The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-09-05
THE Pennsylvania FRAUDS.
A PerspicuOus statement of the
Whole Case.

A PersPicuOus Statement Of lhI
Whole Case.
From the Philadelphia Ledger.
In March, 1867, some one procured u
be passed through the Pennsy lvania Leg
stature cunnIngly wOrded act Of Assem-
bly,, authorizing the appointment OF IN
agent 10 look after certain claims OF the
State against the United States for wal
expenditures, which claims were dc
scribed Us Supposed to be valid, bui
"disallOwed," &c, but which were sup
posed" to be collectable il the deficient
evidence could be supplied, and Tor the
collection OF them the agent was allowed
by the act compensation not TO eresed
ten per cent The bill was approved by
the Governor on the 22d or 23d OF March
1867, and on the same day, Mr.. G. o.
Evans was appointed Agent by Governor
Geary. On the next day an agreement
(which was kept private until the DEAL
cation of Mr.. Evans was expOsdl was en-.
tered into between the Governor and Mr..
Evans, which required Mr.. Evans To
make frequent official reports Of his trans
actions, and 10 pay over promptly 10 the
State all moneys collected by him
"lea the compensation the rate
Of compensation, however, being
nowhere mentioned in the "agrec-
ment" 1t will be noticed that the
whole Of this business WAS done with
marked celebrity. The bill is passed, the
man Tor the agency" is found his COM
mission Is made out, the agreement is
arranged and signed-all within twenty
four hours, As II was an important bust
ness, involving vast sums Of public money,
and therefore requiring care and delibera-
ton rather than such extraordinary haste,
the inference is irresistible that the bust.
ness was well understood and prepared
Tor beforehand All these circumstances,
the artfIlly contrived words of the act,
the extraordinary speed Of the move.
ments under.it, the prompt appearance of
Mr., Evans on the scene, and the absence
of all mention OF the rate of commission
TO be allowed the "agcnt" upon the col
lection of claims so large as these were
known TO be, have an ugly look about
them when examined in the light of the
recent developments.
Mr.. Evans then commenced proceed.
ings in Washington. In but little more
than one month afterwards MAY /, 1850
he was paid United States Treasury
warrant on account Ofthc State for $7S,-
jl6 SO; on the 2sth Of October, 1868, he
was paid similar warrant, also for the
State, for $l05,O5l 40, and on the 9Th Of
August, 1870, he was paid another such
warrant for $136,S40 00-making In all
1921 ,Ol4 II. These warrants were
drawn to the order Of John w. Geary,
Governor Of Pennsylvania, and they or
the proceeds OF them ought to have pass
cd Immediately through his hands directly
into the State Treasury. But they did
not. They have neNr yetbeen pdid0 The
IShte the collection Of them was never
even officially reported until Mr.. Evans
defalcatiOn was the subject Of common
mmor. More than four years passed aE.
ter the first collection, and nearly three
years after the second, before any public
mention Of them was ever made by Mr..
Evans. The warrants and the proceeds
OF them were poCketed by Mr.. Evans, or
by others, .........-
This Is the defalcation which Deputy
Attorney General Mcclure got on the
track OF and officially exposed, and for
the exposure Of which he has been eX-
PEELED from the Attorney Generals office.
We now revert to his letter. 1t Is notice.
able, first, that he did not rush headlong
into print with it, which he might have
done II his principal purpose was to make
sensation" lie had the official Certif.
Gates proving the dedication ready on
the "Stll' or 10th" of August, and " i'm.
mediatdly exhibited them" TO the Audi.
tor General, and suggested immediate
proceedings 10 secure the money. He
also submitted them ut the State Treas.
ury The next day august 10TH he
proceeded TO the Philadelphia office Of
his principal, Attorney General +.
Carroll Brewster, the law officer
Of the Commonwealth. Learning that
Judge Brewster was absent at Atlantic
City, he telegraphed and went there, and
on the next day august llth) laid the
papers proving the above facts before him.
His official duty was thus promptly and
discharged, 20 far as reporting
10 the proper officers Of the Common.
wealth Is concerned. lie docs not Gx-
plain the result OF the Atlantic City inter.
view, but further on he speaks Of Judge
Brewcster's protest against his proceed.
ings. Failing apparently to accomplish
anything through the regular official chan
mel, Mr.. Mcclure waited three days more,
and then august 14th) laid the case be.
fore the public through the columns Of
the Enning Bulletin.
roncovrIry Invos,monts