New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-01-24
" for full record Of all the persons arrested and

leased without trial in consideration of enlist
ing; or who, having boon tried and sentenced
have had their sentences suspended for the same
reason. This statement" We urged, "should
contain the charges for which these persons
were arrested, together with the pseudonyms OF
aliases under which they were mustered and
sworn in as soldiers. This list" we further
suggested, should be kept secret, so far as the
public is concerned, only two copies thereof
being made-one Of which should be forwarded
to Provost-M ashal-General Fry, for his notation
thereupon Of the names Of all such prison.re-
cruits as have subsequently deserted; and then
a publication Of the names Of such deserters,
together with the full circumstances under
which they were enlisted would not only be in
order, but might prove an act of the highest
public utilty;--whic such course would still
keep the secret of such other prison-recruits as
may have remained faithful to their oaths of
enlistment, and who, perhaps, may have re-
solved to expiatc the offenses of their former
lives by gallantry and devotion in the service of
their country"
We gave also some particulars and sta
Itistcs, showing that these prison-recruits,
who only don the uniform OF our Army
or Navy to ayoii the zcbra-suits of Sing
Sing or tho penitentiary, almost invariably
desert. either to the rear or to the enemy, at the
first chance; and that, having thus once been
taught how easy a crime desertiOn is "to per.
sons of their trained criminal ingenuity" they
then take up the business of "bOunty jumping
as profession. travelling the country in gangs,
and jumping the bounty" at every recruiting
depot within their line of march. We even
cited the case Of one Police-Justice who, for
personal object, had caused four arrested persons
to be enlisted-three of them being sent by him
ont of the City of New.Yoik, and therefore not
credited to our quota, and one OF them giving
proof that he had been "pinched" of more than
half his bounty by the "Friendly Lawyer
Ii. O., friendly with the Police-Justice) who
secured his release from the Tombs. Out OF
how much tie other three recruits had been
"pinched," no one can tell-thcir commanding
officers, in two instances, reporting that the
villains had deserted a few days after joining
their regiments, and there being no record on
the regimen,al books to show that the fourth
man. who probably escaped en- route had ever
joined at all
OF course, We are far from asserting that all
the recruits sent from Manhattan Island to the
war during the pas. two years are OF this charac'
ter-iar from il; nor are the police practices OF
which we complain confined to this city IN par
ticular. A recent memorial addressed to the
Secretary Of War by q body Of Philadelphia
gentlemen sets forth the same evils, precisely,
a. existing in the criminal machinery OF that
city; and We have excellent reasons Tor believ.
ing that. while Boston is importing soldiers By
the shp.!oad from the of-scourings of Euro.
pean capitals aud villages, her authorities have
not overlooked the large amount of bad military
material which can be CLEANED from the cells OF
her police courts and prisons. Indeed We have
heard Of late-but for this We cannot vouch,
as for our other statements in regard to this
matter-that regular system Of exchange has
been for some time in vogue between certain Oi
the policemen and police justices Of this and
other cities, New-York sending her worst
prison.recrli,s to Boston, Philadelphia or some
other recruiting depot, on the local records OF
which no charge Of crime can be found against
the proposed soldier; and tho police authorities
of Philadelphia, Boston, &C.. reciprocating in
like manner with regard to New-York. We
have already alleged, and have before us the
aiIidayits and papers to prove, that at least one
Of our police Justices is in the habit OF sending
his prison recruits out of New-York City to be
enlisted. IL it, therefore, at all improbable
that, as general rule, this whole class OF
dad subjects" are now sent of to whatever
county, State or town, may be willing to pay the
highest bountesi
For all the material allegations Of our original
charges in regard to "the enlistment system in
this city," we hold, and have before us as we
write, ample evidence in the form OF official re-
ports from high military officers, and aifidavits
of the most convincing and conclusive charac-
ter. The joint systems of bounty -swindlihg "
and "bounty; jumping" must be abatcd at
whatever cost to our civic, or State, or national
pride; for nothing is more true than "that
this war must be fought out, and not bought
out;" aud that no expenditures Of money can
make up for the absence of honest, able-bodied,
skilled, aud courageous men from the ranks OF
our various armies. This whole matter is one
which den ands prompt attention at the hands
not only OF all in authority, but likewise of all
having tho real interests Of our country at heart;
and in TIC legislation upon the subject OF Boun.