Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-05-19
Defaitstion sf the New York Postu,astor.- :
1nterostiaa Particulars y Towler's Dchr
cheney .Ovcr 100000. i,.,..,, -, il,i nix

yDefnicafiOn Of the New York P0stniaator-7i
IntercstiaG Particulars Fowler's Deir
cheney, Ovor S4OO,OOO. .a,,,,'s %, i.,d giT
thursdays New York Tribune has this in
formation concerning the last great defalca-
tion in that city: 10 i'a9i 9'i lHl ''.' ,,. NV,
Up TO the present hour no additional in-i
formation has been received by the United
States Marshal rs to the whereabouts of the
missing defaulter, nor have any Developments
been made tending to implicate Mr.. Fowlers
friends or subordinates in his embeszlement.
Mr. William Caldwell, Deputy Postmaster
and Treasurer of the New York Postoftice,
has resigned his position. II is painful to
know that Mr. Caldwell has allowed his
friendship for Mr.. Fowler to get the better of
his discretion. of course he could not but
be cognizant Of the situation of his principal;
but there is not the slightest ground for be-
lieving that he ever prohted one shilling him
self by the deficit which his gratitude to the
man who had raised him to station forbade
him to expose. A cautious and able officer
so far as all postal duties proper were con-
cerned, Mr.. Caldwell has. vouchers signed by
Mr.. Fowler acquitting him in full of any
completely, other than that of the knowledge
held by a subordinate of malpractice, or Mt
least very doubtful practice on the part of a
superior. lt. i.-,ot. t--n# t3 u,
By the laws of the Postoffice Department,
MIR. Fowlers order was receipt in full so
far as the Treasurer was concerned. Er' 81,
1t is quite evident that Mr.. Fowler must
have had friends in the Department at Wash
ington, who knew of his defaultings, and who
assisted in covering them up, The warrant
held by the United States Marshal, a copy of
which is for the present withheld by the a,i-
thorities and from the perusal Of which even
the press is debarred, contains the details Of
the defalcation, running, item by item, over
a series of years. This is probably the in
formation SO reluctantly furnished to Gov
ernment in the Sixth Auditors Department
The ruin which has overtaken Isaac "
Fowler presents some of the most extraor-
dinary features ever witnessed In this dis
tressing class of cases. The question, "What
has he done with the vast sums cf money
which have passed through his hands during
the last half dozen years?" is one to which
the answer is not at once apparent, though
| no doubt il will be developed in the course Of
the Investigations now on foot.
1t is not true to say that Mr.. Fowler has
been victimized to any serious extent by the
| borrowing Of political or other friends. On
| the contrary, no public man in this city ever
had more devoted or self-sacrifcing friends
than Mr.. Fowler; and it would be easy at
this moment to show that he has received
more than $4,000 in private loans from
friends during the past three or four years,
much the greater part of this amount, If not
all, still remaining unpaid. 'l
| And now let us examine, before going fur
ther, the amount of money from al sources
which must have passed through Mr.. Fow-
ler's hands during the past seven years. His
place, with its various perquisites, could
hardly be reckoned as of less worth than
| $4,000 year. which is certainly q moderate
| estimate. This would give in seven years
| the sum of $l05, 900. The defalcation, SO far
| as ascertained, reaches to $155, 900, and Mr.
| Fowler must owe $50 600 in this city for bor-
rowed money and debts.
All the foregoing estimates are made on
the very lowest possible range, and yet they
| give from these tangible resources an aggre-
| gate of $4,000 spent some way or other in
| seven years. In addition to this, we believe
it is known that Mr.. Fowler failed in his
private relations--was heavily bankrupt, in
other words--about six years ago; and that,
on that occasion, the amount of private in
debtedness over which the sponge was passed
exceeded $75 900. ..tIS, ...5r' ,dI h
In addition to all this, it is not presuming
too much to say that Mr.. Fowler's influence
at Washington and elsewhere, more especially
in the Navy Department, must have been, to
| a greater or less extent, source of annual
revenue. he was moreover, mixed up with
Secretary Floyd in the sales of fort sites to
Richard Schell, and so forth; and it is not to
De believed that a man holding the power he
did in the Democratic organization, and being
embarrassed for money and harrassed with
fear, could fail to make his position and in
fluence pay tribute to his necessities.
From these, and other calculations of a
nature not needing special mention, we are
driven to the conclusion that Isaac Y. Fowler
must have received in the past seven years
not less{at the very lowest) than four hundred
thousand dollars; while it is still more
strongly the conviction of all those who
| the city, last Sunday morning, he could not
haye-again taking the outside calculation
three thousand dollars in his pocket.