Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-03-07
From the Union and American.

I'm the senate on Saturday, 4th inst,
as furnished by him for publication.
Mr.. SPEAKER:-I arise this morning to a
will indulge me for few minutes. You are
I'LL aware of the most slanderous rumors, in
regard to me personally, that were afioat here
a short time past, and that / resigned my po-
sition here for the purpose of hunting down
this most vile slaudrr. l Immediately repair
ep to Washington City. to demand an inves-
tigation. and on reaching that city. I repaired
ed to the Pension Office, and wrote the Com
missioner of Pensions the following letter:
WASHINGTON CITY. d. c., I
February q, 1860.
Hon. GEORGE G. WHITING: Sir-Having
in Nashville hard rnmors in regard TO my
being implicated in connection with frauds
on the Pension Office. / Immediately resigned
my position as Speaker of the Senate of Ten
nessee, and have repaired to Washington to
investigate the facts desire the fullest ex-
animation into my connection with all cases
that have been presented before the Depart
nent by me / must, therefore, respectfully
| request that you will lcok into the facts as
| fan as they appear in your Department, in re-
| gard to any allegation that may have been
| made against me. and communicate to me the
result of the examination, and any impression
/ the examination may make on your mind,
| and what steps, If any, have been taken in re
laiion thereto. / am anxious for full and
fair examination Of any or all of the cases
with which have been connected.
Very respectfully, your oiit serv't,
TAI. ". NEWMAN.
To this letter the Commissioner of Patents
gave me the following reply:
PENSION OFFICE, Feb. %. 1860.
Sm:-I have your letter of the 9th inst.
saying that while in Nashville you heard ru-
mors in regard to your being implicated in
connection with frauds on the Pension Office,
and requesting that 1 would look into the
| facts. and communicate to you the result ard
any impression the examination might make
| on my mind, and also what steps, If any,
have been taken in relation thereto.
In reply have only to state that the only
| information have IN regard to any rumors
in circulation in Nashville on this subject, Is
that derived from your letter, and that what
ever they may be, no action has been taken
by me that could have given rise to them.
The enclosed copies of an official communi-
cation from the Attorney of the United States
for the Eastern District of Tennessee, dated
at Knoxville, the 10th inst, and of my reply
thereto of this date, will put you in posses
sion of the present attitude of the Office, re-
specting all the business in which you seem
TO have bad any connection. the steps taken
by it in relation thereto, and my impressions
upon the subject
Very res pectfnlly your ob't serv't,
GEO. c. WHITING, Commissioner.
TAZ- w. NEWMAN, present.
Now. Mr.. Speaker, the only grounds on
which all these rumors have been put afioat
is on a most infamous, slanderous aud dam
nable communication, written by the hand Of
malice, aud for personal revenge. 1t was
written by a scoundrel and villainous SLAM
derer, john CroZier Ramsey, the Attorney
General of the United States tor the Eastern
Division of Tennessee-who is the nephew of
Arthur r. Crozicr, the late Comptroller of
the Treasury and the devoted friend of the
owners of the Exchange Bank of Tennessee.
which letter was written to the Department
for the most infamous and slan6erous purpo-
ses, and should, in my opinion, condemn the
author to eternal infamy as a sLdfderer and a
Scouadrei, whO, to be hated, needs but be
known, and for whom | shall ever entertain
the most contemplate opinion; for sir, the
murderer, the thief, and the sxindler, are to
be pitied, when compared with the sLandtrer,
the destroyer OF your reputation and good
name; and in order that you may have all
the facts, read his infamous letter:
Knoxville, Tenn, Feb. 10, 1860.
SIR: Some time in the year 1853 the De-
pertinent enclosed me original papers of
Elizabeth Davis and Rachel Hatfield, who
were applying for pensions. Your Depart
ment supposed that the papers were forged
and requested me to examine into the case.
TaZwell w. Newman and James NJ. Newman
were the agents for the parties So that you
may fairly understand the case, | refer you
to the letters L wrote to the Department,
dated December I'd, 1853 and also one dated
January IL, 1854. You will see by my
letter of the second of December, that | was
unable to find James Hardin, Rain Hardin,
William Hansand and Margaret Hansand,
the persons whose affidavits established the
claims. 1 also, in that letter suggested that
the Newmans were men. that their standing
was considered good, and suggested to your
Department to allow me to have an inter-
view with them and give them an opportuni-
ty to prove that there were such men. The
Department approved of my suggestion IN
letter dated the 9th of December, 1858. and
accordingly had an interview with one of
the Newmans aud 1 pointed out the difficulty
about tie claims and by reference to my
letter dated January l4tb, 1854, you will see
that he satisfied my mind by proof that there
were such men as were mentioned in the afr
davits OF the applicants. 1 filed away the
proof in my Office, that / based my opinion
on, believing that all the proof was genuine;
and never thinking that the proof procured By
them for my action upon tcqs J0rged-until re-
cently-when one of them committed an act
that proved to me that be dishonest. ]
then thought about what he had dOne-and
come to the conclusion that if he would do
such an aet-that be was bad enough To-
Jorge and practice fraud upon me and the
Department. / therefore felt that it was my
duty to Investigate the proof that they had
got up for me TO know whether IL was genu-
inc. l have done so, and the men, whose
names puTport to be to the certificates say
that they never signed or anthoriZ, any one
10 sign the certificates. / am now satisfied
that the Newmans perpeTattd a fraud and
forgery upon me in these certificates, and
therefore / am satisfied that the original
papers now in Your Department are also
fnrgeries- feel indignant at their conduct
1t would be bad enough to forge the papers
in the first place, bat the crime il Increased
by getting mp other forged papers 10 prove
that another forgery is genuine.
/ regret that did not discover this forge
~ before il was barred by the statute of the
United States. But | would State that by
the State statute ofthis State it is not barred
No time bars felouies in tue State court. /
would suggest that they can still be indicted |
in the State court in the county where the |
offence was eommitied-and il the Depart
ment take my suggestion. | would advise |
that an agent be sent out at once and bring |
all the papers and letters that the Newmans
have written the Department on the appli- !
cations for pensions aud bounty hand cases, !
aud then If TIE agent think proper they can
be arrtsted and bound over TO the State
courf. II you send agent would sug-
gest that you send Col. l.. Peyton, as be
proved to be "A man of energy and nerve in
the White case. He deserves great credit
Newmans sometime ago were doing ex-
lensive business 10 procuring pension claims
-one Of them operating in East Tennessee
and the oIhvr in Middle Tennessee and /
have no doubt, but from this case. they may
l,a /. a .,voa,,r.d many fraadnIs.nf claims and