Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-05-08
WHOLE NO. 926
Cost of the Slave Cases--Curious
DeyeloDement>:

1t will be remembered that during the
Gaines slave cases in Cincinnati, u s. Mar
shal Robinson employed host of his party
friends and supporters, dug up from the
rookeries and dens of the city as deputies to
guide the Kentucky chattels. The Cincin-
natl Columbian of the 18th makes some
statements touching the number and cost to
the Treasury oftheSe deputy Marshals, which
the people of the Free Sta:es should read
and poaJer upon 1t says:
"The number of certificates issued to
these tlarshals for the (uu term of service,
was 3Ol, each of which entitled the holder
:. 20 fifty-six dollars, or two dollars day. The
amount due what We may cali the lull term
deputies is exactly sixteen thousand eight
hundred and fiity-six dollars. But beside
these there were between two and three
hundred other deputies sworn in who claim
ed to have been on duty, and drew certifca-
ties of from five to eighteen days. service
each. Taking the average at eleven and
one-halt days, and the number at only two
hundred, We have the further sum of fur
thousand six hundred dollars, making total
OF not less than S2I,45S charged to the
United States for guarding four or FIVE grown
slaves, and, we believe, three children. 1t
is not too much to say, that tn expense of
:he Gaines trial to the government was
over thirty thousand dollars, and perhaps
nearer forty.
Although the cert itates have been issu-
ed, not dollar has yet been paid upon them.
except as they may have been bought up by
spectators. They have been pretty freely
purchased in this way at from forty to Sc
venty per cent OF THAR face"
The Columbian intinates that some of the
MarshaPs deputies were in partnership with
the brokers in buying up these certificates.
and then proceeds to notice certain frauds
upon the Treasury. 1t says:
alt appears that the scales of Justice had
scarcely begun to turn in this Federal Dis
trict be ore the unusual cost Of keeping them
in order began to attract the attention ofthe
accounting officers of the Department at
Wa -hington. For some time, the charges
were allowed in the customy manner, on
the oath of the Marshal tha; they were
correct, but many of them wer. o. such a
peculiar character as to occasion a more
careful scrutiny. Finally, and about two
weeks ago, on Office of the reasury Depart
ment wat dispatched to this city, with full
power II examine the accounts in the Ms
shai's Office, and to send for persons and
papers,
The CO,umjian states that a ten days. in
vestigaiion connected with the U. S. Mar
shal's office aud enjoring his fullest conf
dence, have inaugurated Systematic course
of frauds and forgeries upon the Treasury
which have amounted within few months
past to about ten thousand d"lIars.'' The
Columbian then proceeds to give the deraiIs
of some OF the trans ictiuns, sDme of them
showing, in the lan9uage of that 'n!nal ''us
decided forgery as could be committed. by
altering check or bank dra9t from lower
denomination to higher, and by fraud
the Government TO pay three
times the money that was justly due.'' Ac-
cording to the COlumtian, 'the U. s. Mar
shall is not personally implicated in the char
ges against his Office excerpt in the bad Sc
lection of his assistants, an1 the want of a
sufficient supervision over their proceed
ings.''
change Of National Administration
w0uid TO doubt open mp some as rich devel-
opponents in Oho as change o. State Ad-
has done. Stare House and
Lunatic Asylum iiuanciers have 1T been
the only operators in pabIic funis.-CIera-
land HerdH.