Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-01-08
fORNTNGLEADER.
aURsDAY SIoRNTNe5 Jan 5, Is6s.

Pis. We have made mention Of the arrest Of
s.sss 1aAs Aymaster L N. Cook, at Cincinnati, for
D'Hc Gambling away a large sum Of money be-
uolun fnging 70 Government amounting to more
Sts &c tn quarter Of a million dollars. With
F5ts I'M were implicated gamblers in Ginein-
~ ss sati, Columbus, Cleveland. Louisville, and
DssFs shsr places, many Of whom were arrested.
- rom . very fun account Of the affair in
as Ee Cincinnati Gazette, we take the fol-
he fswing particulars of the swindling defal-
eatiOn, and the way in which the money
sas won from the Paymaster. The de-
Joh aopments are startling. It viii be seen
at Cook claims to have lost $4,000 in
nz5is city:
y IN General Grant some weeks since,
R sazHie complaint TO the proper department
sWashington, that his men had not re-
Ias ss1ved any pay for a long time, and urging
II the Paymaster be sent down at once.
p abaer some delay, Major l. N. Cook was
p, Ifted from Washington with g, 500,000
- iugreen-backs. He came as far as Colum-
ps.s4s and there distributed the most of this
NJ, aey between number Of Psymasters
were at that point waiting for him,
s-jning for himself some 100000. With
On stion Of this money be went up to
fetta, and paid off some Of the regi-
-7fsin the Kanawha Valley. From here
'1PPllSe sturned TO Columbus. At Columbus,
Of E~alis says, he fell in with Gilbert, of
rangeme sslaHd, and Jones, Olmstead and Dyer,
of the olumbus, all professional gamblers,
thatI h, sequaintances and men with whom
49, -2qqi been accustomed to associate. They
1T several days in going around drink
@-insgand Cook says his liquor was drug
ged. One night he played faro in COlum-
gS bus with these parties, and he lost between
4, $4,000 and $50, 900. Cook, after this,
went to Cleveland, in company with Gill
bert and Jones, aud they played there.
Cook lost some $4,000 more. The party
now returned 10 Columbus, and after re-
maiRing several days there, came on to this
city, where they spent considerable time,
q several weeks we believe in playing.
an the meantime General Grant, SO our
informant states, became more annoyedat
the delay in the arrival Of the Paymaster,
and be dispatched Major RaWley, of his
% staff to look into the matter. The Major
4deame on here, and he also visited Colum-
bus and ascertained what was going on.
4 sHe Immediately communicated his suspi-
h4,tiOBs 10 the Department and Major Nc
Dowen was sent on to help unravel the
Pns per and arrest the guilty parties. Ma
lRa~iey applied to the Chief Of Police
lou vile for assistance, but we believe
ftE EclEEEEu ulLl 70 UuE GuAGAs OoA-
Bol' .9lD LEY. Major Rawley then came on
in MasTte, i on Christmas day had an inter-
has eeWy h Colonel Dudley. The result of
valrFlAis il ryieW was the sending of detec-
aeo, I've !. Simmonds to Cairo to watch Ma
III. sr CO :, and the party who were known
4 be ere in his company.
A'ei-EsW W now return to Major Cooks adven-
Is kFes re as related by him to a personal
nists 95eno
he rc,,1I 0c-1r
s. SFsaado~ed by his friend Captain Sam.
NOR {snithers, and by man named Truman
wa tltnes, both Of whom kept him company,
inst o. ID scarcely allowed him to get out Of their
-. 4zht Captain Smithers took him in hand
- 5aen he arrived here, and they both called
'u 1nd at Whaley establishment on Baker
was issFeet, where he lost about $50, ,000 He
natiy sxt visited Billy Lewis, on Vine street,
who 1ssposite the old Palace Garden, where he
Bro ~ $4,000 more. It was out Of this
an .-seney, it is said, that Mr.. Lewis bought
=. g splendid residence Of Mr.. Wright, on
az - lm street, between Third and Fourth
DO streets, some weeks since.
spee sf"They then visited the house Of Mr.
to f+aeorry, on Vine street. where he lost S20,-
b. sfpOO The chief parties with whom Cook
=. played at these houses were Gilbert Of
cleveland, Jones, 0lmstead and Dyer Of
siColumbus, and -Whaley, Cassidy, Barker,
ANr Conlisk, Chase Cory, McElvy, Truman
.5,ssaJones, Billy Lewis, Mckinney, Captain
Fisher and Captain Smithers Of this city.
u Fisher Smithers, and Truman Jones made
pol up private party at Captain Fishers
Urr room at the Spencer House, one evening,
issui TO which Cook was invited, where they
tior played poker and the result was Cook lost
900 more.
M '' " After playing in this city some time,
in which number of our merchants and
T. others tried their hands in small games,
VIII land by the way the authorities have the
uunames of all these parties, Cook and the
tc s5professional gentry started for Louisville.
n ,bHere they were Joined by two Louisville
men named Barton and Field, and they
again played, Cook losing somewhere
es. .sssout S50,000.
Hm. -" At some one of these houses Cook re-
D. + fsed to pay up and positively declined to
J. 20 TO his safe for the money, when Fisher
9es sfhd Smithers of this city threatened him
zith exposure and he finally yielded
{" Cook now started for Cairo, and
from there he went to Memphis, where he
spent day, and then returned to Cairo.
Truman Jones followed him to Memphis,
and finding there that he had returned to
Cairo, he took the next boat and came up
. to Cairo.
= HAt Cairo, Cook was met by man
1lAnamed Leach, who lives there, and by
oba, Conlisk, McElvy and Truman Jones from
this city, and we believe his friend Sam
sSmithers. Gilbert, Of Cleveland, and Jones,
&c Of Columbus, who we're up at Springfield,
eTr' gaIllinOis, playing, hearing that Cook had
arrived at Cairo, also started to come down
TO meet him.
% Cook now for the first time began to
realize the enormity of his crimes, and be
made confident of gentleman of this
q city who was then on his way up from
Z Memphis, and who happened to be in Cairo
Whether Cook really had any twitching Of
conscience, or whether he had misgivings
IS to the object Of the visit Of Major Nc
Dowen TO Cairo just then or not we can
not say.
{ 'fMcDoweI, who had followed Cook
ls down to Cairo, finding that he was mol
h. playing just then, and suppOsing that the
reason was his (McDs) presence, con.
tns hcluded to come away, and he left Sam Sim
ms smonds there to watch matters.
G No sooner was it known that Mcdowell
L. had really left Cairo than guard was ar
N ranged for Simmons Swallowed Cook al
l.. day, and saw him after dinner 60 10 hi:
safe, and taking from it a large amount o
bills start off for the room where they wer
oY to meet. After the party had got together
4.-1Fimmonds approached the door, and b.
-so13isrS ans Of a char resched~up and watched