Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-09-07

of the Committee, lost any bonds at all. As
to the coupons, the Committee expressly said
they .'find it matter of impossibility to re
port the precise amount of interest paid upon
coupon bonds'' for the reasons then fully set
out. Among Others they say that the 'hold-
ers of coupons often delay their presentation
for payment for one or two years which causes
the interest account TO vary much yearly"
But we were satisfied nevertheless sthat coup
ons had been purloined by some one,presentcd
again to the Comptroller and again paid by
Mr.. Mosby, who had acted as deputy Comp
troller both under Mr.. Crozier and Mr.. Lut-
trell, had been dealing in coupons, selling
them both in Nashville and New York. We
find also that on the LIST of April, 1856. Comp
troller Luttrell, issued warrant number 5.555
for $50 interest on Capitol bonds direct to
Thomas F. Mosby, and there is no power of
attorney or order filed with the warrant, ac-
cording to the custom of the office, showing
that he received the interest as Agent. Again,
on the 25th of October, 1856, by warrant No.
GIL, MOsby received S255 inst. Capitol
bonds, and on the 10th of January, 1857, on
warrant No. $500 he received on renewed
bonds, S34l.25, and there is nothing with
these warrants showing that he (Mosby) was
acting as the Agent of any other persons.
Each of these warrants is signed by Mr.
Luttrell. If any person desires to satisfy
himself the warrants can be seen in the Urea
surer's Office by reference to the above num-
bers. Mr. Luttrell told the Committee he was
satisfied Mr.. Mosby had distracted coupons,
but he stated at the time he believed they
were taken from the boxes of the Free Banks.
The coupons after being paid and not cancel
led had been loosely kept in cigar box in the
Office. We leave the public to draw their own
inference from these facts. In regard to the
over-payment of interest, we feel constrained
to say that even if the interest due exceeded
interest paid, we would still be compelled,
from the fact that many bOna.fde holders OF
coupons due in one gear may not present them
for payment until the nert year, to entertain
the opinion that large amount of coupons
have been distracted or counterfeited and
presented for payment; and if the Comptrol-
Ter had properly cancelled and pasted the
coupons on books opposite the corresponding
numbers this could not have occurred.
The proof was clear, even by MOsby's own
confessions, that he had distracted some of
the bonds belonging to Free Banks and applied
them to his own use. 1t was proven before
the Committee by the statement of Mr..
Mosby and the admission of Mr.. CroZier. that
after Mr.. Mosby's acknowledgement that he
had taken the bonds, Mr.. Crozier had an in
terview with him and advised him sit would
be best for him 10 Ledre." 1t was admitted in
evidence by Mr.. Crozier that he (CrOzier,)
while acting as Comptroller bought in part
nership with Mr.. Dortch, a Free Bank, the
Traders Bank. While the Free Banking law
does not prohibit the Comptroller from being
interested in Free Banks yet it arrested the
attention of the Committee as improper that
public officer intrusted with the States in-
terests in such large transactions with Free
Banks should himself become Free Banker.
The day before the Committee adjourned Mr..
Luttrell stated that Mr.. Crozier had also
been interested while Comptroller in the
Bank of Paris. AS to the cases in which bonds
that had been deposited had been taken out
by Mr.. Crozier and Mr.. Luttrell and others
substituted in their place, the Committee
simply gave the facts as proved by Mr. G. w.
Jackson, neither charging nor intimating that
any improper motive had led TO it, though
in each case it was done without the consent
and against the wishes of the officers of the
Bank of Middle Tennessee. In all things
they forebore from doing more than was
necessary to give fair reflex of the testi-
mony adduced. If the Comptroller's books
have been so improperly kept that it was i'm
possible fully to comprehend the great diff
culties which have grown up between the
Treasury and Free Banks, surely the Com
mittee ought not to be blamed for frankly
disclosing tho fact. We were really OF
opinion that Mr.. CroZier seemed more anX-
ious to overreachus than any other person;
but we did not state this fact. He seemed
quite anxious to place the whole matter upon
the State Bank. He was invited to be present
and assist in the interest account but he
declined-he certainly had every opportunity
to bring any point he chose to the attention
of the Committee, as he was before us as the
attorney of Mr.. Spence. If the evidence dis
closes that his sympathies and advice were
given actively to those who were implicated
ought we to be censured for such disclosures?
We let his advice to his late deputy, after he
had confessed, speak for itself We made but
a brief alusion to his connection with the Free
Banks. In short, upon all the facts. we are
willing that the public shall make up its
mind upon the testimony when it published.
And while we think Mr.. Crozier has been
unnecessarily harsh in his attack upon the Com
mttee, we trust that he will ultimately be
satisfied that the Committee are not totally
with the business" and that he
will wait till the testimony is published
before he attempts to place his case fully
before the public.
JAMES J. TURNER,
A. +. GOFF,
- MICHAEL VAUGHN,
TAI. w. NEWMAN.
n. B.-Col. Goodpasture resides in Overton
county, and it would cause very great delay