Worcester daily spy., 1860-05-16
The Great DeElIcatIOn In New York
Flight of Postmaster Fowler.

HIoni VIC NEW 10TH IrlOulle
New Workers were astonished, Monday, to
learn that Mr.. Isaac V. Fowler, the handsome
bachelor postmaster of this city, had been
found to be heavy defauter to the federal
government. Such, however, was the fact ;
and, to those acquainted with his habits, the
only wonder was that the crash did not come
earlier. Mr.. Fowler was jovial, genial,
hearty fellow, fond of place, power and pat.
ronage. For many years he lived entirely be.
yond his means, and his best friends saw that
he was all the while digging pit into which
he would in the end assuredly fall
Since Saturday last Marshal Rynders has
been i'll search of Mr.. Fowler, but without sue
cess. All that is known of him is, that on
Sunday morning, at two o'clock, he hastily
left the New York Hotel, where for many
years he had resided, and taking with him
few necessary articles of clothing, went, no one
knows whittier. The treasury department
claim recently to have discovered deficiency
OF Sl55, ,554 81 i'll his accounts !; but, if the
truth were known, it would be found not only
that this deficiency has been of long standing,
but that it has been known to the present ad.
minstration from the outset According to
rumor, MIR. Fowler entered upon his duties of
postmaster under Gen. Pierce, with a load of
debt the result of that generosity which led
HIM to squander his private fortune on politi-
cal associates That debt he is said to have
hquidated from the post office funds, borrow
ing, meanwhile, right and left, to make good
the deficiency thus created.
Through the assistance of friends in and out
of Tammany Hail. he was enabled to carry
the debt for years; but his eXtravagant habits,
AMI liberal entertainment OF brother politicians
from all sections of the country, to whom he
extended the most generous hospitality daily
,+a3 l.
staggered. In 1856, when it became necessary
to carry Pennsylvania for Mr. Buchanan, he
labored assiduously, as member of the New
York Hotel committee, and drew heavy drafts
upon the funds Of his department to aid in his
election Hcw much he involved himself in
this way is known only to himself and the
gray haired old public functonary" at Wash
lngtOn; bnt from what we can learn it was
very large sum.
We believe that this fact was known to Mr..
j. B., at the time, and it was for this reason
that he was re-appointed postmaster. There
was, we think, decided opposition to his con.
tirmatiOn by the Senate and he was not car
ried through until Mr.. Buchanan had exhaust
ed all his endeavors in his behalf, and his per
sonal friends in this city had lent him money
enough to cook his accounts up so that they
would pass muster. Knowing as he did how
~Ni' O"ASA otOOu, anu W ny uG DCCOLllG mus
embarrassed, Mr.. Buchanan could not then
well do otherwise than re-appoint him, and
labor for his confirmation. If he had not done
so, the crash must have come at that
time, and Mr.. Fowler's downfall would have
fastened stigma upon the new administra.
ton.
From that time to this Mr., Fowler has been
leading life Of misery. Conscious that he
was heavily behind in his cash accounts, his
utmost endeavors have been directed toward
making fair quarterly balance, sheet. He is
said to have managed to do this by borrowing
here and there, of his friends, oftentimes at
most usurious interest, large sums of money,
tor few days, to be repaid from the income
OF the post office. His expenditures at Charles.
ton were heavy. He cast everything upon
the hazard of the die, and his favorite Douglas
failed. Of course, he fell into disgrace with
the administration, who have long known his
desperate situation, and he found that in fall
ing from grace he had lost the means of max
ing good his deficiencies. Like the rats who
desert the sinking ship, the mOney-lenders saw
that he was on the wane, and when he be-
sought them for the accustomed usurious ac-
commodation, they were short" Hence he
was unable to meet his liabilities This is one
story.
There are a thousand surmises as to his
place OF concealment Those who say he
went to Europe on Saturday are contradicted
by those who saw him on Sunday 1t is quite
probable that he is still in or near the city.
Monday night there was a story afloat that he
had committed suicide but there was no
foundation for the rumor, which probably
grew out of the suicide of Mcdonald.
Among his personal friends the feeling is
painful indeed. He was a joviaI, generous
companion, and closely endeared to many of
the most eminent of our citizens Unless these
men exaggerate their feelings, they would be
glad at any moment to raise the full amount of
missing money and freely give it to Mr.. Fow-
Ter to restore him to the honorable position
from which he has fallen.
Those who take the matter most coolly
are the officials of the city government
In some of the departments defalcation has
been reduced to a science, as the troubles of
1857 proved; and as nobody was punished, or
ever will be, the dwellers in the City Hall
don't see the necessity for man to feel bad
over any such trife as a couple of hundred
thousand dollars.
Ofcourse there is lamentation in Tammany
Hail. where Mr.. Fowler has for three years
been the Great Mogul. The members of the
Tammany society are not communicative, but
the event is evidently a serious blow for them.