The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-03-27
FRAUDS UPON THE GOVERNMENT.
ASTOUNDING DEVELOPMENTS.

ASTOUNDING DEVELOPMENTS.
The Committee of Congress appointed to in
vestigate the matter of the character of trans
ports for the Banks Expedition, have brought
10 light some astounding abuses and frauds.
1t appears that OH the goth of April, 1861,
Capt. Richard II. Loper was appointed Assist
ant Agent of the War Department by J. Ed
gar Thompson, President of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, as Mr.. Thompson himself
says in the pretended commission under which
he acted, Sin accordance with the authority
vested in me by the Secretary of War" The
Committee remark that they ''are unable to say.
by virtue of what law an Assistant Agent of
the War Department, was appointed, or how
the appointing power came to be lodged in the
hands of tho President of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company. s.3
This commission was revoked in May, 1861,
by j. Edgar Thompson, who informed Captain
Loper that he had been notified by the Secreta-
ry of war (AIr. Cameron) of the appointment of
Mr.. John Tucker as "Unitcd States Transport
Agent" Mr. Thompson then wrote aletter to
the Secretary of War, stating that Capt Loper
had been ''untiring in his efforts to serve the
country" The more heavy operaiions,of Capt.
Lopcr began with the appointment of MIR. Tuck
er as limited States Transport Agent" and
they have continued without in.ermission during
the whole of Mr.. fuckers two terms of office,
first as Agent, and subsequently, as Assistant
Secretary of War. Mr. Tucker employed Capt.
Lopcr to ''inspect and recommend" all kinds of
vessels at Philadelphia, \ York and Annapolis,
for various services and expeditions, anc Capt.
Lopcr proceeded to charge from five co ten per
cent. commission on the gross earnings OF the
vessels recommended to Mr.. Tucker for charter;
yet he assured the Committee that, as he had
money enough for himself and his children, he
was s'actuated solely by desire to aid in crush
ing this 'ungratef;tl rebellion" Tucker, in his
testimony, attributed to him ''great purity and
patriotism"
1t appears by this report that one Amasa
Hall, Of Baltimore, has cnjoycd the monopoly
of chartering all the vessels the Government
needed at that port, and Mr.. Hall seemed to be
fully aware of the advantages of this n,onopo-
ly. No vessels could secure charter Of the
Qnartermastcr unless Mr.. Hall offered it. Mr..
Hall acted in the double capacity Of broker for
the owners of the vessels, and as a sort Of a.
gent of the Government.
We have now the three principal characters
in the drama before us-Tucker, Loper and
Hall. We now turn to Capt. Loper's ''cfforts
to serve the country"
Commencing OH the Goth of April, 1868, to
act us 'tAssistant Agent of the War Depart
mert," he commenced on the same day TO re-
ceivc five per cent. commission on the earnings
of vessels chartered by his agency The first
vessel he took up was the steamer w. Whildin,
April goth, 1861, owned by Anthony Reybold,
at Sl75 per day. (Senate, Ex. Doc. 81, page
2, 37th Congress, Second Sesson) Mr.. Rey
bold testifes that the Whildin remained in the
service under the charter to the present time,
although her rate OF charter was subsequently
reduced to $50 per day; the receipts of the
steamer Whildin, up to the time of the delivery
of Mr.. Reynolds testimony must have been
somewhere between $97, $50 and 5 1925, Oh
which Capt. Loper's commission were between
S4893 and S5476. Mr.. Reybold chartered the
steamer Express to the Government, through
Capt. Loper, at Sl75 per day, the Star at s. 10
per day, and the John Tucker at 5000 perday,
paying Loper five per cent. on their gross re-
ccipts. Through the same agency, Mr. Reybold
chartered the Diamond State (375 tons) at 5000
and the Gen. Burnside (400 tons) at $500 per
day, Capt. Loper himself being part owner of
them Mr.. Reybold testifies that his own re
ceipts from these charters were about SllO0
per day, or at the rate Of S40l, 900 per year.
Mr.. Loper's commission on Mr. Reybold's boats
could not have been less than $4,000 year;
for although he charged no commission on the
three boats of which he was part owner, it must
be presumed that the amount which he derived
from them over and above fair mercantile pro-
fit was at least equal to five per cent, other
wise lac would have charged the commission.--
If the Government had bought Mr.. Reynolds
fleet at the outset, instead of employing Cap
tain Loper to charter them, it would have saved
an immense amount of money
We now notice few of the transactions Of
Mr.. Hall, in whom the Assistant Secretary of
War, Mr.. Tucker, expressed much confidence"
The magnitude of his transactions may be
inferred from the fact that 384 vessels were
chartered by him, $50 of them chartered under
direction of Mr.. Tucker, upon all of which
Mr. Hall received, or is 10 receive commits