New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-04-02
LAW LVTE'LLIGENC,E.
HEAVY FRAUDS
IN GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
FORGED AND FRAUDULENT VOUCHERS,
Bogus Travelling Expenses and Board Bills
rn1rtp STATES coMMssLoSERs OgFIcE-ATsu


s..yv ,bs G.n.rsl G. 5vernnen' may lie de'rsuded bf
.r,.s its sse.ts If their indications 30 lead
tt,m. The defendant, Mr.. j. Churchill Woods, was
arrested in THE city several months ago on caa'ge
~ making series Of fslse vouchers wnch were after
ward presented 10 the Secretary of the Interior r tae
purpose Of receiving money upon them Ote OF the
vouchers was q receipt purportiug TO be signed oy
Sss II. Hsnoy, fOr S!ii 81, in payment t'r services
alleged 10 have been rendered in the construction Of
the wsgou.road between + Paso, IN Texas and Fort
Yuua in California distance of about 'OO mles.
Another, is a similar voucher, purpoiang TO be sguea
by Berford ard c.. for O5, sud smother purpoitng
to be sgued by c. r WhitcoWb for services rendered
10 the Superintendent Of ths sims expedition, ioi
s633 Another, purportiDg to be signed by Ch'lss
II Smith, for seryices upon The same matter, Tor
s37 co. TIE u-hsrs, except that of Berford Il Co.,
ircluds items Of travelling expenses.
IL was proved on the examination; thst the signs
tures of Hsndy Wbi,comb and Smith were close iui-
tat ons Of tteir hand xrtirg Hsndy had given gen
Zine voucher for STA 81 lees than toe imitation shieh
was offered the latter being substituted IN place OF
the geIuire. c. f. Whtcomb never gave any
voucher a. al for any sum- sui several items coa'ged
in the voucher purportirg to be sisnsi by "nt'om0
were for Isve Ing expenses and board bills al places
where Whitcomb hsd never been. Ia the case OF
Smith, who had given genuine voucher tor Sl5V,
false ere fer s237 GO substituted in It's place the
genuine, as 10 Hsrdys csse, beng destroyed. Inc
voucher purportipg TO be signed by Berori Co. was
not ,ieneo by any member OF tbst fn but by Woods,
10 cover an alleged shmetcsl error in the sec unit
stated in general voucher sigusd by that irm.
For the defense i. wss shown that one James Is.
Leach was the Superintendent employed by the Gov.
erumeut in the cor sIuct on OF the T. Paso and tolt
Yums wsgor-road. As SUCH he employed Hsndy,
Smith snd Whi,c)mb in various cspaciles. Smth
and Handy scoompar ed the expedition a. far as Little
Rock, Ark, where, on becoming dissatisfied in conse-
duence of having some Misunderstanding with Leach,
they left the e1pe ition settling with Leach AID giving
him certain vouchers.
Leach was obliged for some reason, to leave his DIS
bursting agent behind, and on his arrival at FL Paso
be found his accounts with the Government in state
Of confusion. At that point, gong West, he met
Woods coming Eat, snd explained to him the diff
Guilty lie was in in re,peot to his accounts. Woods
was an old acquaintance Of Leach, aud was the super
int nc emit Of tbs contractors for cayiog the mail be-
tseen San Antonio. Texes and Santiago. California,
portion Of which road passed over the Ell Paso and
Fort Yuma wsgOn-rosd. Woods was an expert &C
couDtant and Leach had not much experience in ac-
counts, AMI was not provided with c'erk. Ia this
emergency Woods undertook 20 assist Leach in msk'
ing ont his accounts. 10 doing 20 he was assisted by
bie own clerk aud by some persons 10 the employ of
Lesch. On discovering that no voucher hal been
taken by Leach from Wnitcomb, the amount which
Leach stated he supposed be bad paid Whitcomb was
ararged into items Of travelling expenses aud board
bills g, hotels in the gh5orhood of the places where
he had been employed. Mr Leach stated to Woods
that b. had Discovered that the vouchers to Smith and
Handy were not for the full amount which he hal dis
buried for them on their account In repsot to those
two items of $780, the item fji travelling expeus,s from
Swansea Mas. to Memphis, Tenn, and back, was
added to the items tuey appeared in the actual
vouchers. Leach had msce contrsct With the frn
of Berford & Co, in this city for the u,poraon Of
wagons from Concord, Mas, to Memphis, Tenn, and
on this occasion Woods discovered arithmetica
error in the genuine vouchers which had been given
to Leach by Berford & Co for their service and the
voucher was made to cover that alleged error, and
filed out and iignel by Woods for that purpose.
Corai5er.bs testimony was taken for the purpose of
shOsirg that Leach had actually expended the
an cunt Of money receped for in the above iers,
and with nd way % receiving the same back. This
was actively msnsgsd by Woois snd il Was proved
on the examination that, when the matter Was fret
brought in question by the Government Woods
svowed making the signatures to s the vouchers
spoken Of which ere, sbsye stsei, close imitation,
Of the oiiginsls. Subsequently,, being reminded
tbs, lie signstures closely initiated he undertook
.sy that they sgced by of the clerks; bat
i, not deIed tina. he actually superntsnds in the
msfirg of all the vouchers in queetion.
On these fscts, 1t wac cobteudsd By Mr John 7.
Doyle couosel for the defendant that the injection TO
6eirsld ard chest the Government was essential to
nsie up the crime.
Mr. CHARLES a. HUT, TIE Assistant Distrct.Attor
nsy, who conducted the c;se for the G)vorpmeot,
n.r.ed that the falsity Of tie YOU ,herI given with
the intent to enable person to receive shy sum,
whether Just OF otherwise, yiostop Of tho act
IL en-. stion; that the mskrg cf deceptive voucher
Va. as much crime under tie set az 10 forge With the
intention Of receiving cum OF money which wa,
not Due.
Incidentally it appeared on the examination that
Whtcomb sss employed by Leach 70 purchase q large
lumber Cfmules in the gnbobood of Ne nphis. IL
received his instructions on leaving New York. in writ
Ing, from Woois. he vas instructed by Woods in the
purchasing the mules to obtain the signatures 10 the
receipts for the money, with the amounts in blank.
Large numbers of these vouchers were subsequently
filed up for larger amounts than the sums actually
paid for the animals. The fling up Of the blanks
done by Woods. 10 many instances the amounts
charged were double that sctusly paid. Tbs amount
which Whtcomb actually paid was marked with pencil
in ore corer Of the psper At the tims Woods rsa
rested Leach was on the frontier but holty after hs
Ietuiied to give bic testimony in favor of Woods On
tire examination.
The charge sgsiust Woods was made By Gel Saylss
Of Providence, r. l., who employ ed by the Gov
ertment az Special Agent to ferret out the fraud.