New-York daily tribune., 1865-10-13
A LEAR FROM sLOCUM's nIsTORY.
The Great Cotton speeuiasicr-H" INC
Government was Cheated BY Military
Authorities-siocum Closes hts E'es-
The Cotton sp,cuiators in Clever
Correspondence of The Chicago Rrpaohean'
VjcKsyuRG, Miss. Sept. a. leo''

Correspondence OF Ihe tbiceto
VIcKssURG, Miss, Sept. ~ 4eo''
| have obtained copy OF an ollclNI Tnd'o.,, uO.
ment revealing a gigantic fraud upon the DoN'tin ,, v
IN wtcb Att Crr SIorpru oGs prominent actor
vhettsr as a tool Of GINNING seoHHd'tIs ." u r., nm
pant te.r suily bat enormous & &gyoa t, are "a fol-
dertake TO positively determine A"'
When Gen. Grant came here in January, leiSs. ana,
encamping at Milkens Bend besah 70 "rreJ
immortal army with which ne aiterWaru Sap'IIIou
Yicksbgrg tne Rebel ciussns Of Madison Iarsh Low
isiaua In which Millikens Bend Is situated geberay
fed. Among the most eHtreme anu ,nto " Inst
tefre his flight Noarc complied with the orders OF the
Rebel authorities by setting hre TO his cotton OF when
he had considerable quantity Most OF It was Dnrned
nm and NolaLd left in The belief that had entirely
pershed in tho fire. 1t IL said however, that ,ncH
onasty escoDsG destruction how much have not been
able TO ascertain but from the best Information can
gather the amount was about forty bales
When. in March aud in April following, Gen. Grant
fitting mp bis steam boats 10 run past tho batteries
of Nicksburg ho sent about the cou try and githered
IN all the abandoned cotton that could be fonud TO be
used for bulwarls for the protection OF boers ana
snes against the enemys hre Ihere Is no erideHo
and none has been GddEcd "a prors that Notdaaf
abanoasd and un6nfaed cotton taken for ls purpose
bsi probdbiy il At any rcte, Aorerer nas ebaH
ioRsd properly. hloERiHg 20 an enemy Of ne Uaufd
Sates rho had tried dFsr0p 20 prereHf us JdtihS
hasds aud was ecary subject 70 the use OF the
United States forces without any right haeyer on
the part OF the fugitive Rebel who owned IT, to ask Tor
in process Of time after vcksburg had fallen. holland
came back 10 his plantation. n had men otoomt tAe
jdsiioa 70 present. cl4ms Jor eoro" los' dnlg aclve
bust,es aud some siI mOiths after NOiands return
he wns induced b. Doan0 to make out an Ailega'
ticu that Grant had seized nud used bUO baes of ms
cotton with demand that that nuuber Of bales should
be returned 70 him out o captured cotton teh wing ~
the ouuftprmattor's stOrelUuee IN Nessburg. IDS
claim was presented 10 MaJorGen. Slo"un who was
then commanding at NicksbuTE, Dy Whoin II was trent
ed al st with the indifference Il meItOd, as an lmpu
dent attempt 10 dersud the Government for the benefit
OF Rebel whose treason could net be denied of even
questioned.
Hereupon Noland ard his frieols gave mp the attempt
and loers looki7g other of making moHsyi
6n there rash0 at PioksbW9 Shretd ana uHscrApHio4s
NOrlhern specudtO- Hdmed W. s Grant who conceNed
lie idea Of achieving Rhat NOlinu had fued To &C
complish He first blrgoiued with Noand to buy The
claim for about onefth csiI Of as nominal rdiue
agreeing 20 pay tin for nearly thousand dollars
ishea ne nod got the Then he went to Gen Slo
cum and used with him such .6eotire arguments udi
rtaia tro days haf etcr dfhuersd 70 hm "I hEadrea
bals, Of cotton from sforetOESc which for some purpose
had been taken out of tue hands OF the previous regular
and put IN charge Of Que Lieut. Steiner
an officer Of the Isl Maryland cavalry, VINO was not
quarterraster, but only acting az sCch. Not being
bonded officer, Of course steiner was Responsible
| In q somewhat less decree for property OF the
sort that might be IN bis bands ne might also
be expected to he more pabe than tried and eIpe'
renced qnsrteTmaster WHO thoroughly understood lis
duties nnd his rights Tte'e sI hundred bales Steiner
sxyendrsd 10 GrcHf upon S0cuns order a. an tqtrdieH
y mot ukicb holand DresEd,d hare lost and Ls cotton
,cas Immediately shpp hee orleans and sold BIT 50
e1fra0rdiH0ry interest did Gsn SocaM takt iH tit "a
stoF oHc,r sstk ne cotton S0ii Grant 10 t1 Orieaas
and this officer did not until the property was
disposed of, and the money for u realized hhatsnm
II produced cannot say; but my recollection Is that
NJ tbat time cotton worth in NCvOIlssns ~ 30
per Is TIE six hundred bales contained fully OJ 0O
h. and the whole ought 10 have netted something over
$4,000
cen. Washburn af;erword came here as Socums |
succegsOr and learning by accident that Nunnd whose
former history Rebel he perfectly understood AGd
rrcsiped large quantity Of e0noH from Gen. Aoe' he
caused The matter 10 be tnUstgaied bg military eoRTgis.
sion, copy Of whose proceedings here suhjon
HDoss DHTRICT op NICKsBUBG, |
NhxsBuEG, Miss, Jan b, ioe'. |
| SPECIAL ORDERS Nc. 6.
ps,.v The foiiowin! named officer. are. sp-
pointed commission to inquire into thc oHp.t'hp ana a'
ov.tv Cant VIM Fiker. Drpo, Quartermaser, to lieut.
steSrY lei Nsrysnd Cavalry A. A. q NJ his successor a.
.ro, ousr,ermes,er They suhorzsd to send for per
I son. ana papers and 10 exau.iue witnesses.
The testimony t.krn with the finding Of the oOmmiion
Col !. II. Howe, i2nb Illinois Infntry.
Capt Gsnt sd y C1,'1S %s,Sss sics; C0'0ed lnf'ny
'' ''O'' W H. MoRGAx Assistant a jut.nt General
There being further testimony
respectfully submit the following usons, drawn
from the evidence sdduced ard the results Of the IN
/ fhe Commission is OF the opinion that fe Coo !
bales OF cobn referred 10 IN said order the prop
erty Of the Uuited Sta es py capture aud conhtca;on
in The eDemys colniry, and in the possession Of
~. l.. N. a Y. T.
and for which he was responsible.
p That on the sth day Of August A. D. 1861. the
GOO bales Of said cotton were turned o'.T and DELIVERED
BY LsG' sg ms4 Sses a. ~ . 1' s sSaS5S ~ SiaS'
District qj Yicks5irg upon CLAIM preferred against
tn, United s!a!e' ope joseph No'apd, cum u
Madison Parish. louisiana. which claim was based
upon pretended seizure Of 600 bales Of his cotton by
Cen Grant 10 Apri is53 al Mikens Bend, Loois ana,
10 barricade trsnsports wbioa ran the Nlcssbrg
batteries about that time. said Naand having sold SAID
claim 10 said W s. Grant for sl OO0 after fruitless
effort TO establish by bnseh and agents, he regard
ing the claim aS hopeless.
3 ThGt soid el0in' nor palid claim oeGaasi he
Uaifsd States.
Tie Commission regard II as pery doubtful BLslsr
sek Noiand he'd byoRd 40 bales OF baied cotton there
ct tie tine and Whethe- the same wac aeized by Gen
Grant and further that said holland had abandoned
his flanation and property there, and tdhsn regs
,iiir tie spsrs nes and remained there until after the
urreuder Of VioksbuIg aud that he took no measures
10 recover such cotton Tor SONS Fix months hoi
ward and not then unt he was prompted and induced
10 prefer sad claim by D0laao. VITO undertook 20
uroseelte it for one half be might RECOVER.
L. That said coo bales Of cotton after being delivered
10 esid Grant were immediately aiterward shipped TO
New Orleans and dls posed Of FOL the benefit c himself
and others inter estcd with Inn.
or the remaining 81 bales, IL bales were accounted
fpr by board OF survey Shortage in retailing. and
ne rsn9iRdey ~ bales rCrt trrsd oru by 0rde Qt GeH
Siocufl 10 L0peaoe legitimate claim Of ~ bales
which had been satisfactorily established.
The Commission call attention 20 the singular faot
developed In the testimony that although Joseph No
land and his agent had vigorously prosecuted and
pressed TINS claim for weeks before the commanding
General Of the District Of Vcksburg without success
aud regarding Said claim hopeless had sold IT 20 the
said Grant Tor the comparatively nominal sun OF
s9 O00 yet within day or two after"a IN the hands
of said Grant who interruptions cotton Specnla
tor and who according % the testimony assumed 30
have peculiar influence at said headquarters Hwss
allowed a valid claim upon The same proofs Whlch
I'D been submitted IL support Of IL by holland aud his
Tas ordsr Of Maj Gen H. ". Sloeum before referred