Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-10-01
WHY DOES NOT SECRETARY BOUT.
WELL SPEAK?

Mr.. w. P. Wood, formerly a United States
detective, continues his exposure Of the
morality of the Grant administration, espe-
cially as represented by Secretary Boutwell,,
and it is most damning record he makes
against that "public fmctionary." The
Secretary has not yet explained how it came
about that the steamer Golden Rule was
robbed of government bonds and then
wrecked to cover up the crime, and that the
man who was accused of the offense became
an agent of the United States Treasury in
France. Mr.. Boutwell, has not explained
why the matter has never been investigated,
and Montgomery Gibbs and his confeder-
ates in crime punished as they deserved to
be. When charges in less specific form
were made against the Tammany ring in
New York, the Radical journals clamored
for an investigation, but under the expo
sure of Mr.. Wood they are as silent as the
grave. Mr.. Boutwell, quietly rests under this
damning accusation, and no friend of his
steps forward to vindicate him, nor do his
party organs demand that he shall free him
self of so grave a charge. Mr.. Wood, al
luding to this strange silence on the part of
Secretary Boutwell,, adds this chapter to the
not less damaging ones that have preceded
it. Speaking of this man Gibbs, Mr..
Woods says:
''The position given him by Secretary
Boutwell, was as treasury agent, and one of
his specialties in Paris may be compre-
hended by the following extract, which is
taken from tina EUe,liRg Star Washington
paper) OF Nov. 10, 1869:
g The Paris correspondent of the New
York Times SAYS: "Mrs. Grant has pur-
chased six or seven thousand francs worth
of dresses, bOnnetS, gloves, handkerchiefS,
shoes, etc, and they have been selected by
a person of taste, who knows Paris well. |
can assure you that the wife of our Presi-
dent will be one of the best dressed. if not
the very best dressed woman in the United
States."'
"AbOut this time | was amusing Secre-
tary Boutwell, by writing him certain cor
TespOndence, and called his attention to the
above extract. | stated that the person of
taste was Montgomery Gibbs, and that the
funds for the purchase did not come from
Mrs. Grant, but were a part Of Gibbs plum
der in his share of the funds stolen from the
steamer Golden Rule, and that this was a
pretty scomdTel to be in government en-
plOy. After Mr.. BoutwelIs receipt of this
information from ME, the newspaper men
were sent for, and the following was the
result, which appeared in the EreRing STIR
of Dec. -, 1869.
Montgomery Gibbs. Esq, special agent
of the Treasury Department of the United
States abroad, residing at Paris, and warm
personal friend of Minister Washburne, is
no longer a government official
OthersbeSides mySelfbeleve that Gibbs
at the present writing, is a salaried govern
ment official: and this man is the same
identical fellow who took passage on the
steamer Golden Rule. under an assumed
name, on the trip upon which said vessel
was wrecked and the government money
stolen; vino subsequently made costly pres
ents at the White House and to high Off
Gals, and who was nominated for high and
honorable position by President Grant, and
upon being rejected by the Senate was taken
into Mr.. Boutwell's confidence and sent to
Paris as a special agent of the Treasury De-
partment.
Those Radical journals that have been
prating so much about the corruption of the
Tammany ring, and so Justify demanding
the exposure and punishment of the guilty,
have now an opportunity to show that they
are sincere in what they are doing. If
they are opposed to corruption, let them
denouncc it in their own party and demand
that Mr.. Boutwell, shall promptly meet the
grave accusations of Mr.. Wood. Mr.. Bout
well is shown by a gentleman formerly in
the detective service of the United States to
be conniving at crime, if he is not in COM
plicity with the criminals, and not only he
remains silent under these charges, but his
friends do not demand that they shall be
met and disprOvcd if not true. Could such
grave accusations against the Secretary OF
the Treasury have passed unnOticed and I'M
contradicted before the war? Could any
party have sustained an administration I'M
der such circumstances? 1t will not do to
affect contempt for Mr.. Wood. Ifhe lies he
should be exposed. Why does not Mr..
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