Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1864-05-11


est suspicion that they weve TO be docejy.
ed. twill also be found that Colonel
Richard White acknowledges 10 have re.
ceved from Mr. Bernard. as per recoirl
under date of March ! 1864, on acconut
of The local bounty OF Chester county. the
sum OF ten thousand and fifty doll,rs and
that the recelpted rolls for twenty.six men,
at two hundred and seventy dollars each.
making thefuriher sum Of seven thoosord
and twenty dollars, making in the agcre-
gate seventeen thousand aud seventy doi.
lars, and If we presume that lac paid the
bounty to SIX men, two hundred and
twenty dollars each, and retained thirty
, dollars oIeach man, he pockoted on that
item seven hundred and eighty dollars
1t is worthy Of remarl; here, that thesun
paid 10y Chester county was seven hun.
dred and seyentydol.ars, and it is well os-
taUlshed that none OF the men of the fc-
/ ty-itih regiment received more than TWO
hundred and twenty dollars, so far Ms Tho
testimony before your committee g0cs. ex-
Cept the eighteen or twenty men, paid -
the first day by MesSrs Bernard and NJ.
Clcilan. five deduct twenty ncu from
three hundred and finy-eight, we have
total Of three hundred and thirty men to
whom but two hundred aud thirty dollars
was paid ifindeed, all these men were
paid, (lhe testimony shows that niue at
least have not been pR,d,) which would
leave the sum Of fifty dollars retained of
each OF three hundred and thirty -lhIeo
men, making tie respectable sum ofsix-
{ teen thousand six hundred and frty dol
lars to be accounted for by Col. White.
To show, beyond doubt, that the plan
was wei! laid to cover the tracks Of Col
White and those acting with him in this
neiarious business, it is only necessary 70
refer to the form Of receipt which these
men we're required to sigu, on receiving
their two hundred and twenty dolarsi, in
stead Of two hundred and seventy dollars,
to which they we're ea.itleI, which IL 10
iEese words
/ "HARETs1URo, Pa, February "a, 1854.
| We, the undersigned veteran volunteers belong.
ing to Col Richard Whites regiment, No. fifty.
five Pennsylvania volunteers, have this day re.
ceived Of Rueben Bernard the local bounty Of
Chester county"
The above receipt is oouohod in such
language as to close the door against all
inquiry on the subject o! the amount re-
ceiyed by the men of the Fifty-frth regi-
ment Pennsylvania volunteers, so far as
the record is concerned; and if Col. White
had not been intercepted by this investi-
cation, and some of his victims from his
regiment detained and examined before
your committee, his guilty participation
! in these dark transactions might have es-
! capped that just exposure and punishment
it so richly merits, until called to account
before another tribunal, from which no
adroitness or fnesse will shield the guilty
from The scrutiny OF that eye that never
slumOaIs.
Your committee regret the fact, that
Just about the time that this investigation
was instituted the Firty-Gnh regiment
Pennsylvania volunteers lCol. Il. Whitel
was ordered 10 South Carolina, and thus
they were deprived Of the opportuni-
ty Of examining the m en- Of that regiment
in detail, and thereby eliciting all the facts
from the mouths Of living witnesses, 10
establish the entire transaction touching
the frauds that have been but partially
detected, Bot your committee arc fully
warranted in saying that enough nas been
disclosed 10 fix upon the Colonel Of the
!itty-tiGth regiment Pennsylvania volun
teers, and Captain David Fox, ofcompan,
A, Of said regiment, the charge Of lgiyubs
and kHo0mgy dcccirng and d.trapdng Their
men, by the most shameless aud barefaceu
interpretations and art(ul deceptiour
that bad men could resort to, in order e.
make money at the expense Of both truth
and honor. The testimony of John Wilk.
enson, a citizen Of Hemlock, Cambria
county, fixes upon Captain Fox, company
A, Fitty-titth regiment, the charge Of hav
ing received the sum Of seventy dollars, in
a least fifteen cases which amounted t.
the sum Of eighteen hundred and Eflv
dolla rs, lie having pCid to the men bu'
two hundred dollars each, whilst he rc-
ceived at least two hundred and soyent,
dollars, inasmuch as they were credited
to Chester county, and that was the sun,
fixed for all the men of the ffty-Gfh reg.
iment The witnes states the number will
whom Captain Fox made the agreement
TO get two hundred dollars each was ff
teen or twenty. Your committee have
assumed, as the basis, the smallest nun.
ber namely Fifteen men, in order to avoid
the appearance of doing justice TO any
man. The moral turpitude Of Captain
Fox, in this buiress, Is not to be measur.
ed by tie number of men he cheated. bg
cause his guilt in a moral point Of view,
would be as great if praciised upon one
victim Of his deception as if it had exteu.
ded TO great number.
The above remarks relative TO the con.
duct Of Capt. David Fox, Of company A.
Fifty-ffth regiment Pennsylvania volup,
teers, are equally APPLICABLE to the conduc,
OF Capt, Walker, company NJ, SeconT
Pennsylvania cavalry, who Is as implica.
ted in cheating his men and retaining
their local bounty money as Fox is. Til,
cases Of those two men arc siDilariD char.
acter, as will be found by reference TO tho
testimony accompanying the report
Your committee cannot close this repori
without adyerting 10 the case Of a Lieut.
Duff, who was the recruiting agent Of tho
Government al Indiana, Iddiaua county,
Pennsylvania. This man, Instead OF 6i,-
changing his duty to the Goverumentas
en- honest man ought TO do, resorled -
the most unmaply exped!ents to chea,
and deiraud out OF their lust dues tbosr