Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-12-18

81, Ward Burnett, oflhe city, county, and
State of New York, on oath depose and
say that in the latter part of July last, or
early in August, last year, was solicited
by the Secretary of the Treasury of the
United States, TO inquire into certain and
various transactions in cotton, of one Yer
non K. Stevenson, now Of the city, county
and State of New York, which said cotton
belonged TO, or il said to have belonged to
the late, so-called, Confederate government;
/ went 10 Nashville, in the State of Ten
nessee; that in Tennessee / pursued my
inquiries in behalf Of the government of the
United States fruitlessly and without avail,
until / waited upon Major General Geo.
H. Thomas, at Louisville, Kentucky, upon
whose suggestion waited upon the follow
ing parties with the results hereinafter
named Michael Burns, President of the
Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad Com
pany, of Nashville, Tennessee, who stated
that he would make oath that said
Vernon X. Stevenson, with others, had
possession of certain lots of cotton
comprising large number of bales,
within the lines of the late so-called Con-
| federste States during the continuance Of the
| rebellion; that he had this cotton in his
possession under the authority of the late
! so-ealled Confederate States government, for
the purpose of removing the same out of
some port or ports Of the late so-called
Confederate States, (blockaded by the
United States,) and exchanging the same
in Great Britain, Europe, or elsewhere for
munitions of war, machinery and other
articles and things necessary and requisite
for the assumed government of the late So
called Confederate States and the armies
thereof; that at the suppression of the re
bellion large quantity of cotton prepared
and ready for shipment "a aforesaid and
variOusly marked, was within the limits Of
the late so-called Confederate States, which
said cotton was taken by said Stevenson
and others and converted to their own use
by said Stevenson and Others.
A. s. Colyar, counsellor at law, Nash,
| vile, Tennessee, who stated that be wOult
make oath that the said Stevenson ant
others took and converted TO their own us'
a large amount of cotton, belonging TO thu
late so-caIled Confederate States govern
ment; thai he, said Colyar, has under hi
direction the books of account showing tn
transactions of said Stevenson and other
in cotton at the port of Wilmington, Nortl
Carolina, done to the time Of the surrende
Of the late so.called Confederate States.
Major Gown Hopkins, of Nashville
Tennessee, who stated that he wOuld testif
that he knew said Stevenson and other
had been engaged in transporting eotto
between various points in the States of Ter
pessee, Georgia and Alabama which cotto
was the property Of the late so called Confet
crate States, and which cotton was, at tn
surrender of the said late so.called Confed
crate States armies, taken and converted I
: their own use by said Stevenson and other
Henry Jackson, of Nashville, Tennessee
stated that he would under oath say thi
he saw the marks on sundry bales of co
, ton at Chattanooga, Atlanta, aud all inte
!. mediate points 1.-THE names Of which depC
nent cannot now recall), changed by orde
of said Stevenson and others immediatel
after the suppression of the rebellion, an
heard said cotton called. Immediately afts
! said change of marks, "Stevenson's cotton.
. A. s. Colyar aforesaid informed deponer
| that one Trucsman was an agent Of sal
! Stevenson and others during the continu
: ance of the rebellion and until its suppre
sion, at Wilmington, North Carolina, an
> knows and will testify to many Of III
1 transactions in cotton Of said Steyenso
and others; that during deponent's stay
Nashville said Thomas was absent frol
that city, and deponeDt was unable to pr
cure an interview with him. And depc
nent further says there are many other
unwilling and reluctant witnesses TO ii
transactions Of said Stevenson snd other
prior and subsequent to the suppression I
the rebellion, in Nashville, Tennessee
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Augusta and A
. lanta, Georgia, and Selma, Alabama. An
! deponent further says that the said Burn
}, Colyar, Hopkins and Jackson declined
give any fuller or detailed or specific il
formation, unless under authority Of cor
mission issued from a competent court
take testimony, and declined TO come
New York TO give testimony of the fac
within their knowledge that depone
arrived in Washington and reported to Il
Secretary OF the Treasury on Monde
IA afternoon last, the 9th instant, and
~ "Wednesday, the llth instant, the Secreta
"A directed deponent 10 report 10 the Unit
States Attorney on Thursday, the II
a instant" .H.l 49,.
~ Hon. John f. Ward, counsel for the d
a, Tense, in opposing the motion TO postpor
al said that with the spirit with which tn
IN prosecution had been conducted he h
nothing 20 do; but to submit to the cot
a brief history OF the case seemed nee,
sary 20 enable the court rightly to undo
stand the merits of the motion then mac
q About twelve months since, upon the
formation Of one Hamilton, all the proper
of the defendant, who was then a reside
of the city of New York, was attach
IS upon the ground that in 1865 he h
rs brought to New York 5000 bales of cottC
M which he had converted into money a
N invested in real estate that that colt
M having been the property of the Conf
a2 crate States at their destruction became {
property Of the United States. Hamilt
alleged that he stood ready to prove tn,
facts Since then he had disappeared.
June last they had moved to dissolve I
- attachment, which motion was denied
- the court. solely on the ground that I
=, United States had no sufficient opportun
-, to try the cause. They were now, in |
:, month of December, urging a trial of |
-. case. The District Attorney seeks an
as iounment The informer is not here a
Al he alleges cannot he heard Of, coupled "
m a vague insinuRtion that he may have bt
IN made 10 disappear by the instrumental
~. OF the defendant. This insinuation '
utterly untrue The affidavit for a c,
4. tinnsnoe Was not msde by any officer OF
government, bat by Samuel Ward h
nett, a person whom the court could
fail 10 have seen was connected W
the case from its beginning. Tie
%" leges no facts of his own knowledge,
an that he had been 20 Tennessee and in C
verSation with others has learned {
during the war the defendant was
some manner connected with buying
a. a. selling cotton. These facts, ii true, mi
W be established in relation TO almost ey
man who lived in the Southern Sta
Amino r. mar 'Ihav ia No uaapnar q