The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-15
he did it is thus reIated by the Commit.

he did it is thus related by the Commit
tee:
"He proceeded TO New Bedford and pur-
chased OF Mr.. George F. Barker the ship Roman
for $4,000. Mr.. Barker iesti6es that he sold
Mr.. Starbuck the Roman, at bis teatable, in
New Bedford, for $4,000 cash, never having
seen or known any other person in the trans
action. The next morning Mr.. Barker wrote q
! bill of sale Of the vessel to Mr. Starbuck, who
requested him To- insert, instead of his own
name, that Of friend, Mr.. Henry J. Thomas
who then, for the first time, appeared in con
nectiOn with the Roman. THIS was done, and
the name of Mr.. Thomas thus appeared as that
OF purchases, and his checks were given for the
pay. The ship Wan. Bddger was purchased
for $4,000, in similar manner, by Starbuck.
/ in tie presence Of Thomas, who accompanied
MIN Ia this instance; but the bill of sale was
made out TO Thomas, at the request or Starbuck,
and Thomas gave his checks for the amount
FrOm the testimony Of the cashier of the bank
on which these checks were drawn, it appears
that Starbuck placed to the credit If Thomas,
! in the same bank, sums corresponding to The
checks thus drawn by Thomas in payment for
the vessels. on the same day the checks were
drawn; indeed, Thomas himself reluctantly
! cOnfesSes before the Committee that Starbuck
I paid all the money for these ships t. Barker,
/ and that he had himself no interest in them
/ He Immediately transferred the ships in blank !;
! yet bnth Thomas and Starbuck made affidavit,
I al the Navy Department. that Thomas sold to
| Starbnck the ship Roman for &, 400, and the
ship I'm. Bddgtr for a. Ii so, and that Thomas
was the bona tide owner Of said ships"
The atfidavits Of both are published,
and are given as fair sample of "Strong
swearing" From the atfidavitS itappears,
in the language of the Committee, "that
the Government paid Starbuck $l4,5O0
for these two ships, for which, while act
ing as the Government agent, he laid
only Sc 800" !Sisr6uck WIS "1>' FL
make" lie swindled the Government
with boldness truly Neutrality-suspicious.
bly, thinking his devotion to the Chicago
Platform would screen him from exposure.
Next in order comes Morgan'S Swindle.
The committee treat him tenderly on ac-
count of his connexions and their high
standing in the Republican party-his
brother and partner being Governor of
New York and his brother law Secreta.
ry Of the Navy. He purchased the Stars
and Stripes, which had been ahoat less
than two months. This vessel cost its
owners but $4,000 to build her, had
earned, under a charter to the Unit d
States, in that two months, $4,000 net,
and was then sold to Mr.. Morgan for
Jtty;fre Thousand dol'ars. The commit.
t.,o Tins NIL; tau.o.b M,.ooo
"Mr. Morgan was made to believe that it
cost $60,OoO To build her. 1t is difficult to see
how sucl, Il deception could have been prac-
ticed upon Il man Of the acknowledged business
capacity aud shrewdneSs Of Mr.. Morgan, except
that he had been called To- a service in which
he had no experience and was ignorant, from
any personal knowledge, of the cost Of the ar.
ticle he WAS sent To purchase"
This is lame excuse. WHY, when
his incxperience and ignorance were dis
covered, was he not discharged? 1t was
to his advantage to pay an cXorhitant
price for the .St,rs ANIL Stripes, aud his
subsequent acts prove that he was more
solicitous to serve himself than Govern.
mcnt He received commission of two
and a-half per cent. from Government for
making the purchase, and like commits
sion from the parties from whom he pur-
chased !! This species of favoritiSm and
raScality struck the committee as very
reprehcnsible, and they protested against
~ ~ ., ''e ' '"''o"'e '"'"S
ton Of its ENTERTAINMENTS character and imrnrt
was communicated to the department, in the
out. mi%bt be corrected Yet observation-disclosures
the department became thus possessed of The
system Of commissions amassiny ' Tr,s", r
fortune, the committee have been surprised to
Nav Dcnnrtment fnrni.hinr Them with thr
number and prices of We sells purchased by
Of those purchased by him, since their protest.
am"nnts, in the aggregate, to the sum Of sl.'
M':..u:, It'll.
;.o,..n;a,,'. ~, ;o'a.....o - 49,. &C.,;
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-. , -
"'0 " " ~
""' 80.
T ~ -, w., ~.
'' -, Wv f'
''o"' Vi W.T. NAo' S""' anu 'uu"'u
! thereto all the experience necessary to
,,,,l;c,, b;,,, CO. Oh o,o ,r,;,,lo. d,,,;,.
I""'' ''''' 80 49, 't"' ~ ''''' ''N''
/ FnN - ttnr. nnf hn,
ono.,,o,,.l,, coro-n,,o,. 1,,,a
e""' '''u''y No'e' "'"e''' may oeH" '''uieu'
so long as Morgan makes money by it
HTo.,,,, ,,ol,os 10th ,.,; H., ,J
tho comm;tt.o ;us,,, -" Th., .r.tn,n
Of n.vn.an, 10 onr ornn. uh;oh ,.l,as
III. -. ;aoa,..., '.';,h .L.. - ,,,,ooI
AL .n,aoor;..,;o ,,.;,L .ho, &c &C..
$500. ;,.9,c 49, -. /, : 81
u.l;ah Saws - oe,o, ~ LIE .p.n e,o nm