New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-08-05

II
A Tenncssee Ceasfesan Involved.
We copy the following from the specia
Washington correspondence Of the New
York Herald: r
It seems that the member of Congress
who is charged with forgery upon the Pen
| sion Bureau. represents one of the Tennessee
districts. and his case has given rise to .
good deal Of scandal. The charges are Of
such grave character, and have gwen rise
to such close and conclusive investigation
that steps have already been taken to &c
| cure his arrest. The supposed guilty Con
| gresham happens to be one who was &C
| cused at the last session of being engaged
| in selling cadetships to West Point and the
Naval Academy, and who came near being
expelled. in company with WhittemOre
Golladay and Deweese. 1t will be remem
bered that instead Of expelling Deweese
the House passed resolution of censure
The facts relative to his forgery npon the
Pension Bureau, as stated by the officers Of
the bureau, are substantially as follows:
1t appears that last October he applied for
and obtained a pension for woman living
in Ash county, North Carolina. She was
the widow Of a citizen of that State who
served as a private in the Union army
during the rebellion, and who was killed
while in the service.
When the papers in the case had all been
arranged, and her name placed upon the
pension rolls, it was found there was $50
due her for back pension from the time her
husband was killed. 1t is alleged that the
Congressman forged her name to the papers
necessary to draw this money, and then Sc
cured it for himself. He also wrote out, it
is alleged, and signed the receipt Untor-
tunately for him, however, he signed his
own name to the receipt, whereupOn the
attention of the Secretary OF the Interior
was directed to this irregularity by Com
missioner Van Aernam. When the Con-
gresham was called to account for it by
Secretary Cox, he said he was In the habit
of doing such things, and that he had
power Of attorney from the woman whose
money he had drawn. He was told that it
would be necessary for him to produce the
power Of attorney to which he referred. He
promised to do this, and when he came to
draw the pension again he brought with him
what purpOrted to he a power Ut attorney,
signed by the soldiers widow, and also a
receipt
These were written on two single sheets
Of note paper, and the power Of attorney
Ash county, North Carolina. This in
measure disarmed the officers of the Pension
Bureau OF their suspicious, and everything
went on as usual until the soldiers widow.
living in Ash county, and wholly ignorant
of the affair, began to send letters to the
Pension Bureau, complaining that she did
not get her pension money. inquiry was.
OF course, made of the Congressman, but
that gentleman said there must be some
mistake about it, as the money had been
duly and regularly sent by him. The
woman, however, continued to complain.
and finally the Commissioner of Pensions
ordered the case to be investigated.
The person detailed to investigate it dis
covered, ia the first place, that the woman
to whom the pension was due lived in an
out of the way place on the borders of Ten
nessee, that she could not write her name,
and that she had never heard from the Con-
gresham except to the effect that her name
had been placed upon the pension rolls, and
that she was entitled to SO much month.
The report Of this preliminary investigation
aroused suspicious again in the mind OF the
Commissioner; the power of attorney was
procured and compared with the receipt
which had been given when it was first pro-
cured. The papers were found to be in the
same handwriting, and the single sheets OF
note paper were discovered to have been
parts Of the same sheet. 1t was further dis
covered that the son of the Congressman is
clerk of the County Court Of Ash county.
and that he put the seal of the court upon
the bogus power Of attorney. OF course,
the soldiers widow had never seen, much
less handled or signed either the power OF
or the receipt.
p These facts have all been brought to light
since the adjournment of Congress. The
Secretary of the Interior was SO well salts
fed that the Congressman has been guilty
of forgery upon the Pension Bureau, that an
officer was dispatched to Tennessee to-day
to arrest him. Whether he can make any
explanation is doubtful. The
facts as above stated have all been brought
out by patient investigation on the part OF
the Commissioner of Pensions. 1t is also
alleged that the Congressman has bet
drawing the pension Of a soldier. who died
long ago, in the same manner. The investi-
cation of the latter case, however, is not
completed. A member Of Congress elect
from the State of Georgia is also charged
with playing the same game as the Tennessee
but to what extent is not known.
1t is thought, however. that he has gone into
the business more Systematically and extern
sively. His case is now undergoing investi-
CATION.
If these offenses have been committed, the
guilty parties should not be shielded from
punishment by the responsibility Of the po-
sition they occupy.