The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-13
MORE or IT.
WASHINGTON, May 7, 1866.

Some rich developments are cominl
to light concerning the operations O
the Freedmen's Bureau in the Southern
States. The record of its officers i!
likely to be one long black list of per
version of official position for the sub
serviency of private ends. Nearly every
one is engaged in private speculations
and the rumors reaching US from al
parts concerning their official malfea
sance are so well authenticated as tc
no longer be subject of doubt The
principal officers of the Freedmen Z
Bureau in the State of North Carolina
for instance, are known to be engaged
in cultivating plantations or in some
other occupation tending to their pri
vate emolument Dozens of instances
could be cited, but few will suffice
Col Whittlesey, the Assistant Commits
sioner controlling the State, is running
one of the finest cotton plantations in
North Carolina, in connection with the
Rev. Horace James, formerly Massa.
chusetts army chaplain. This farm is
situated in Pitt county. The following
little circumstance will show how off
cial position is prostituted to private
gain: A darby was discovered stealing
from James store. He was brought
before James, who acts as an
agent of the Bureau without pay
in the county in which he is plant
ing, was convicted and sentenced to
dig bitches on James farm. While un
dergoing the sentence he managed to
escape and made for the river James
called to him to surrender, and as he
did not do so he fired at him. The
man dropped out of his canoe and has
never been seen since. The case was
referred to Colonel Whittlesey, James
partner, and the Assistant Commits
sioner of the State, who replied that,
as the affair took place at night, and
as the body of the man had never been
found, it was not certain the shot took
effect Therefore no further action
was called for. Capt F. A. Seeley, Su.
perintendent of the Eastern District, is
cultivating farm in Wayne county,
Captain Rosecranz, Commissary of Sub
s;stence at Newbern, is a partner in a
f rm in which a Mr.. Brooks, of Mass.
il leading member, and which firm is
running at least half dozen planta-
tons in the South. 1t has also been
fund that commissary stores have
been removed from the commissary
buildings before the usual hours OF
business In one instance, four bar
rels of pork were taken in this way
and conveyed to a grocery store in
the town. A brother of Captain
Rosencranz, who acted as commits
sary sergeant, STATED, when detection
Yves unavoidable, that the pork had
been carried to the grocery by mistake,
and that the mistake had been imme-
diately rectifed. The grocer, on being
questioned, stated be had the four bar
rels of pork in his possession, and that
Captain ROsencranz had been to him
that day to ask its return. He also
stated that Captain Roseucranz had ex-
changed at least two barrels of white
sugar for two of brown, for which he
paid the Captain six cents q pound in
exchange The fact is well established
that at Goldsboro large quantities of
clothing sent from the North for gra-
tuitous distribution has been sold pri-
Vately and at auction. Chaplain CLAWS,
a Bureau superintendent for this dis
trict, is running two plantations en- his
own account and one for the Bureau
At Wilmington Major Mann and Msjor
Wickershsm, permanent officers of the
Bureaa, are both Interested in rice
plantations. Major Wickersham, by
his contract, is bound to see that the
freedmen work; if they do not
they are then placed in the chair
gangs. The effect of the system is to
enable the agents of the Bureau to con-
troll the best labor in the State for their
private interests. The most singular
feature of the whole is that the worst
cases Of malfeasance are found at the
doors of New England philanthropists.
Several arrests are reported to have
been made, and others are expected to
follow.-R T. Herald