New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-11-30
A sUB-TREAsURY AND SUB-RosA AFFAIR
EMBEzzLEMENT OF GOLD COIN.

During the past week says the Times of
| yesterday, case of more than ordinary
interest has come up for preliminary
examination before the United States an
thorltles, and one in which embezzlement
Oh the gold coin taken at the Customhouse
| OF this city, by the substitution of silver. is
charged to a large amount. What The
precise amount embezzled is there is no
means OF ascertaining. The fact. however.
that as much as 100000 in gold has fire.
quently been brought from the Custom
mouse to the Mint building, would seem to
indicate that the opportunities for en-
oezzlement have been very large.
FROM the evidence taken before
United States Commissioner Warren. it
appears that the sudden and remarkable
increase OF silver had attracted the atten-
tlon OF some one connected with the old
Mint building on Esplanade street-now
used as place of deposit for the moneys
collected from the Customhouse. The
facts concerning the substitution were
made known to Secretary McCulloch, at
Washington, who gave orders in writing,
and which were transmitted here, that the
affair should be sifted. Under these in
structions j. Marshal, bookkeeper. was
arrested charged with being the principal
in the affair.
According to the evidence of the wit
nesses large amount of gold had been
taken from the Mint by Mr.. Marshal and
given to carrier to be conveyed to some
brokers' establishment on Camp street
In exchange for this gold corresponding
amount Of silver was carried back. One
witness thought that he transferred in this
way about 500, Another statement
made was that the witness had gone ten
times to carry gold to the brokers-eould
not say that he had gone five hundred or
even twenty times. As a man might have
carried almost any given amount in each
expedition below $4,000, it is not easy TO
guess what amount has hitherto passed
from the Mint.
The money, the evidence further shows.
was taken from drawers about the Mint
building, and not from the vault. The
party accused was bookkeeper, and did
not properly have the handling of the
moneys in the building.
The question that now arises is. how did
the accused, under the circumstances. come
to have control of the money.
The answer given by the friends of Mr..
Marshal is that it is obviously absurd that
he could attempt any such operation by
his own efforts alone. According to
their representation, Mr.. Marshal was
made the catspaw or agent. and has
to stand the whole weight of the ignominy
Tor which Others are also responsible.
According, too, to their representation, there
was really no embezzlement at all, since
hard silver coin was put in the place of
gold, and that so long as one hundred dol
larsin gold was only worth two dollars and
fifty cents more than silver, that there was
no wrong done to anybody.
The case was last evening argued before
United StatesC CommissionerWarTen by Unit
ed States District Attorney Samuel II Tor
rey, and by JudgeWhittaker for the defense
Whatever may have been the evidence a.
to the completely of others, there was no
doubt whatever that the money had been
actually taken from the Mint building and
exchanged for silver, and the gold actually
proven to have been converted into silver
was OIL no very great amount. fg ~
n, &c fSii0Ting was the decision Of E.
Warren, United States Commissioner. in the
case OF the United States vs. J. Marshal,
late bookkeeper of United States Treasury,
c1arged with exchanging gold coin for sill
yer eela and apprepriaiing profts to his
own use: THAT tbe accused be sent before
the United States Circuit Court, under
1880 bail, for further investigation and
examination"