Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-01-23

men we're not residents of Maine or aliens or
listened in Maine, and there was no law or ger
eral order by which they could be put to tn
credits OF towns in Maine. A special order how
ever from Provost Marshal General Frye wa
obtained, under which the assignment actual
made seems to have been justified. We appen
copy Of this special order dated Dec. 10, 1864
Perhaps it is fairly inferable from what "
haveof Manley's testimony that he had som
agency in procuring this special order.
turned out that be had very strong persona
interest in procuring such order, for he seems T.
have sold to Deeriag & Co alone l2l of thes
men, at SAT 400, and if he sold the rest at tn
same rate, his gross sales must have amounted
to more than Sl00, 900. The abstract accompany
ing the report shows the sales of this list SO fa
as we have been able to trace it,
THE MARINE LIST.
Messrs Pike & Colby seem to have managed
the list of men claimed to have been enlisted into
the United States Marine Corps. 1t was origin.
ally brought to Maine, as testified to by Mr.
Farwell and Gen. Hodsdon, by one Capt. For
rest, and at that time was a mere collection OF
sheets OF foolscap paper containing names. with
out seal or proper security against being indefn.
itey added to, and was signed only on the last
of several sheets The proposition made to Gen.
Hodsdon and Major Gardiner, to sanction the
assignment of men on this list to towns in Maine,
was decisively rejected. The list was taken away,
but was presented some weeks after to Major
special order from Provost Marshal General
Frye having in the meantime been obtained, to
credit them to districts and sub-districts of
Maine, they were distributed in strict accordance
with arrangements made with Messrs. Pike Il
Colby. Mr.. ID. T. Pike, the surviving member of
that firm, has testified before US with great frank
ness, minuteness and candor, and all the main
points Of his testimony harmonic with his pub
lished account of his connection with these trans
actions and with such other evidence as We have
collected. The only considerable discrepancy,
that occurs to us, is that Mr. Pike states that
these men were enlisted in the District of Column
bis, and bases his claim to obtain the credit of
them for towns in Maine in part upon the fact
that they could not be credited to any other
State, whereas it appears from the data obtained
from the Navy Department that only 81 of these
men were actually enlisted in Washington, the
rest being enlisted in Philadelphia, Chicago,
Boston and other cities. Our abstract shows
only 334 of these men disposed of by Messrs.
Pike u Colby, their agents and assignees. 1t is
not likely however that the number was less than
400, as Mr. Pike would have no disposition to ex-
aggerate the number. The rest of them must
have been sold to some other towns, whose Off
GERS We have not been able to put ourselves in
communication with, or who, being content with
having them count on their quotas, made no
claim for disbursement to the Equalization Com
mssoners, and 50 no clue il furnished as to their
disposition.
GRAND TOTAL.
Surprising the list sent to the Adjutant Gem
eral BY John I. Hull to have contained 600 names
and the list managed by Pike & Colby to have
contained 400 names, and adding the 25l list. VIZ
have pretty definite record of 1881 names; bu
besides this, there was the list of Marine Corp
men, brought to Augusta by one Higgins ant
sold to G. p. Coehrane in January, 1865, and on
Of which Cochrane previous TO his sickness hal
sold about 80 men to towns. The rest, number
ing about ITO, were left in the Adjutant Gen
erals Office aud the sale and distribution of Their
was managed by parties unknown. This is t
say. we conclude they were sold, because ther
was special order of the Provost Marshal Gen
eral to assign them upon the quotas Of towns
and in the eagerness of towns at that time t
procure men they would not be likely to rema
in the market. Then there was still another lis
of 200 names in possession of Delany at the tim
of his arrest, which be says were disposed of b.
Major Littler and a percentage upon the sale O
which amounting to e60l was paid to him
Delany names among the towns to which
this lot was disposed of, Nobleboro', Walthan
and Mariaville, and we find that the tow
of Nobleboro' made claim for reimburse
ment for eighteen men, not named, which it j.
presumed we're acquired in this way These to.
gether make an aggregate of 1880 names after
deductiDg the 27l said to have been gratuitously
distributed by the Governor from the General
Credits,' for which the towns must have paid &c
private persons not less than half million dol
lars.
THE SOURCE OF THE FRAUD.
We shall not have fully discharged our duty
unless we indicate in some general way the con
illusions we have unavoidably arrived at, as t.
the persons upon whom the responsibility fol
these unauthorized credits rests. When the Pro
vost Marshal General in his letter of July
1864, appointing Governor Cony and Major Gar
diner to the naval Commission, instructed then
that Sin determining the credits the State O
Maine and different sub divisions of it were en-
titled to, the Secretary thinks it will be fair t.
assume that the State in which naval enlistment
have been made is entitled to credit for tn
enlistments, unless it shall appear by more direc
evidence that the credits. belong elsewhere" h
seems to US to have transcribed the requirement
of law. The terms and intendment of the &C
were to throw the burden of proving residenc
upon the towns; the effect of the instruction wa
to assume the residence to be at the place of en-
listment and throw the burden of disproving
upon the town making an adverse claim. TIL
instruction from the same. officer to Governo
Cony and Major Littler Of Dec. 10, 1864, au
thorizing the crediting of the 23l naval recruits
is of the same force, and refers to the foregoing
instruction. The mere private endorsement up
on the Marine Corps list in the hands of Messrs
Pike & Colby, authorizing credit of the name
it contained to districts and sub-districts o
Maine, and the similar instructions authorizin.
a like credit of about 200 names upon list he'll
by G. p. Cochrane to districts and sub-district
in the State of -, does not seem to us t
have the slightest pretext of law or propriety T.
yindicate it. Of the tirit list, the proof show
that only two-thirds of the names thereon wer
genuine, and there is no proof that any of tn
names upon the list were genuine. There was n
safeguard against an indefinite supply Q
names, or against the same names bein;
sold and credited indefinitely to any mum
Der of States. As to how these orders were pro
cured, we do not deem the proof we have col
lected sufficient in quantity and quality TO expires
officially, an opinion. That high officer acted out
side of our jurisdiction if not of our criticism
and his conduct is a matter more fit for Congress
ional than a State legislative investigation.
The testimony gives many details which thu
report passes over without special remark. 1t
evident however from the language of tn
commissioners that the Investigation in thei
opinion, leads at every point, directly to tn
Provost Marshal Generals Office in Washington
The commissioners, in abiding to the dithcultie
of attaining information from the department
at Washington, say that they are largely indebt
ed to Speaker Blaine, whose appreciation of the
requirements was prompt and complete, and wh(
by personal appeal largely contributed to tb,
procurement OF the little information obtained