New-York tribune., 1869-03-26
FRAUDS ON coLoRED TROOPS.

WASHINGTON, Thursday, March 25, 1860.
The Second Auditor of the Treasury to-day sent 10
the Chairman Of the Senate Committee on Pensions
repe-t of one Of the formers clerks. detailed by
him TO invesgNta the fraudulent practices Of claim
agents in the collection OF caina for pay and bounty
in the case of colored troops The Auditor says he
has used all means in his power to check these frauds
but owing to a want of authority to organize any
detective system he has not succeeded TO the extent
he otherwise might So many fraudulent claims
having lately been filed, no has suspended action
upon large number Of these, and withheld Treasury
certificates amounting TO over sl5OOOO III anticipa-
tion Of further legislation by Congress aiiOrdlng
greater protection to the Government.
The Commissioner of Pensions concurs entirely in
the views expressed by the Auditor He says the re-
port shows most systematic and startling frauds
upon the Government, and unless something be done
at once TO correct the growing evil, the Government
must be the sufferer. Like the Auditor he regards
the bill introduced by Senator Wilson as Of vital i'm
pOrtance and hopes sincerely ~ will meet the ap-
proval of Congress From the repoi we extract the
II anpesrs from the evidence that complete system of
deradng and cheating the colored claimants prevails
and around Memphis Tennessee and that the system
Claim Of psens IS HnS one Of ute and
fraud The author OF the report carried with
widows as test and from the investigaton he fonnd
nearly every claim 10 be fraudulent In 70 claims where
the names the witnesses appeared In every case
as having all Of the 40 claimants married he found
upon examination that these witnesses did not know any
OF the wdows never any of them ed and were
never OF the places where the narrages we're M
eged TO have occurred 1t appears that neither the
claim agent nor the officer before whom the claims are
executed read and carefully explained TO the witnesses
the papesbey requeste to sign ana from the Iaet
that these claim agents have used tho runners as WIZ
nesses TO several hundred marriages, at places widely
apart, the Same year. and sometimes IN tae % same
month concludes that the agent Is the principal party
to frauds, and tho runners generally but dupes ana
| tools The cOOred men known as runners or claim
hunters are hired by the agents TO bring them Claimants
and having from 81 TO SIS for ordinary claimants. faher
or mother but 81 for widows. This premium he offered
ON widow claims because tho pension is involved n all
such cases and doubtless from the fact that the agent
secures not only large fec but continuous one so long
as e pension may be granted and by the way claims are
now being prepared. and evidence Of marriage or CO.
habtation manufactured, widows claim for pensions
will be the OF every deceased soldier and
by the same that the agent proves tho act OF mar
rage he will prove the existence of minor children, issue
of the soldier and have the pension cOrresponngy III
| creased Two OF the principal agents at Memphis mao
ench for time one OF their clerks appointed Deputy
Conn ty Clerk for no other purpose than 10 adlhsie
oaths In their claims these deputies did not nave acces
10 the seal Of the Court bat would simply administer '
OATH then send the papers to the principal clerk Tor mn
10 sign and affx his seal and even after tho authority
10 these deputies revoked. and the witnesses we
sent to the County Clerk to be quahed he woua .sk
the papefs had been read 10 them ~ the AGENTS once
and IL they said yes he would administer the 0ath sig
and nix his seal The author OF the report details
length tho means by which agents conduct thoir dishou
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