The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-21
LEGAL xNTHILIanW On
THE PENSION AGENCY.
More ReveIations-The Pension Brokerage
Business.

More Revelati0ns.The Pension Brokerage
Court Of Quarter SesStons-Judge Ludtow.
This Court is still engaged the trial of the young
man George b. Thatcher, ON the charge of embez-
zling $500 Of the Government funds from the office
Of Colonel Forbes, Pension Agent, at No. us San
as to BY Frps hs cSef eTs r
sa,s Sheridan ~, and several Others was briefly
and was recommended to Colonel Forces as an eni-
cient clerk by Mr.. Sheridan, who made himself
When Winter on Mr. Sheridan Went ts of on
European tour, and Thatcher detailed I'LL the
return he discovered in Thatcher's accounts three
distinct discrepancies, occurring on the 10th, 2lst,
day he paid out pensions to the extent of $O0
than the vouchers in the safe called for. These
at once said to be embezzlements and thatcher was
arrested. These things were sworn to positively by
the prosecutors, and the defendants own daily
statements were produced in evidence against him.
In answer to this the defense offered to prove
that money had been distracted by Thatcher, but
the inaccuracies and confusion in the accounts were
occasioned by an excessively loose habit of business
the palt OF Colonel Forbes of advancing money to
pensioners weeks and months before the regular
pay day, taking due bills, securing from fifty to a
hundred per cent profit in direct violation of the
rule OF the Treasury Department, for Mr. Thatcher
had charge of the Government funds, and fire.
quently, in order to make up the amount of ad-
vances required, Colonel Forbes would use this
Government money, and replace it after
vate account which made a mistake 10
bookkeeping probable thing. When called to the
voluntarily that he had on some occasions made ad-
vances to pensioners, taking due-bllls for the
amount, with reasonable interest, butsas general
thing he used his own private money for this pur-
pose. However, II he happened to have not quite
Gash & at Inc moment tS ne would authorize
he would replentsh 1t by check But he emphatically
asserted that ou nohe of the days mentioned in the
Indictment did he make such advances.
W. j. Strong testified that upon the 10th or goth of
January he wen, went to ,,u the 81, pension ohice
4th of March, and obtained an advance
of $685. giving his due-bill for the whole amount of
Quoted from the Government fund. Colonel Davis
was called to prove similar advance OF fifty dollars
SRed The witness was not allowed to TESTIFY Eyi. Vi
dence OF the defendants GOOD character offered,
and the evidence closed. Speeches followed, the
aspersons thrown out against the integrity OF Colo
mel Forbes the proofs OF embezzlement were clear;
Of the vouchers upon which the payments were
made, and no such vouchers were ever in existence,
and his fight, long before the deficits were dis
covered, or anything said about them, made him ap.
pear a self-convicted man.
on the other hand it said that as this broker
age business was sometimes carried on TO the eX-
tent OF hundreds OF dollars day, it was impossible
to keep the accounts OF the Government funds ac-
curately correct Moreover, he was shown TO be
man OF character and good standing aud not TO be
presumed guilty OF such an oense. fhen, said coun
sci, was II to be said that the pension agent who
thus shaved our soldiers and other worthy pension
ers, who endeavored to nil his own Golfers by
charging them the wicked and usurious interest
OF two hundred per cent, that such a man
should come In and by his own statement convict of
felony man whose whole life rebutted the idea of
his guilt? This brokerage business attracted the
suspicion OF the authorities at Washington, con-
tnued counsel who at instituted an investiga-
ton Colonel Forces attributed the blame TO his
chief clerk, and the chief clerk shifted it upon
Thatcher, and hence this prosecution. They had
both hastened to make scapegoat OF poor Thatcher
in order to protect themselves.
To this IL was replied that the suspicious OF the
authorities at Washington were aroused by the flight
of Thatcher and the result of the investigation was
well known to the accused andlf it were damaging
to the defendant he would be quick enough prove
that affair were in court during sths trial aud
could we'll enough have been examined to prove
anything they knew hurtful TO Colonel Forbes.
In charging the jury the Judge said Ihat
about the irregularity OF discounting pensions ne
would not speak, but he ouly charged that in order
to affect the favOrably to the defendant, any
drawing upon the Government fund by Colonel
Forbes must be proven TO have been upon one OF
the days speched in the Indictment.
The jury retired, and at the time OF our going 10
press had not agreed upon verdict
The Koecker Case Again-Anoiher Trick on
the Doctor.
Court Of Common Pleds-AU Uis0n, r. j.
The matter OF KoecRer vs. Koecker, which figured
some time past as an interesting divorce case, mas
since been In Court upon petition by the doctors
daughters 10 be permitted TO renounce him their
legal guardian and adopt their mother. TO day the
case was called and the arguments OF counsel were
begun but the Judge intimated that there was
nothing in the petition 10 warrant deviation from
the rule OF law making the father their lawful guar
dian Upon this counsel for the daughters asked
! leave to withdraw the petition, which was narro "
escape from defeat