Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-03-07

i
means of judgng- Meantime, however. and
IN this way-ihe original ofeHse has fallen
within the bounds of the statute of limitation.
which bars prosecution in the Federal courts
after the lapse of two years, and. thereto <,
you suggest the propriety of instituting pro-
ceedin3s TO the State Courts in which felo
nles You say, are not barred by time.
The offcnse co suizable under the lawssof
the United States is for the presentation of false
ana forged papers scEh intent TO defrdu9. &c Be
yond this il is doubtful whether any instruc-
tons from this Office 10 United States at
torney could reach, at all events without in
volving the payment of extra compensation,
which should not be willing to make, and
offences against the State laws may not im-
I properly be left TO the State authorities.
| While, however, the Office is thus estopped,
so far at least as the original fraud, if one
| was committed, is concerned it NAV not be
as 10 subsequent acts with which il has been
| followed up, for if the person whose name was
originally inscribed upon the pension roll as
the widow or a revolutionary soldier, had no
| real existence or was franduleptly imposed
( upon Tue government lis such, the semi-aHnu-
| al ayments-substque made are ike
wise unwarranted demands and might afford
| ground OF criminal prosecution against The
parties making them. The last payment
| shown by the returns made TO the Treasury
I by the Agent at Knoxville in the case OF Ra-
chel Hatfield, appears to have been made on
the 18th of May, 1858, to John L. Thrulland,
/ by virtue ola power of attorney. purporling
F.: to have been exe cuted 10y Rachel Hatfield on
the lth of March, 1858, before d. FL. Creek
more, Justice of the Peace for Scott county,
: Tennessee, in presence of Sampson Reed and
8 Julian Reed subscribing witnesses. have
no means OF determining whether the Messrs.
4 Newman, or either OF them. had any counec-
/ ton with this payment. The claim of Eliza
beth Davis not having been admitted no pay
f! ments were ever made
7 You do not say which of the Messrs. New
4 man committed the recent act of dishonesty
| alluded to by you, nor in what it consisted.
! Still, at your suggestion, | have looked into
all the bounty land claims recently filed by
them that | am able to find on the files of this
| office, but without discovering such indica-
| tions as to justify sending an agent to Ten
nessee TO investigate them there. But when
ever you shall officially and distinctly allege
| the existence of frauds, those which are not
barred by statute, will promptly dispatch
an agent or furnish you with whatever infor-
nation or facilities you may desire. if in my
power, to investigate them and bring the
guilty parties to justice.
/ am, Sir, very respectfully, your ob't ser
want. Signed
GEO. G. WHITING, Commissioner.
j. G. RAMSEY, Esq, L. 5. Dist. Atty, Knox
vile, Tenn.
He knew when he wrote to the Department
that had never either directly or Indirectly
had anything 10 do in connection with the
case of Mrs. Hatfield or Davis, that / knew
nothing of them being examined by him some
SIX years past-and had no connection what
ever in the prosecution OF the claims. And
in ms rascalty-he refers to the Newsmans,
or one OF tue Newmans, clearly showing that
his whole effort was to strike my reputation
in ord To chi \, h.IA
crime--that he was willing, ,0iifilly and ng0li-
c1ousky to use the Office conferred on him to
destroy anybody's reputation in order to
shield those who have so well and 20 largely
swindled the State OF Tennessee. As to these
claims there is nothing in the papers on file
In the Department that can or does Indicate
anything wrong in connection with their
prosecution. And it leaves the whole matter
to rest on this vile calumnious letter-and
reduces it 10 personal SANDER by person
al enemy, cOncocted at Knoxville by a. r.
CrOZier and VIM. Spence. through this man
Ramsay, and is another of those foot prints
that point unerringly to the party who COM
mitted the frauds on the Comptroller's Office
a few years past.
Now, Mr. Speaker, in order to show, so far
as | am concerned, that this was malicious, |
will read a statement made by my brother
j. NJ. Newman, iii regard to the cases refer
red to in this letter of Mr.. Ramsey's:
KNOXVILLE. TENN,
March 2, 1860.
T. W. FEwNAN--Sir At your request. /
will state that you never had anything in
any way whatever TO do with the affida its,
declarations, or any of the papers in the
cases of Rachel Hatfield and Elizabeth Davis
mentioned in Gen. J. G. Rimsey's most infa-
nous letter to the Commissioner of Pensions
of the 10Th of February, 1860. You never
had anything. whatever to do with these
casesf and Gen. Ramsey knew that he was
writing himself down most vil!ainous liar
and slanderer, when he connected your name
with the cases. Iu commencing prosecutions
of cases, always put your name in with my
own, as co-attorney in order that, if neces-
sary / might get your assistance, and for
You to have power 10 examine the cases in
your visits to Washin on. will publish in
few days full history of my connection
with Gen. Ramsay and those two pension
cases. Yours tTnly,
JAMES NJ. NEWMAN
Now, Mr.. Speaker. l have presented to the
Senate all the facts aud testimony that gave
rise to the minors put afOat against me, and
shall leave it TO you and just public opin-
ion, believing that justice will overtake those
who commeneh the persecution; leaving the
whole matter for the public TO decide as to
my cause, and the facts are my vindieation.