Centre Hall reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1868-1871, 1871-09-29
WASHINGTON, ID. G.
Sunday, September 10 1871
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Sir: / have TO inform you that am una
HE 10 close my account, and that Owethe
frirhtful amount Of about $40, 900, which
sum have lost during the last few years
in stock speculations, going deeper In the
hone of retrieving myself / hRve.no ex-
cuse or mitigation Of my course to offer,
and propoSe to take the full consequences
OF nv SIN. had thought week ago OF
escaping from New York, but believe /
done better in returning here 10 deliver
myself up as felt was bound to do. /
can of course make no pretenee OF excuse
for the systematic deeit, have practiced
on YOU and the advantage have taken 81
the official position have held, and feel
that you especially have cause 10 be justly
inexorable against me. / have been led
ON bv the infatuation that always attends
the course entered on, hoping always TO
recover my loss and conceal my crime.
believe Il i really relief 10 be forced to
discovery for have been in hell on
earth foryears, and the alterations OF hope
and fear have gone through and the con
slant care TO avoid detection, were becon-
ing too strong. i desire TO turn over all
my property that have, A. smAil set on
against my deficiency. and after giving
any information that will assiTt in settling
my accounts. or ifpossible in recovering
portion of what / have lost, expect 10
take the full punishment awarded for my
Ofense.
In Justice 70 two parties in this city,
through whom had some speculatIons,
wish 10 state that they are perfectly inno-
cent ofany knowledge that was using pub
lie funds There are small balances with
each ofthese parties 10 my credit, whenever
the accounts are closed. The losses made
we're almost entirely in New York with
ruha Il
ubiect TO your order / endeavored to
induce them 10 make good the amount
lost with them, which they knew was
public money, but they have refused.
have been trying 10 make up my mind
20 this confession for some days. ands was
on the point Of doing 20 this morning IN
your Office. but could not bring myself
TO say it, and wanted time TO write. Ny
innocent wife whom this frightful infor-
nation viii kill God forgive me for what
have done 10 her and my children.
All ask from you or the authorities IS
that If possible. some small sum may be
left her. | enclose the keys Of my fafe
and box containing all my old accounts,
Sc. Ny present vouchers, receipts, &c,
are in the hands ofmy clerks, who are all
Of them perfectly innocent Of any knowi-
edge Of my deficiency. | shall remain at
nav house, No. 1923 X street, till informed
what action you have taken concerning
me. There is no fear that ] will 90 away
now
csigned,l J. LEDrARD HoDGE.
Paymaster General Brice says. this
morning. it viii appear upon inves-
tigation that the Treasury Department
is responsible for the failure of the
government to discover the defalcation
sooner. General Brice also denies the
report that Hodge, after suspicion had
first been attached to him, was allow
ed to draw any checks except such as
were necessary to transfer the balance
to the proper officers. In bis letter OF
confession he refers to parties in this city
and one in N. Y. through whose agen-
cy he has made speculations- Those
in this city he declares are perfectly
innocent Of any knowledge that he
was using in his operations with them,
the public funds. The party in New
York he states knew the money lost
with them was public money and not his
own. Hodge caused to be commuDi-
Gated to Gen. Price the names Of these
parties as follows Middleton d Co.,
bankers, Washington; Lewis. john
son & Co., bankers, Washington, and
Polhemus a. jackson, bankers, No. 66
Exchange Place, New York city.