Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-03-13
COMMUNICATION


With them ] have nothing TO do, ard in reply 70 I
hem / have nothing TO say. ] viii be paruoneA
however. ] am sure. for a further and more conf
,ete exposure Of the facts which induced me to adj
rise the Commissioner Of Pensions that the money
# the Government had been procured BY l. W anu
T. " Newman. upon forged and fraudulent papers ;
md here NAV remark that did tins FOR the tlie9
old reason. viz lst That the money paid TO theln
BY the government should be sued for and recover
Cd back. ID That persons still receiving pensions
5v reason of such forged and fraudulent papers
should be stricken from the list and De no lonseI
associated with those who are justly eh4teu y .l9
benefits Of the Pension laws, and 3D. 4hAt INC PStP
traitors Of the fraud whatever their pOsluOn might
be should though the statutes enacted by congress
barred the prosecution, be nevertheless pfosecute1
and Dunished under the laws Of Tennessee-accord-
ing to which no lapse Of time bars prosecution lOr
FORGERY An this deemed my official Obligations as
Di7r;cs+ Attornev demanded Of me imperativey,
and in the rerfornance of which duty, II talied IN
the SLIGHTEST degree, merlted not only dlsInlsSal
from Office but the just Indignation OF the puohc
I'M INV former communication / mentioned the
fact that claims for pensions forwarded 10 the De
Dartroent bv T. wei " Norman as Agents or
4 ttoTr,evs for Rachel Hatfield and Elizabeth Davis
boJ hon sznt 10 me by the Commissioner then in Of
fce for investigation, with the suggestion that the
afidavits accompanying them, and by means Of
which the pensions were sought to be procured,
vyere either forged fictitious. l stated also
the names of the persons who HpurpOrted to be
the atlantis; these were William and Margaret Hans
ard as to the one claim, and James and ROlin
Hardin as to the other. l also stated that l had
made dilgent inquiry to discover and identity those
nersons and failing myself, had procured the per-
mission OF the Department to give the Nswmans
an opportunity to satisfy me that there were
really such persons and that they had verified the
declarations sent 20 the Department That James
W. Newman, after being awhile absent from Knox
Vile returned to with certificates, which at the
time induced me to believe that the fraud and forge
had mt bnpn pOunu7iffpd 1 noW submit these
certificates 70 the public, that 1t may appear the
more fully how 1 wasdeceiyed in the matter, and
what adopts these perpetrators of frauds upon the
government had become IN that peculiar art The
first certificates will give the following, the
org mails Of which are still in my possession:
I'VE, the undersigned. do hereby certify that we
are both personally well acquainted with James and
Rolin Hardin. who are residents of Campbell
county, Tennessee, one of whom is still living IN
said county near the head waters of Buffalo Greek.
near where Campbell county joins the county Of
Scott Witness our hands this 10th day of Decem-
Der, A. d. 1853 ALLEN REED.
WILLIAM PHILLIPS. +"
I'VE. the undersigned, do hereby certify that we
are personally acquainted with William and Marga-
ret Hansard who are residents of Morgan county,
Tennessee, on the waters Of Wolf Creek, near the
Scott county line; that they are both remarkably
old people Witness our hands this 9th day Of De-
cember, 1858. JOHN CARSON
CAsnlELL REED.
Accompanying these certificates were the follow
ing:-]lr Robert Morrow, then living in Campbell
county, but now a resident of Knoxville:
"JACKsBoRo', Tenn, Dec. 26th, 1853.
Il am personally acquainted with Allen Reed,
John Carson and Campbell Reed, Of Scott county
Tennessee. and have known them for several years
and from my personal knowledge of them would
give full faith and credir 70 any statement they
would make. ReB-Rr MORROW
81 concur in the above statement as to John Car
son and Campbell Reed THos WEIR"
Besides these there was handed to me the follow
ing:
The statement shown me by ]. Newman, Esq,
relative to the standing of Allen Reed John Carson
and Campbell Reed is in the handwriting of r.
Morrow. Not having much acquaintance with Mr.
Weirs cannot say as to its genuineness. but believe
it to be his signature. 5 MORROW.
January ID, 1854"
sThe statement handed to me by J. W. Newman, il
relation to John Carson and Others signed by Rob
ert Morrow and Thomas Weir, of JacksborO', we
believe them to be their proper signatures.
G. WALLACE d MCPHERsOS.
Knoxville, Jan. 2,l8j4"
Now the reader will observe how adroitly and
cunningy contrived these certificates were arranged
First the certificates vOuched for the existence OF
the Hansards and Hardins. Second, the certificate.
of Robert Morrow and 7. Weir, Esqs, (well known
end highly respected citizens of Campbell county,
attest the entire reliability of John Carson &C. and
then the other certificates 20 only to the matter OF
vouching for the qeluineReSS Of the signatures OF
Mcssrs. Morrow and Weir. Mr. Morrow and Mr.
Weir do not say that the signatures of John Carson
and others are genuine. They could not have said
for the fact IS that john CURSOR and the Others 1riOSt
names appear 10 the first tCO certificates dJOUe not only
did not sign them authorize any one to sign thenl Jl
eV neUsT heard Of the existence Of such certificates
until telg CestS since, neither do they kJO5 Of Suci
persons as The HaHSards and HuriiaS. These gentle
men are all now living, and l am told, as Mr.. K
Morrow and Mr.. Weir certify reliable and truthful
gentlemen, and if mistake the facts upon this pOE
they can esily discredit the statement, | have no
myself seen them. but have a reliable letter from
one whom deputed to talk to them on the subject
and such is his information TO me. SO that tho
whole accusation against the Newmans Is narrowed
down to these three points: LIST. 4. W. and d. "
NarmUH applied for Pensions for Rachel Hatfield
and Elizabeth Davis and supported the applications
by what purpOrted IL be the afidavits Of certain
persons called HGBSdTdS and HdriiBS, when ut t1ti
and 10 fact no such persons can be found, or 1cere cue
heard Of iI these localities mentioned in the certificates
ID Certificates were submitted to me purpOrting
to come from John Carson and others, tClcb lCeT
forged, as these persons neither signed then
themselves OF authorized any one to do so for them
3D. That by means of these frauds and fOrgeries tho
pension of Rachel Hatfield was granted, and tn,
Newmans obtained several hundred dollars from tht
Government as compensation for their services II
that behalf
But it is said by Tai W Newman. and he Is sup
ported in the assertion by his brother and accom-
plce in the transaction, that he had nothing TO dc
with these claims. Setting aside the rule of law an
sound sense which rejects the testimony Of accom-
plices in crime in behalf of each other, 20
if James w. Newman could by his testimOn
acquit Tazewell Of any completely IN the matte
so could TaZ.. the other hand aCqUit his broth
en- and so make i. appear that neither wa
guilty. 1t still appears that lTazewel ". New
man was engaged in this business Of prosecuting
pension claims about the tine of this transaction
for find in the Rebeda, a newspaper then publish
ed in Knoxville in 1852 the following advertisement
PENSION AGENCY,
"KNoNyTLLE TENNESSEE.
Thesubscribers have opened ia the city of Knox
Vile agency for the prosecution Of all descrip
tOns of claims against the Genera! GOrerTReHt The
perfect knowledge Of all the pension laws and tht
places where are deposited all evidence of service
now extant will enable them TO establish MANI
/ claims which have long remained suspended fol-
/ want of proof and proper attention They, there
fore offer the public their services particularly il
/ the following cases, viz: Suspended and rejected
/ claims under all the pension laws applications fO
increase of pension under any of the pension laws
/ for all those widows of pensioners who were mar
Tied prior the lst of January, IVA, and also al
/ widows who were married prior to the lst Of Jan
uary, 1900 Having many rolls OF officers anC
/ soldiers of the war Of the revolution IN their pos
session, they viii be enabled to establish many O
/ the above claims. All invalid claims attended t
promptly. Communications addressed to the un
dersigned at Knoxville postpaid, will receive
prompt attention. J. T. W. NEWMAN.
Nov. 18th, ISL"
Not being able TO get a file of the paper that thi,
advertisement is taken from, am not prepared t
say whether it was in that paper in 1853, zone o.
the editors of that paper is now an officer of the
House of Representatives. but Rachel HdtfeldS dp
I1licatiou lrqS commenced before 1853
Here then we have the Government, through il,
proper Department, charging by imputation, g
fraud and forgery upon T. W. d d. w. AelrmdR, tOI
the applications were made in their joint names
We also have the above set forth. published in a
Knoxville paper and yet T. W. Newman asserts
that he had nothing to do with these CLAIMS. and
that Quit to hare laora 4! Of course Ibid not kR0U
H. d7td could no. taOlr IT, However it may be ar
ranged between these two persons, brothers
whereby one is to be eXonerated, and the other Is
to find shelter under that exOncraGcn it still appears
from records in the Chancery Court at Knoxville in
the case of Martha Njey'S heirs U.s. J d Z. ". AsJc-
mans and Dobson Miller that the Pension Agent
at Knoxville about the time of the presentation of
the Hatfield and Davis claims at Washington paid
outmoneys which TO the amount of 1925, went into
the hands of the Ncwmaus upon forged papers. the
body OF which were ia tie hand lrrtjHg OF Id5eioel
w. NerWdR; and upon bill being filed charging the
H ~