Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1868-08-07
FRIEND SAWYER.

Please insert che written report from tn e
Congressional. Committee charged with
investigating alleged frauds in Second
Auditors, office. The charges have hecn
widely circulated and should be as widely
cOntradicted.
The Seiest Committee appointed 10 inrcsti.
gate the aoorkinEs Of the pay bspar tment
submit the Jolio'cing special report
On the-day of Juuc ultmo. the Sec
rotary of the Treasury informed your com
mittee through its chairman that certain
facts had come to his knowledge which had
induced him to belcilvc that frauds upon
the government were being perpetratcd in
the payment of bounties tocolored troops.
and requested that the committee should
make an investigation thereof. Although
your committee We're not entirely clear
that such duty was within the letter or the
resolution under which 1t was raised. vet in
view of the advanced stage of the session.
aud the probable impossibility Of raising a
new committee yealded to the solicitation
of the Secretary and entered upon the in
vestigation. D.-
As the desired investigation would involve
al examination ofthe records Of the color.
ed bureau of the War Department.. your
committee requested the Secretary ct War
to detail a competent officer Of theAd jutant
Generals bureau assist them in Il e invest
igation. The Secretary accordingly detail
cd Brevet Major 6. Il. Scott. U s. A., an
efficient officer on duty in the department,
who entered upon the duty Of selecting
and arranging such papers and documents
in the ctlorcd bureau as Were deemed nee
essary to be examined by the committee.
and pursued his labors with great assdui-
ty but just as he had completed, and be-
lore he had time to submit his work to the
committee, he was stricken down by the
hand Of, death Your commit were.
therefore. deprived Of his valsable assist
ance in the completion of the investigation,
aud much Of his labor failed in its s.seiul :
ness on account Of his not having been
spared to lay it before your committee
with such explanations us he alone could
make. While. the session being so near
its close, the committee had no time to re
investigate.
But your committee have made such in
vesligations as the limited time at their
command would allow, aud have found
that in the payment of bountles to colorpd
troops Irregularities exist. and discrcpan-
ccs between the records Of the Ad jutant
Generals office and the final settlement of
the accounts ut the Second Auditors office
are found. s1 -e-ss--ss-
In many cases such irreguar;ty has
been explaint d, but your committee recon.
mend that more caution be used in making
reports of the status Of such colorcd troops,
in order that duplicate payments be pre-
vented in some cases and the payments Of
erroneous amounts in others.
While these irregularities are found.
your committee have found no evidence Of
fraud against any individual in either de-.
p,rtmcnt named. or against any agent
doing business with the same.
As the attntion Of veur committee has
been called to certain newspaper articles
commenting upon the investigation. and
rejecting upon the official integrity of Mr..
L. b. French. Second Auditor, and Mr..
c. p. Blacknar, clerk in the same office.
they deem it their duty to add that no ev
idrnce has deem submitted to them, nor
havethey discovered anything ia the course
of the investigation to cast any suspicion
upon the Integrity or cap aciiy or either
Of these gentlemen.