The Portland daily press., 1871-05-09

io'ioh winch IS TO contain all OF |
Inc testimony of the wholesale dealers that |
could be obtained The pages before us con-
tain the testimony of Mr.. George M. Delany, |
VINO was singled out and punished by the Gov
eminent. He now resides in Augusta and is |
professionally horseman ON the Kennebec. |
Delany testi6es that he has done business |
with Kittery men under the name of Perkins |
} & Co., with j. p. Heath, of Portland, and j. |
H. Maney, of Augusta, Provost Marshal Lit |
tier and other United States officers. Col.
Lttler sent men who went to the Provost
Marshafs Office to inquire about enlisting to
Delany, whereupon Delany enlisted them,
quotaed them, deposited the amount to be
paid the recruits, sold the credit at the best
rates to some town and divided the profits
with this exemplary official. Delany thinks
thst Littler received between $1,000 and $4,000.
Manley collected the premiums of Govern
ment, allowed recruits and swore in recruits as
justice. Mr. Delany's regular partners, how
ever, were o. K. Yates, formerly of Lewiston,
Major (D Frank Davis, of Augusta, and
Henry A. Williams, of Monmouth. This firm
had SO much business on its hands that Mr.
Delany recollected individual transactions
very imperfectly. In reply to question, De-
lany says he made contract with j. P. Heath
for all the men that he enlisted in Portland for
the navy for $50 each. He further testities that
he paid or caused to be paid to each of these
naval men on the receiving ship or in Port
land 800 bounty. OF this class Of men De-
lany says there were 2l1 aliens and foreigners.
He also testified that he procured the signature
of Provost Marshal Gen. Fry for the sum of
$4,000. but refused to give the name of the mes
senger who did the business, only saying that
he (the messenger) had never been citizen of
Maine or ever within its limits. After send
ing the money the order for allowing these
naval enlstments came to Major Gardiner,
Provost Marshal General of Maine Delany
testifies that these naval papers represented
men in actual service because he saw them on
ship-board 1t has been stated that Delany
paid out $3.50 per man. but Gen. Hodsdon put
him to deal of expense about enlistment pa
| pers and the Selectmen would not certify that
they were residents of their towns until the
| enlistment papers and rolls so stated. In short
| no mans fortune was more completely shared
| by red tape them than this prosecuted patriot,
Delany. asa Dg
No man had greater faith in the power of
gold or greenbacks than Delany. He bought
men on influence, and he scorned TO ask men
to work or steal for him. Town officers, Gov
eminent officers, all who worked for his penny
were paid two at least. 1t would make an il
lustrious line of names to give them all great
and small Possibly it was owing to the mis-
chief that initiation of the currency worked
that town officers were given receipts by De-
lany & Co. for $500 instead of $4,000, the sum
actually paid as in the case of Selectman Of
Concord. Possibly it might make difference
with a town. $3.50 9as 30
At one stage in his affidavit Delauy speaks
of 211 men to whom he paid bounty or United
States premium, but in accounting for the
number sold he exceeds that number. and
again speaks oe 412 names. He thereupou cor
reefs himself and says that he sold 412 naval
men in all, 201 of whom were to serve three
years, and to whom he paid premium of 500
each, and I'll who had from nine TO fifteen
months to serve, for which names he paid
Heath $50 each as we'll as for the others. -.
While Delapy was upon this flood tide of
fortune he was arrested and tried on the charge
of recruiting without authority from the War
Department., obtaining money from the cities
and towns of Maine under false pretences, for
assuming to be Government officer and for
aiding men to desert. He was convicted on
all these charges and sentenced to ten years
imprisonment and fine of $45,O After
thirteen months of nominal imprisonment he
was liberated. When Mr.. Delany was Clipped
in his flight he was fairly loaded down with
names to save Maine men from the 'front.'
There was about 200 of these purporting to be
in the Maine corps which he obtained from a
Washington man, Who would not tell his
name, and another list that it cost him $500
to get an order to have credited on Maine sub
districts. This last list he burned at the time
but the other he sent to his wife.
There are great many curious things in the
testimony. On the whole Mr.. Delauy's testi-
nony is not SO clear as could be desired, but it
nevertheless contains many curious things,
the least of which is not the following:- On
page ZIG Delany is answering to the indvidu-
ais and towns that bought men or names of
the firm. Delany answers affirmatively except
as follows: -t fq. ..l..f -H -
Q-Please explain what you know relative to
men furnished to the town of Mercer by A. b.
Al found men in the Provost Marshal's
office accredited to the town of Mercer of the
same name, same date and term of enlistment
as men that put on to the town of Newcastle
previously don't know who sold them to
Mercer, or ANYTHING about it. got pay from
the town of Newcastle for the men that mt
on to that towns quota. aff =.
Q-Do you knowlanything of twelve men
claimed to have been enlisted on board the re-
ridgewock by A. b. Farwen? d.
A-No, sir, don't. A. B.. Farwell never
had any of those navy men of me, nor to my
knowledge did he have any of j. P. Heath, or
any OF the men that enlisted on board the re-
ceiving ship Ohio.
At subsequent examination the following
was ELECTED (page 221 and y:
DIN your former deposition Won state that
you have reason to believe that men which von
sold to the town of Newcastle, and which were
credited to Newcastle, were Afterwards sold
and credited to the town of Mercer. and that
you complained of this to Major Gardiner, and |
tnereupon the names were taken off from the
credit OF Mercer and others substituted for |
them. do you know, or did you ever know. the |
names OF the men SO substituted for the first
men on the credit Of the town of Mercer?
Al do not, sir. have seen the names and
examined them, and seen that they were not |
the names that were first credited to the town
OF Mercer, and which were credited to the
town of Newcastle.
estate, if you remember, what reply Ma
jor Gardiner made to you when you com plaiped
to him as above said.
Ale told me he would have it seen to. and
have the parties arrested. He wanted me to
give him the names of the parties that 1 |
thought put the men to the credit OF Mercer.
and declined. Thereupon he gave me let,
ter to the Commissioner, Henry A. Williams.
ordering him to investigate the matter and re-
port to Major Gardiner -
Q-Do you know that said Williams made |
such report; and if SO, what the substance Of it
was?
A-Well, | know that Mr.. Williams and I |
looked over the books and found that the same |
names were credited to both towns. We /
TAXED 1t over for few minutes and he kind O.
laughed, and l went away. The next morn /
ing went into the office and Mr., Williams
called me over. This was after, the mail got
down from the State House showed me the
new list of names that bad come down from
the Adiutant Generals office to be credited to
the town of Mercer, and L saw this list mt
into the book and the other names erased.
Perhaps the next instalment will give an
explanation to this curious coincidence, but at
present it is to ordinary people quite mysteri.
Gus.