The Portland daily press., 1866-05-05
The Case of Flova

b Jesse L. Floyd lawyer at Columbia Fall.
in this State, was indicted at the present tern
of the United States Circuit Court in this
city, for Withholding portion of the pension
money due to several women residing in Co
lumbia, for whom he had acted as Attorney
The cases were as follows:
Salley French, pensioner on account o.
the death in the military service of her son
upon whom she was dependent, had been al
lowed S204. Floyd paid her only $SS.15 o.
this sum. LOvey Good on account of the
death OF her son was allowed pension ot
$3.50, and received of this but $40 from Floyd
Emma Tucker received on account of hel
husband killed in battle, $1l627 and was paid
by Floyd but $33. Elsie Wooster on account
OF the death OF her husband, was allowed
S2437S, and received from Floyd but $s5.-
Several OF these women could not read or
write, and none of them were permitted to
read, or hear read any of the papers they were
required to sign, among which were receipts
by the hands of Floyd cf the full pension that
had been allowed. .R
They were told that their pensions had
been allowed only from the date of their ap-
pllcatlon, and an attempt was made to with
hold their pension certificates, whereby this
falSehOOd would be sure to come to their
knowledge. Floyd also represented to these
women that he had paid out to his LAWYERS in
Washington large sums of money, 5000 in one
case and $3.50 in another, which they had ex-
pended IN brt6ing officers of the Pension De
pdrtment. The settlement was made with
each OF these women priuately, and they
were charged not to tell anybody, not even their
own children, how much money had been
paid them, for if they did, somebody would
get knowledge of it, and make complaint
and their names would be stricken off the
pension rolls! So that these poor women. hav-
ing been plundered of more than two thirds OF
the pension by which the Government had
undertaken to compensate them for the sacri-
tlcoL OF their husbands and children, were
made to believe that they had secured that
plttance by heavy bribery of the Govern
ment oflcers, and that upon information, it
was liable to be taken away from them.
On being put upon his trial Floyd pleaded
guilty on Jour several indictments, charging
him with Withholding the sums named. He
was allowed to make a statement in extenua-
tlon OF sentence, and produced number of
letters, Undoubtedly forgeries of his own)
purportlng to be written by one Y. 4. p.
duncan OF Washington, acknowledging the
receipt OF sums of money, in one case of 5000,
ana IN others OF a less sum. Before these wild
ows and mothers could obtain the beneficiary
provisions OF the Government in these yery
plain and melitorious cases it seemed to have
required the Intervention OF not less than
lour sets o. attorneys. Floyd, the ostensible
agent and attorney; Dow, the Justice of the
Ieace, before whom the swearing was done
anu VINO soothed and pacified the women, un-
uel tne disappointment of receiving only for
ty dollars where two hundred and forty was
due, by assuring them that eyery derM O. One
o. them IN Washington had to be bribed," and
VINO received SIS case for that service; V.
a. duncan, whose only function seemed to
pe u ABSORB The 70 per cent. of the PENSIONS
Ior, IL does not appear what valuable services
ana eagerly to ask for more; and A. j. Die
trick, Esq, sometime "Harvey, Dietrich &
Brown OF the National Claim Agency"
VINO seemed to have facilities for putting
cialmS through, and as they classically express
themselves, sailing into the Department
quicker than they ever saw" and to have had
ices as salilng masters for such dexterous feats
OF navigation, (amount not statedI which
naturally enough they wanted sent along with
the promptness so congenial to their style O.
dong business. The Court ordered this budget
OF ietters to go on file, where it speaks for it
self :
Now that Judge Clifford has taken care o
the home attorneys in this shameless piece O
peculation, it is to be hoped that the Commits
sloner OF Pensions, the Secretary of the In
terror and President johnson will institut,
an inquisition for this "V. A. P. Duncan O
Washington" if he is not man of straw
and have an eye upon Messrs. Harvey, Die
trick & Brown, to see how the wind is raised
under pressure of which they "sail" /" so rap
idly into the Department" and not only how
it is raised, but whether any of its gratefu
GOODNESS fans the wearied and exhausted
Clerks of the Pension Office, at their desks
freighted with nothing but an honest claim
which, it has been charged, meets with head.
flaws, cross-currents, sand bars and perilous
navigation generally, while the gallant craft
on board of which some Dietrich is skipper
and V. A. P. Duncan, purser, sails in" anf
wins, and the public find out in the language
of Capt. Dietrick's letter "that some things
can b. done as well as Others" U