Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-07-31

Who. as the President of the nation. will
stand by the CONSTITUTION and the UNIoN exc
cute the LAWS reprObate all traitors conduct
the administration of public affairs in the spirit
OF the FATHERS of the REPuBrc LANES
BUCHANAN.
& Gremont's Financial Exploits AN Cal
ifornia - Rich Disclosures some-
thing for every Eieetor to Read.
The obtaining of the "Mariposa Grant +"
was not the only rich financial exploit per-
formed by Fremont when he was in Cali
lornia. lie resorted to other and less credit
able means to enrich himself, as will be seen
by the following letter from Colonel MASON,
of the First DRAGONS United States Army,
which is recorded in the official archives Of
the Government at Washington. "A Cali
fonian has lately dug it up and published
it in the columns Of the Washington Union,
and to it we invite the attention Of cur
readers
HEADauARrERs TEsIH MILITARY DEFARTaEST,
MONTEREY, California, Oct ., lsI.. p,
StR II have the honor herew ith 10 ineloss to
you the papers relating to a certain contract en-
tered into on the 3d ,lav Of March, lSI7. by
Lieutenant Colonel Fremont, mounted rihemen.
with Don Eulogio de Cells, resident OF Ciu
dad de los Angeles, California. The paper
marked A is a copy OF this contract, with Lieu
tenant Colonel Fremont's certificate, bearing
date April &c, ls47, that The contract had been
complied with on the part Of Don Eulogio de
Cells. and that lie, Fremont, had executed 10
him in payment a note for the sum of S6.915.
Lieutenant Colonel Fremont left California in
the month of June, l7I7 giving notice to
General kearney or myself of the existence of
such contract, or that he had pledged the
futf rf ..f
it by the payment of the SUN of s6,975. Nor
had the least idea of this obligation until APP
piled 10 by Colonel Stevenson whether | would
recognize the contract and redeem the bond at
maturity. This letter was accompanied 10y
others, which show that in fact, notwithstsnd-
ing the certificate Of Lieutenant Colonel Ere
mont, Mr. Cells never delivered to the commits
sary of the California Battalion one single head
of beef cattle under this contract, and lhat moi
one of these six hundred head Of cattle was
slaughtered for the use Of that battalion hut.
90 the contrary, that they have been delivered
to Mr.. Stearns. of Los Angeles. in two par
eels-one of four hundred and eighty-one on
the first day Of May, and another OF one hun
dred and nineteen on the siythof July, 1871
both of which dates are subsequent to the dis
charge of the California Battalion, commanded
by Lieutenant ColonelJ. C.. Fremont. There is
no doubt that these cattle are :he same six hun
dred contracted for by Lieut.. Colonel Fremont
on the Sd March, 1877. Mr.. Cells stated il pos
itively in his letter marked ID and the receipts
for them BY Stearns, marked b and F. specially
state that he (Stearns) receipts for them in the
name and behalf of Lieutenant Colonel Ere
mont.
These deliveries occurred at a time lokeh
garrison was stationed at Los Angeles, with a
commissioned agent of the commissary depart
ment of the army, Lieutenant Davidson, to
take charge of subsistence stores intended for
public use yet these cattle, furnished by for
NAL contract, are deiiUered 10 pTiUafe ihd,Didu-
al upon special agreement (as he, Stearns says
20 breed on shares for the term Of three gears. /
have ende ayored to procure from Mr. Stearns a
copy Of the agreement he has made with Lieut..
Colonel Fremont for taking care of these cattle,
but his letters (marked and l0) positively as
sert that he regards those cattle as the private
property Of Lieutenant Col. Fremont, but that
the agreement by which he holds them is YER
bal one, witnessed by Mr.. Henseley and
Lieutenant Gillespie of the United States Navy
Thus stand the facts, aud / am applied to TO
know whether payment will be male upon the
paper marked 9, which is a certificate that the
sum of S6,975 is due to Mr.. Cells for supplies
furnished the California battalion, which sup
plies clearly and plainly the lot Of six hun
dred breeding cows now an the hands OF pri-
vate individual, not one of which has been
used for public purposes. This note becomes
due the 18th of December, l747. and bears
an interest of twenty four Per ce.t1m per an
nun after that date
In connection with this subject, call your
attention to the paper marked ), wherein Lieut.
Colonel Fremont has bound himself and future
governors of California to pay the sum Of So.
500 at the expiration Of eight months from the
date OF March 3, le47, or, in default thereof,
that the note shall hear an interest of twenty
four per cent. per annuD this, too, when the
acting quartermaster at Monterey had been
more than a month in the conntry, with the sup
ply of money applicable TO the proper expenses
of the army in California.
"Mr. Cells states that it was partly to secure
this loan of money that Lieutenant Colonel
Fremont made with him the liberal bargain for
cattle. fol which the price is about forty per
cent higher than the market price at that time
Both of these notes are saon due, and Mr.. Ce
lis is going To make application for payment,
as he claims To have fulfilled his part of the con-
tract, for the redemption of which the good
faith of the Government Of the United States
is pledged by an officer thereof but the whole
Transaction, as shown by the accompanying
papers, appears to me OF such a character that
shall not order payment of the money to hr
Cells, but refer all the papers TO the department,
for such action as they may consider proper in
the case.
'1 have the honor to be, dc,
ar b. MASON,
Colonel First Dragons, Commanding.
"To General X. JoSEs Washington cny.'
To the above serious charges it is asserted
that Fremont never responded-never songht
to disprove them in the least-althoogh he
was so enraged at the time as to make
threats in Washington City of violence
against the person Of Col Mason.
Col Fremont would have been tried be-
fore court martial on these charge of Mason,
had il not been for the fact that they arrived
too late! In August, 1847, Fremont was ar
raigned before a court martial Of the ablest
officers of the United States Army for NUM-
ty and disobedience to orders, found guilty
and dismissed from the service. Had Ma
sons charges arrived in season, ttey wonld
have been included with the other specifica-
tions.--Cin. Enquirer.
BLACK REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN FOR