The Placer herald., 1866-05-12
OFFICIAL RASCALITIES.

dated February 18th, from Col. VIM. Bur,
net OF Cincinnati, to the Hon. Garret Davis,
United States Senator from Kentucky:
SlR:-As the son Of Judge Jacob Burnet,
OF Ohio, whom you know at least by reputa'
tion. and as late Assistant Special Agent of
the Treasury Department for the District of
Natchez, though personally unknown to
you, permit me to express my sincere thanks
for your resolutions Of the 5th inst, asking
an Investigation into the operations of Treas
ury Agents in the Southern Military Dis
trcts, and hope that you may secure the ap.
poniment of a thorough and impartial com
mttee, that the honest may be vindicated,
and the dishonest exposed.
Excuse me if say the object you have in
view will not half. be attained, without the
amendment proposed by the Hon. Senator
from California.
That dishonest Agents of the Treasury
Department abused the confidence of the
Hon. Secretary is, unfortunately, true; but l
think am in the limit of truth in saying
thalsthe aggregate, amount of all the frauds by
Treasury agents is insignificant, compared
to the wholesale plunder of Tin some cases)
single military commander. The agent
might ask. or exact, an extra fee on pur.
chasing "pemit," or retain share in the
"trade autholty" granted, but this was rare
y done IN an offensive way, and the. fees
were paid by tlpse who realized large profits
out of the facilities granted. The command,
er under the rea'y and elastic pretext of
"mitary necessity" and assisted by the
desperate pirates and harpies who are armed
ba IS
and whose trade it vas to fabricate charges,
thrust his helpless vi.tims into filthy Jail,
among prostitutes ant feons, until, by fear
of death or hope of reoase, they agreed to
the coniscation Of their goods; and where
females were the victims, IS they often were.
there is too much reasonto believe that
they did not always escape w,hont the sacr.
flee of virtue, as well as Of property.
When Brig. Gen. Brayman of Illinois.
since breveted Maj. General for distinguish
ed services" took command at Nschez, be
declared that military power wa despot.
ism" and the military commando. a des
pot" In his hands, and those of General
Dana, his ranking officer at VcksbVg. it
proved too true.
If a complete and impartial narration of
the acts of oppression aud fraud, of the n
sult;ng outrages against personal righs.
perpetrated during the "Reign of Terror
ipaugurated and maintained by those two
commanders, could be written, with the
statement of the amount stolen from the
Government and black mailed from the cti-
zens, doubt if history could furnish its
parallel. The question was not who was
entitled to favors, but who could pay for
them; not who was loyal or disoyal, but
who bad anything to steal. To describe to
you the condition Of affairs under their
command is impossible. As | said to Gem
eral Smith, of the investigating Committee
at New Orleans, to comprehend it, you
must live under it,"
That like crimes, under like pretexts, were
committed in other Departments, there is
no reason to doubt; indeed, l have heard the
the amount of property destroyed and car.
ried off by that amphibious organization, the
"Marue Brigade" estimated at $50, ,0oO,0 900.
But propose to speak of what saw or
heard from good authority, and in part of
what suffered.
Ien,ered on the duties of my office, in
the District of Natchez, in January, 1865,
and having some regard for the honor of the
Government, and The department | repre-
sented and some sympathy for the oppres-
ed, became involved in controversy with
Brig. Gen. Tuttle who, to use his own ex
preston to friend of mine, had been 'shot
at enough, and came to Natchez to max
money" Had he not been removed from
the command soon after, no doubt his threat
tn cphib bof tA mill frin h hinh
meant, of course, condemnation and death,
would have been carried out. To him sue.
ceeded Colonel, afterward Brig. Gen. Farrar,
whose too brief command honorable to the
Government and himself, terminated in six
weeks by the advent Of Brig Gen. Brayman,
above referred to; and, soon after, General
Slocum, who as a commander and gentle
man, is, believe, al owe suspicion or re-
proach, was relieved by General Dana, at
Vicksburg.
Since the event to which now propose to
refer transpired, Brayman has repeatedly
said that before be went to Natchez be had
heard there was treasury agent there he
could not get along with; and when he found
it was so, and that one or the other of us
must go up" be determined to take the
"power of the bayonet" and "holst me
first" He bad not been in his headquarters
half day before he sent me an "order" to
hold for military investigation" lot Of
cotton was about to ship to the General
Agent Of the Treasury Department.
The purpose Of the order was twofold;
First, it was proposition, in the usual form,
to steal the cotton and divide; or, in other
words, to join the Ring" Secondly, if the
temptation failed, to force on me the respon
sibiliiy of violating military order. The
fear Of Major and Brigadier Generals not
being well developed in me, nor being much
inclined to submit to "despotism, military
orcvi," disregarded the order and forward
ed the cotton. must not occupy your
mind with details; but from that time scarce
Iy day passed without some usurpation OF
the proper functions of my Office, some in.