arrested on Wednes-
day last, ON charge Of forgery, and who had been
released bail in IS 900, for his appearance before
u. S. Commissioner Newhall at nine o'clock, Satur
day morning, failed to appear, aud his bond was
The examination, il the defendant had appeared,
would have disclosed an interesting series OF bold
and ingenious frauds upon the Pension Department
We give, from the best authority, few leading
facts in regard to the matter.
In January last the Commissioner Of Pensions re-
ceiyed, through the mall certain papers, purportng
to be the declaration OF Catharine SwaE, widow OF
Jesse Swan late of Clermont county, Ohio, deceased
who was in his lifetime revolutionary pensoner, and
claiming pension in her own right IS his widow
This declaration purported to have been made in open
court, before the Court of Common Pleas of Clermont
county, on the l7th of January last, and to be duty
testified by John 5. Griffith, the clerk of said Court
with stinct impression of the seal Of said Court.
Accompanying said declaration, were papers pur
porting to be the dispositions of Thos. Manning,
Alex. Blair, John Hulick and Thomas Anderson,
setting forth the necessary and appropriate facts to
establish said claim all Of which purported to be
duly authenticated by the seal and certificate of the
clerk of Clermont Common Pleas. Also, certifi-
cate Of the clerk of the County Court Of Bourbon
county, KY, proving the marriage OF the pretended
claimant to Jesse Swan, in 1889.
When the papers came to be examined at the PEN
sion Office, certain discrepancies between their
statements and the statements made by Jesse Swan
in his declaration in 1920 led to the suspicion that
~
J Coombs Esq, an attorney at law of Washington,
having occasion to visit this State WAS requested
by the Commissioner of Pensions to go into Cler-
mont county and investigate the matter. Up to
this time all correspondence with the Pension Office
III relation to this claim had been carried in the
name of Catharine Swan, through the Post office a.
Goshen.
When Mr. Coombs visited Clermont county, he
asceItained that said papers, purporting to have
been made out before the Court Of Common Pleas
Of Clermont county, were all forgeres, county seal
and ALL that there was no court In session on the
18th OF January last; that Jesse Swan left no Wi
dow surviving him, and said witnesses, Thomas
Manning, Alexander Blair and John Hulick, were
all dead-tw0 of them having been dead many
years. After his return to Washington, on an ex-
animation of the files in the Pension Office, it was
ed that several large claims had been ad-
mitted within the last eighteen months, AVID the
money paid thereon to the Louisville agency,
amounting to over six thousand dollars, in which
the papers were drawn up in the same hand writing
On further investigation the department became
satisfied that these were all fraudulent. and
made out by forged papers, similar to those above
described. The papers, in some of these last men
toned cases, had been filed by resident agent at
Washington, who received the certificates from the
Pension Office, when issued. On inquiry being
made Of this gentleman it appears that the papers
had been forwarded to him from Cincinnati and
Newport KY, by person signing his name G. j.
McNulty, Jr. Previous, however, to the receipt Of
any of these papers, q man had called upon said
agent in Washington, about two years ago, intro
ducng himself by the name of G. J. McNulty, and
had engaged said agent to assist him in the prose-
cution of certain claims to be forwarded on his re-
turn to the West.
About year ago, it was ascertained at the Pen
sion Office that one of the claims thus presented
had been allowed upon false testimony as to the
date Of the widows marriage; and the fact was
communicated to the agent aforesaid, who had re-
ceived the certificate, with demand for refunding
the money which had been improperly paid. On
G. J. McNulty, Jr., he received answer, full Of
virtuous indignation, that he (McNulty) should
have been made the victim of such an imposture,
and promising to see that the money (about $S00)
Pension Office, and (the money being shortly after
refundedO no intentional fraud on the part of
McNulty was suspected.
Before the money was refunded, the Washington
nouncing the sudden death Of his brother the said
c. McNulty, Jr on the 2lst of June last, accom-
panied by three city papers, containing obituary
notice, and announcing that funeral services would
street, between Elm and Plum. He soon afterwards
received other letters to the same effect signed d.
W. McNulty calling himself also the brother of said
c. j.. McNulty, Jr, and enclosing receipts from the
pension agent, at Louisville, for the money which he
bad refunded behalf of his said deceased brother
in the case above referred to.
Having possession of these facts and others which
we have no time to mention, Mr.. Coombs arrived in
from the government to investigate the matters,
and to institute any proceedings which he might
deem necessary. Through the assistance of Mr..
Rnffn, the city marshal he ascertained that there
c: J. McNulty, at the time and place lneation-
ed in the obituary notice, and came TO the con-
cusion that the letters signed G. j. McNulty, Jr.,
W. W. McNulty, and D. w. McNulty, were all writ
Nuty. He also became satisfied, by inspection of
some records in the clerks Office Of this county,
written by said D. W. McNulty, while temporarily
employed there not long ago. that said forged and
were written by the same hand. He got out war.
rant, upon which said D. w. McNulty was arrested
on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday evening
he was admitted to bail on S., 900 bond, for his
On Friday, Mr. Coombs visited Batavia and Go.
shen, in Celmont county, where he found witnesses
by whom he could identify the defendant with the
fraudulent papers in the Swan case, in the most
CONCLUSIVE manner. Among other things, he was
prepared to prove by the postmaster at Goshen,
and young man who stays in the post Office there,
that the defendant had called for and received the
letters addressed to Catharine Swan, from the Pen
sion Office. He passed at Goshen by the name of
Newkirk Also, by gentleman Of Batavia, that
some year or more since the defendant was at his
tavern-house in Batavia, making particular nqui-
ries in relation to the family Of said Jesse Swan,
deceased. He there went by the name of McNalty.
Saturday morning, at nine o'clock, Mr. Coombs ar
rived from Clermont, with four witnesses, fully pre-
pared to enter upon examination Of the case but
soon learned that his abors were cut short by the
escape of the defendant.
EMIGRANT AID CoMP ANY.-An adjourned meet
ing OF this company was held last evening at Chap
man Hall, presided over by Amos A. Lawrence
Esq. Addresses were made by the President, Ell
Thayer of Worcester Otis Clapp, George S, Hard,
Rev. DR.. Gannett, Rev. DR.. Lyman Beechec, Meth
odist Missionary to the Western States, whose name
we did not learn, and Others all in encouragement of
the objects of the society, which stated to be
to secure certain and everlasting freedom to Kansas
territory. it was announced that the trustees are
just now sending on men to study the resources of
the country, and make some preparation for the
rival of emigrants, and that the first detachment of
300 or 400 are to leave the 18th OF next month,
accompanied by Eli Thayer Of Worcester, one of the
trustees, and are to be followed by other detach-
ments within week or two. Subscribers were
forewared that they may be called upon to pay the
full amount subscribed within twelvemonth, as the
trustees have advertised FOR proposals for carrying
from 10000 to 10000 persons from the Eastern
states 10 Kansas this fall Throu ghout the West