New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1865-01-02

share Two believe an ignorant, and therefore
partly innocent One,) in the creation of this ig-
noble means of filling up the ranks of "our gal
Int armies in the field" Bad as it is under the
stimulus of $500 County bounty per man, what
must it become if the temptation to fraud shall
be increased more than three-told' 1t is even
now complained b. all commanding officers to
whose regiments recruits are sent from this
city, that it takes nearly al the staunch old
veterans in the command to prevent the
descrtion, either to the rear or to the enemy, Of
q majority Of the recruits who have been thus
obtained. Not only do they desert themselves,
but they demoralzc the wholesome spirit Of any
command into which they are thrust, caus-
ing Others previously Of good Character to de-
sert along with them, and introducing all tho
vices of their own Infamous lives into the COM
panies and regiments who have received them,
not knowing their anteccdcnts. All this IS very
natural under the syslem Of which Nj. Blunt is
the chief officer, at least in name-theSe prison
recruits not having enlisted to fight the battles
Of their country, bat as The only ready means Of
escaping State Prison or the PcnitentiMy
Having themselves been dofrauded Of their
bounties on entering the service. and finding
A., that desertiOn to men of their trained criminal
ingenuity is easy, they are not long IN proiitlns
b. the lesson. They desert, and at once take
up "bounty jumping" as II profession, travelling
in gangs, ranging from five to twenty persons IN
number, all over the country, half ot them en-.
listing in one city, aud being aided by their IN
enlisted coniedcTaes tocSeape; and the other
half then going through the same performance
at Whatever recruiting station they may next
arrive at. They have DISCUSSES Of civilian
/ clothes false boards, and all varieties OF Wig,
paints and eyebrows always ready; and their
trade is now becoming as regularly organized
and recognized as distinct ayocat!on in this
city as the keeping Of a - fence" for stolen
goods, "policy-ahop,' or house Of prostitu-
ton.
OF these professional bounty jumper" it is
estimated by men who should know, that there
are to-day from three TO five thousand upon
Manhattan Island. Thy are regularly organ
lied into little gangs, ans have their headquar-
tiers at certain well.hnowr hotels and public
houses where they rc-asScmble after each 'siar-
engagement tour" Gas they call it, through
the provinces" L. j., indeed, but few nights
ago since a gang Of these scOundrels, numbering
eleven, were caught in . single hotel in one OF
our lower wards, where they were holding high
reyel on the spoils of IN excursion from which
| they had but Just returned Each gang OF these
"bounty jumpers is uLdcr the command OF a
/ higher grade OF criminal in the same line o. busi
ness. 10 Wit. the bounty s~indler' calling
/ himself Substitute Broker" who never en-
lists himself, but who provides The rank aud file
Of his party with travelling expenses, c1liandis-
guiseS and so iofti--he being often intimate
with certon assistant ProyoSt-Marshals, and
taking for these Services aud such assistance as
! he NAV render 10 them in their escape. far the
greater part Of the bountics for which the lower
villains of his gang have TO peril their
very lives If detected. II is not many weeks
since one OF those bounty swindler5
left or city with party of seven mere lads
ranging from II 10 -. That some of these had
Jumped the bounty" before, we think probable,
though without certain information on the
point; but ve know that at least one Of the
young men was previously innocent, and wfs
.sduced by the " bounty swindCr" 10 accompany
him out West unGrr p'cr THAT no ra- - hiring
laborers for the QuartcTmaSter's Department
in St. Louis and down the Mississippi" The
balance of the story is soon told: paragraph
in the daily papers. few days ago, announced
! that three of this gang of seven had been shot
on the preceding morning at Indianapolis for
desertion; aud The remaining four, together
with the bounty swindler" who brought them
out, MS we are informed. are now back here III
| this city, having successfully Jumped the
bounty" and cscaped-possibly awed by the fate
of their companions. aud now repentant; but
more probably preparing for another bounty
Jumping" excursion whenever the profits Of
their last raid shall have become exhausted.
Looking over this whole matter Of recruiting
in our City, and the general manner ri trans
acting public business, We can See no good
reason Tor our Supervisors making present of
Fifty Thousand Dollars to Mr.. Blunt, together
with donation Of about half the same amount
which they are said 10 have voted tooug already
wel.pad Controller. And why, let u ask,
should there be such hot haste in issuing bonds
for this new and utterly Illegal loan OF -Four
Millions, to bc added to tho debt Of our City,
already growing 50 pondcrous IS 10 De last sink
| ing below par, while the bonds Of nearly all