Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1865-10-13

A Great Cotton Fraud--The Government
Cheated of Half a Million-- Gen. SIO-
cum Responsible.

Il
Great Cotton FraHd--The Government
Cheated of Half Million Gen. SIo-
cum Responsible.
Correspondence Of the Chicago Republican.
VIoKsRURG, MISS, Sept. "a, 1865.
| have obtained copy of an official docu-
ment revealing gigantic fraud upon the
Government, in which Major General Slo-
cum was a prominent actor, whether as a
tool of cunning scoundrels or as a partici-
pant IN their guilty but enormous profits, |
will not undertake to positively determine.
The facts are as follows
When General Grant came here in Janu-
airy, 1868, and, encamping at Milhken's
Bend, began to assemble the Immortal army
with which he afterwards captured Vicks
burg, the rebel citizens of Madison parish,
Louisiana, in which Miiliken Bend is stu
ated, generally fed Among the most ex-
treme and violent of these people was one
Joseph holland, cotton planter. just be-
fore his fight, holland complied with the
orders of the rebel authorities by setting
fire to his cotton, of which he had consid-
cradle quantity Most of it was burned up,
and Noland left in the belief that it had en-
tirely perished in the fire. 1t is said, how
ever, that a small quantity escaped destruc-
ton; how much | have not been able to as
certain, but from the best information | can
gather the amount was about forty bales.
When, in March and in April following,
Gen. Grant was fitting up his steamboats, to
run past the batteries Of Vicksburg, he sent
about the country and gathered IN all the
abandoned cotton that could be found, to be
used for bulWarks for the protection of boil
ers and engines against the enenys FIRE.
hoe
been adduced, to prove that Noland's aban-
doned and unburnt cotton was taken for this
purpose, but probably it was At any rate,
however, it was abandoned property, belong-
ing to an enemy of the United States, who
tried to destroy it to prevent It's falling into
our hands, and was clearly subject to the
uses OF the United States forces, without
amy right whatever, on the part of the fugi-
tive rebel who owned ii to ask for payment.
La process of time, after Vicksburg had
fallen, Aoiand came back TO his plantation.
1t had then become the fashion to present
claims for cotton lost during active hostili-
ties, and some SIX months after Nolaud re-
turn he was induced by one Delano to make
out an allegation that Grant had seized and
used six hundred bales of his cotton, with
the demand that that number of bales should
be returned to him out of captured cotton
then lying in the quartermaster' store
house in picksburg. This claim was pre-
scented to Major General Slocum, who was
then commanding at Vicksburg, by whom
it was treated at first with the Indifference
it merited as an impudent attempt to defraud
the Government for the benefit of a rebel,
whose treason could not be denied or even
doubted.
Hereupon Noland and his friends gave up
the attempt and were looking to other means
of making money but there was then at
Vicksburg a shrewd and unscrupulousN orth |
ern speculator, named W. S. Grant who
conceived the idea of achieving what No |
land had failed to accomplish. He first bar
gained with holland to buy the claim tor
about one-fifths or one sixth of its nominal |
value, agreeing to pay him for it nearly
thousand dollars 1Uhea he had got the cotton. |
Then he went to General Slocum, and used |
such effective argument, that tcl1iR tto0 |
days that officer delivered to him six hum
dred bales of cotton from a store house, |
which for some purpose had been taken out |
of the hands of the previous regular quar-
termaster, and put in charge of one Lieut.. |
Steiner, an officer of the4st Maryland cav
airy. who was not quartermaster, but only |
acting as such. Not being a bonded officer, |
OF course Steiner was responsible in some
what less degree Tor property OF the sort |
that might be in his hands He might also |
be expected TO be more pliable than a tried |
and experienced quartermaster who thor |
oughly understood his duties and his rights
These six hundred bales Steiner surrendered |
to Grant upon Slocum's order, as an equiv
alent for that which holland pretended to
have lost, and this cotton was Immediately |
shipped to New Orleans and sold But SO
extraordinary an interest did Gen. Slocum
take in the success of the negotiation that
he actually sent confidential staff officer
with the cotton, saith Grant, to New Or
leans, and this officer did not return until the
property was disposed of, and the money
for it realized. What sum it. produced |
cannot say; but my recollection is that at
that time cotton was worth in New Orleans
81 35 per pound. The 900 bales contained
fully 100000 pounds, and the whole ought
to have netted something over S400, ,000
Gen. Washburn aft6rward came here as
Slocum successor, ard learning by accident
that Noland, whose former history as reb-
el he perfectly understood, had received
large quantity of cotton from Gen. Sloeum,
he caused the matter to be investigated by
military commission.