The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-05


gave yesterday briefrunning bis
tory Of the Gardner fraud from its inception
to its fatal termination with the violent self
murder of the criminal in his cell on Friday
last, the day of his conviction and sentence.
For the more precise information of our readers,
upon the character and pretensions of Gard
ner's claim, we copy from the HERALD of year
ago statement Of facts from Hon. Henry May,
the principal of the government counsel, and
the chief of the first government commissioners
despatched to Mexico in search of the mine, af-
ter the claim had been allowed and the money
paid out of the Treasury.
The following is the substance of Mr.. Nays
opening address to the jury, at the commence
ment of the proceedings against Gardner, in the
United States Circuit Court at Washington, on
the 18th of March, 1853 -
He described this the bodest largest and sue
cessful scheme of fraud perpetrated against the
government The dignity and respecabty Of the United
States government, in the eyes of the world at
stake the issue. He gave succnct history of the
case and then stated what the prosecution expected to
prove Dr. Gardner, in memorial to the Board of Com
mssioHers, stated that early in the year 1874 he
largely engaged in mining operations in the State of San
Luis Potosi Mexico employed five hundred laborer and
IN men, buildings steam engines horses, mules and men
Of science that in 1916 he compelled to abandon the
his property having been desPolsa by the
lion, and would have yielded him fifty thousand dollars
per annum The accused filed with this memorial depo
sitions purporting to come from persons residing in
Mexico, going to show that he owned said mine The
issue the truth fasity of these assertions
The United States affirmed expected to prove that
every statement in the memorial and every paper pre-
sented by him. was false from beginning to end-pure
fiction and invention Gardner received from sc United
Gtofo Yhn frt,fc Of h1.nf
sovaguey located that could not be found by the
commissioners although they offered $500 reward for it
title could not be found in Mexico that every one Of the
depositicus made in Washington; the title
manufactured here that Dr. Gardner poor dentist
and never could have worked such nine he de-
scrbed that he practising dentistry and peddng
small wares on the Pacific coast hundreds thousands
of miles distant instead that the mine, the title the
seals and signatures of public officers in Mexico all
forged
Now, since the verdict of the jury and the
sentence of the court, the question arises, would
this young man Gardner, or could he, single
handed, have ventured upon q fraud of such
gigantic dimensions, and requiring the mass
and the variety Of legal papers, vouchers, re-
cords and evidence, which this case called
for to. make it even plausible before the most
stupid hoard of commissioners in the world? No.
Had he possessed the confidence to undertake
the task alone he had not the legal experience
and knowledge necessary to make out his pa
pers. He was not lawyer, nor, had he been q
lawyer, could he, without the aid of other law
yers have provided against all the salient points
of detection which q fraud so naked and bold
required to be guarded The inference, there
fore, is perfectly rational that Gardner had the
aid of older and keener legal heads than his
own in making out his case. In addition to
this, he had contingent advances of money
made him in advance Of his award which, to-
gether with the manufacture of his papers, form
a proper subject for searching investigation
by a committee of Congress.
We have .heen informed that an equally fla
grant imposition as this Of Gardner was per-
petrated upon the treasury under an award
from the same Board of Commissioners to q
certain DR.. Meiere, an adventurer of the same
school as Gardner, and friend of his in
Mexico. Meiere's claim was for losses incurred
II 1ue sroppae~- ~f H. ----a-- :. e~aa4- e...;~,.
silver mine, in q part of Mexico where no
Of Gardner and his allies, however, Meiere
obtained an award of $l53,0OO indemnity.
Poor Gardner is said to have got al large fee for
his services; but, with the bulk of the money,
Meicre decamped again to Mexico, to enjoy it
hey ond' the reach of the law. He was seen
about two years ago by gentleman from the
United States, and being informed that there
was an indictment out against him for his fraud
he coolly replied, "Well, / have got the money,
catch me if you can; and when you get back
10 Washington ten Uncle Sam, with my COM
pliments, he is Id old fool, and may 20
10 the devil"
Meiere was like Joe Bagstock-he knew "what
he was about. Lethim alone. You don't catch
Joey B." But how are we to account for this
atuity of Gardner in waiting upon bail three
years prosecution except upon this ground:
lis counsel and agents were among the most
men in the country they had
shared in the spoils; and between his money
md their influence he must escape. Upon no
,ther hypothesis can we account for his hardi-
rood through all this heightened and threaten
ng prosecution. Has the man who applied the
match been destroyed, while they who furnished
he ammunition and prepared the internal ma
'hine have escaped to revel in their share Of the
'ootys Let Congress appoint competent
of investigation, with power to send
If persons and papers, Public justice, public
and public opinion, demand it.
The RECENT GERMAN ANrI-SLAvERY MEET
No-QuEER PRocEEDNGs.--We suspect that
our excellent friends the Germans, who have
hardly had time to get over the excitement into
which Bedini threw them, did not clearly un-
lerstand the object of the meeting at Washing
on Hall on Friday We are more than half
Inclined to believe that they took it for an
,ntiMane law meeting. The most prominent
banner at the meeting was one inscribed mo
Maine liquor law" and the conduct and de-
neanor of the audience showed clearly that,
whatever their opinions on the Nebraska ques-