, 1863-01-01
One Way by which they Steal
Ef}itnra Chfrarn Trfhupn.

lnoticed in your paper yesterday state.
ment referring to certain government frauds,
perpetrated in the city Of New York. For
the benefit Of your readers will state the
manner in which frauds Of the same kind are
perpetrated in Chicago. There are ten or
twelve gentlemen in this city dealing in war
claims; some Of them no doubt arc doing an
honest, legitimate business, while others get
up their claims in the following manner:
They find an officer belonging to some Of the
old regiments perhaps ut home Oh q: * fur
Tough. They ask him if he was not at a'good
deal Of expense recruiting for his regiment
or company before he went into the service.
| He will answer in the affirmative. The agent
| will then inform him that the government is
paying all old accounts, and If he wishes to
| get back What he has paid out Of his own
| pocket in the government service, that all he
| has to do is to make ont bill Of the several
| items and place it In his hands that he will
| collect it and only charge him ten per cent.
| for go doing. The officer concludes that I'm
| Gle Sam IL very clever, makes ont his bill
and presents it to the agent. The agent in
forms linn that it will be two or three weeks
before be will be likely to get the money, be-
cause he will have to lay tue claim before an
| investigating committee at Cairo, st. Louis or
somewhere else. And it may be that said
committee may not allow all. the items, aud
| that it is necessary for him to take along
couple of blanks, SO that when the committee
pass upon his claim, he can put what they al
low him on tlsc blanks SO rs to get 1t in proper
shape TO present to the disbursing officer.
The officer signs the blanks and fakes his
leave. As soon as lie is out Of sight, tho agent
| conEigns his hill Of items to the flames, and
deliberately ILLS out the blank for whatever
/ amount he thinks proper. lie has the officers
name to them, certifying that the foregoing
is a true and correct account Of moneys ":
| pended by him i'll the manner specified. The
| next step to be taken is to procure vouchers
for the claim us he las made it ont. This he
does by writing the receipts himself and sign
| ing fictitious names. The claim is presented
10 the disoursing officer, the money paid over,
| paying The officer the amount Of his claim,
| less ten per cent.
The foregoing is simple statement Of f.cts
though hard TO believe, they are neyerthc-
| less true Your correspondent knows Of one
instance where an officer presented his claim
to an agent for less than one hundred dollars
and the agent filed out the blanks for over
| nine hundred.
Who will say that NC have not traitors in
our midst? Floyd was a gentleman, COM
pared to some Of the Government thieves that
iufcst our city. Like lecches they are suck
| ing the life blood Of the Government in this
trying hour. The man whose heart has be-
| COME 50 base and corrupt as to stoop to such
an act, if he saw his mother drowning at his
feet, instead Of lending her helping hand,
would steal the last, straw to Which she WAS
clinging for support.
Any Government officer who wishes to in-
vestigatc the truth Of the foregoing statement
I will be furnished with means Of obtaining
satisfactory proof by calling on the subscri.
ber. WIZ.