Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-09-15

WASHINGTON, September 1.-THE
following is q complete copy of Major
Hodges letter Of confession:
"WAsHNGToN, Sept. 10, 1871.
GENERAL B. W. BRICE-iSir-I
have to inform you that 1 am unable
to close my accounts, and that l owe
a frightful amount, about SljO,O00,
which l have lost during the last few
years in stock speculation, going
deeper and deeper in the hope Of re-
trieving myself. have no excuse or
mitigation of my course to offer,
and propose to take the full conse-
aueuces of my sin. L had thought a
week ago Of escaping from New York,
but l believe 1 have done better in
returning here TO deliver myself up
as / felt myself bound to do. can,
of course. offer no pretense or excuse
for the systematic deceit have prac-
ticed on you, and the advantage I
have taken of the position l have
held, and feel that you especially have
cause to be Justly ,inexOrable against
me-, / have been led on by an in
fatuatiOn that always attends the
course I entered on, hoping always to
recover my loss and conceal my crime.
I believe il is really a relief to be
forced to the discovery, for l have
been in q q" hell on earth " for years;
aud the alterations OF hope and fear
that I have gone through, and the
constant care to avoid detection, were
becoming too strong. Idesire to turn
over all the property l have IS a small
Offset against my deficiency, and,
after giving you any information
that viii be able to assist in settling
nv accounts. or, If possible. in recOv-
ering a portion Of what / have lost,
1 expect TO take the full punishment
awarded for my Offense. In justice to
two parties in this city, through whom
/ have made some speculatlOns, l
wish to say that they are perfectly in
nOcent Of any knowledge that l was
nsing the public funds. There are
snsll balances with each Of these par
ties TO my credit whenever the &C.
counts are closed. The losses / made
were almost entirely in New York.
With one house there, whose accounts
I hold subject to your order, en-
desvored t. induce them TO make
.poOd for the amount lost with them,
rSyhich they knew was public money,
but they have refused. l have been
arying 20 make up my mind to this
confession for some days, and was on
the point Of doing 50 this morning In
vour office, but l could not bring my
self 10 say it, and wanted time to
write nv innocent wife, whom this
frightfui information viii kill. God
forgive me i0r what / have done to
her and nv children. All ask from
Won or the authorities is that, i.
possible, some small sum may be
left her. I enclose the keys
. of nv safe and box, containing all my
. old accounts, etc. My present vOuch-
ers. receipts, etc, are in the hands Of
nv clerks, who are ali OF them per
fee,Iv innocent Of any knowledge OF
NV deficiency. / shall remain at my
h0use No. 423 X street, till informed
whst a, 'tion you have taken concern
inc me There is no fear that I will
20 away nl1w. uo,,a
"Psymsstar."
General Brice says, this morning,
that il viii appear, upon inyestiga-
tion. that the Trea sury Department
is responsible for the failure OF the
Government 10 discover the deialca-
fion sooner. General Brice also denies
the report that Hodge, after suspicion
had first been attached to him, was
allowed to draw any checks except
such as were necessary to transfer
balances to the proper officers.
The disbursements during the last
six wears. since the war, have amount
al as the records show, to the enOT-
NOUS sum of SIS, 81 $50 for the pay
ment of Treasury certificates Tor bounty
alone. They for a considerable time
ranged from 800, 900 TO SjOO,OO0 per
month. These large disbursements,
with the necessary credits, have az
,Forded au opportunity for stupendous
4, quds, which he covered up by
me- ans Of false and fraudulent official
-ef,,. ms. statements and accounts. The
sctns, amount of Hodges deficit, de-
fernin, ID by a careful examination, is
sf-S o9o In his letter Of confession,
10 Tafers to parties in this city and
NSa1g Work through whose agency he
No. uooda sne, eulations. Those in this
~ ~, "a declare. are perfectly innocent
ot i's sny ~ knoWIedee that he was using,
4, biS onerstjons With them, the pub
Iic funds. The party in New York,
he sfstes. knew that the money lost
with them was public money, and not
!, e own. Hodge caused TO De comma-
~, -sted TO General Brice the names OF
10 parties. as follows: Middleton q
~ bankers, Washington; Louis
I rs 49, ! a Co. bankers, Washington,
md PoIe' 'emus d Jackson bankers
No. 66 Exc. .hange Place, Ne" AOiA'