Daily national Republican., 1865-03-01
BnNEDICT MILnURN,

Amy and Navy OF ths UniteC
States. 81 g
The Committee for the District Of Co
lumbla, 10 which was referred Two certali
resolutions Of the House OF Representatives,
the one directing an inquiry into the sale
TO substitute brokers OF colored men con
nnsd In the jail OF the District Of Columbls
charged with felony, and the other a reso-
lutlon directing en- inquiry Into system
Of substitute brokerage alleged TO DO In
practice at said jail, In the city Of Wash
Ington, by the Officers and guards In charg'
thereof, have made their report, and tale
Of lnfamy is unfolded that will astonIsb
some OF those who have taken q peculiar
interest In the affairs OF our District Jail.
The report recltes the testimony taken In
the matter, including that OF the Deputy
Warden, Benedict Mllburn. and proves th'
most infamous conduct on the part Of thit
officer. Some eighty men had been taken
out Of jail on bail 10 be made into recruits,
for which Milburn received generally
twenty dollars apiece, and In some cases
much more. Some Of them were guilty oI
grand larceny, horse stealing, and such
mild offences. One OF them, named Jack.
son, who had been offered as a substitute
and rejected on account OF . defective eye,
was put into the Second sub-dIstrict as a
representative recruit, for which Milburn
received t325. The following extract from
the report gives the conclusions Of the com.
mittee.
The committee have reported 10 the
House bill for a law providing that any
officer OF the Jail who shall be found guilty
Of practices like those proved against Nil.
burn "shsll be deemed guilty Of a mis-.
demeanor, aud shall, on conviction Thereof
In any district court Of competent juris.
dlction, be punished by q fine OF not less
than two hundred and nfty dollars, and
not more than one thousand dollars; and
by imprisonment In the district prison foi
q term OF not less than three months ntI
more than one year"
So much for Mllburn, who was mainly
instrumental In poisoning the minds oi
certain members Of Congress against tb,
Marshal OF the District, Ward II. LSmon
Esq, and Of finally procuring a change
In the administration OF the Dlstrict jail
The undersigned reprohate the action oi
any guard Of the Jail In receiving any
gratuiLy for the performance Of duty
connected with his charger but, iu thelI
| lnAnWnaUt nf auah ia haa
ruDtly received o considers alton for aiding
In the procuring of substitutes, nor has In
fact aided IN the procurement Itself.
| From the investi igatloDs which they have
made, the undersigned are satisfied that
one man, and one alone, of the officers In
any wise connected with the administTa.
tlon Of justice, or with tho charge Of prls-
Oners, hiss been guilty OF such corruption
and malfcasance In office as TO call for
severe and special censuTe, and that man
10 Benedict Milburn. rg
| Aside from the corruption 10 which he
ives q party. by express or implied con-
tract with Beveridge, his action In the case
OF JackfOu was such as might we'll satisfy
the highest ambition for infamy. .-
From the testimony Of the chief OF the
police, contained In the owl dencs submitted
with this report, Il appears that Jackson
was an old offender, and had previously
been committed twice for criminal offences
Ia 1864, while Milburn held the office oi
deputy warden. Mllburn must haze kRonN
him, as 10 stated by the chief of police, and
we assume that he did know him. Those
commitments were for grand larceny, and
the commitment for which he Was held for
trial at the time that MIlburn sold him as
n substitute 10 Mr.. HUI was for the lar
ceny Of property 70 the amount Of ~ loAHt
$3.50.
still, after knowledge OF hIs belng reject
cd ~ . substitute on his original letting 10
ball upon the application Of Murphy, Nil.
burn, without authority OF Law, without
the request Of his superior, aud without
his knowledge, and for tho consideration
OF t325 In hand paid, sells him As . repre-
sentative substitute TO Mr.. Hill, Of George
town. and tho notorious convict, ready TO
commit new dopredatlons and new crimes,
takes his place beslde some honest soldier
In the army Of the republic. A. the ume
that he was thus taken out for ball, Il ap-
pears by the testimony of Duval and others
Of the jail guard, that jackson, then In
citizen clothing, acknO Owledged aud stated,
In the presence and hcariRg Qf NRburn, that
he was then already In tbs military service
Of the United States, aud Mlburn knew
that he was either a deserter, and liable as
such, or was incapable OF being mustered
In as q substitute because OF his existing
obligations 10 the service.
still for money, arising from the sale, In
violation OF his duty as al officer, In disre-
gard OF the interest and character OF the
service, Benedict Milburn became the bail
Of the criminal, placed him In the army,
pocketed the brlbe, and then procured the
entry Of Rolis proStq,i by the district at
torney on the proceeding against Jackson,
and thus discharged the obligation given
for his appearance to answer for crime.
1t is In proof before us, as might have
been expected, that Jackson Is again de-
serter from the army, and his arrest is now
being sought, for tue purposc OF bringing
him 10 Punishment, for burglary In enter
Ing an Office, In Alexandria, connected
with the military administration, and
there breaking open and robblng n safe,
and taklUR theTefrom the sum Of el, lou
belonging TO his brother soldiers, and de-
Poslted for safe keeping.
The undersigned have been Informed that
since this inyestig alton has commenced be.
fore them, Mr.. Milburn has been dismissed
from his office, and they ara pleased "a
recOgniEa the dismissal aS q distinction "a
which he ls most otninently entitled by his
merits and his character.
Capture OF = Valuablo Bloc kado.
| RuahsT. UT.
The Navy Department has information
OF tho . Capture OF the block kAde-runneI