The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-06-10
COTTON SPECULATION ON THE
MISSISSIPPI.
Report Of the Mcdowell Investigate
ing Committee.
Special dispatch to the Chicago Tribune.
WASHINGTON, June g.

Special dispatch to the Chicago Tribune.
WASHINGTON, June s.
TIE N'DOwRIL INVESTIGATION
The Secretary of War this evening sent into
the Senate the report of the Mcdowell Inves.
the Mississippi Valley. 1t is a document of
seventy foolscap manuscript pages, aecompa.
MED by 1000 such pages of testimony.
1t appears that there were five cases with
which the name of Gen. Curtis was connected
while he was in command at Helena, Ark. In
regard to the Matt Ward cotton, and the Cas-
tile and Tappan cotton, the court entirely ex-
onerates him from either blame or suspicion
Relative to the Rolute estate cotton, the
court finds that the only interest he could have
had was in the fact that he received the money
for the cotton seized, in gold, and paid it over
in Treasury notes.
The amount was six Thousand and twenty.
two dollars, and the premium at Helena, at
that time was q cents.
Relative to Friar's Point cotton. the Court
shows that it was valued at 6, 937: that General
Curtis had eleven hundred dollars OF the mon
ey in his hands for some months; and that
$275 are unaccounted for. They submit the
evidence, which is very contradictory, and
concludes it has left the impression in the
mind of the Court that Gen Curtis was in
some degree personally interested in the trans
action.
Relative to the Pillow cotton, from the plan-
tatiOn of the rebel General and his brother Je-
rome, just below Helena, they submit mass
Of evidence showing that some persons under
stood it was seized for the benefit of the ne
grOes; others that it was the property of the
negroes and Others said it was confiscated
The summing up is as follows: The Court
find that Major-General Curtis participated in
the traffic OF cotton; and further, in whatever
light the cotton in Pillow be regarded, wheth-
er as public property, from the proceeds of
which Gen. Curtis, as military commander. di-
rected to provide for the wants of negroes,
and were destitute Oh account of the pillage of
plantations by his own soldiers, or as the prop
erty Of the negroes, and taken by him as their
self-constituted agent, the proceeds of which he
has to apply for their benefit, the Court finds
that but portion of the money can
thus he accounted for. 1t is unable to
say precisely what proportion the negroes re-
ccived or what became of that they did not
receive, and admitting that they received the
whole amount it is impossible to say what por-
ton of the proceeds, if any, turned to the ben
s.oner d. Wells, at length, upon Majors H. L.
Curtis, I. j. Mckinney and L. Starke, and
Lieut.. John Guile, members of Cen Curtis
rtatf, the Court finds that these officere were
extensively engaged in cotton speculation, and
to some extent in -four speculation. On thirty
bales of cotton they cleared So, 600. and their
actions involved $50 bales.
Brig. Gen. c. E. HOvey, formerly Colonel of
the SD Illinois, Normal Regiment) admits
that he did something in the cotton line, per-
haps on seventy-fiye or one hundred bales.
The Court sets at rest one case as follows :
In reference to certain allegations of the forci-
BILE returning of fifteen negroes into slavery for
consideration in cotton, the Court finds that
he had nothing to do with any such transac-
ton.
Marsh of the 30th Illinois, Col s. N. Wood of
the 9th Michigan cavalry, VIM. H. Rowland
and a number of other minor officers, are prov
en- to have been engaged in the cotton business
to greater or less extent