Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-09-14
WASHINGTON.
The Rsdical Mayor Turns De-
faulter. a
Government Loses Halt a Mill
lion
How the Radicals Have Ku-Kiuxed
Southern Finances

Southern FtnaScss
WASHINGTON, Sept. Ex-senator Paul,
of North Carolina, and Representatives
Buckley of Alabama, and Beck of Ken
lucky, constituting the committee on
Ku Klux, met here to-day 10 examine
and digest the mass of testimony fur
nished by the executive officers of the
Southern States concerning their finances,
taxation, etc in order to state to the full
committee of twenty-one which meet on
the goth inst
The sub. committee find to-day that
several Governors have failed to furnish
the information requested by the chair
man of the full committee, and a full re-
port of The matter above indicated will be
incomplete unless such information is
furnished the committee without further
delay.
The Coming Census.
The Census Bureau will soon issue for
the principal newspapers and publishing
interest q small edition of the first 299
papers on population, volume 8, of the
census, comprising the first four tablets
of that volume, giving the population by
States and Territories in the aggregate,
and as white, free, colored, slaves, Chi
nese and Indians, at each census.
Another Radical Defaulter-HaIf a
Million Lost.
The public were startled this afternoon
by report that Major John Ledyard
Hodge, appointed in January, 1861, Dep
uty Paymaster of the United States army,
and stationed atthis city, had been found
to be defaulter to the Government in
very large amount. The few who knew
of the serious charges against him were
10th TO believe them, but subsequent
events proved to his friends that they
are well founded and that he is q default-
er to at least 100000 or $780, 600. It
is stated that year ago detectives made
the discovery that his finsncia' affairs
were in loose condition, his accounts
being behind, ard that an investigation
was ordered, but for some reason not
known it never took place. The &C
cused served as an officer during the late
war in the Pennsylvania volunteers of
which state he is native and was brevet
Lieut. Colonel. He lived in an extrava-
CANT style on salary of about thirty-6ve
hundred dollars. Detectives are both
here and in New York to-day generally
endesvoring, on inquiry at banks and
elsewhere to discover further informa-
tion.
1t is suspected that other parties are in
volVed in the defalcations. Maj. Roches-
ter has been detailed to discharge the
duties of the Office vacated by first Major
Hodge. The 9:40 train yesterday carried
away Maj. Hodge. He was in charge of
United States officers, who were directed
by the General of the army to turn him
over to the Commandant of Fort Nc
Henry, with directions to place him in
solitary confinement with sentinel to
guard his cell.
The Star this afternoon says Gen.
Brice ordered Hodges to close his accounts
Monday last. Ga next day Gen. Brice
received letter from Msj. Hodges, con-
tanning a full confession of guilt, and
stating that he bad been making fraudu-
lent returns and statements since 1866,
and that the money thus obtained had
been spent in gold and stock gambling in
New York. He mentioned in his letter
the name of one firm who knew that the
money he had cent them for investment
belonged to the Government, and conclu-
ded By stating that he was ready to turn
over all his property, both personal and
real, amounting in value to something
like $50, 900, to any sgent of the Gov
eminent authorized TO receive such as
signment
An investigation of his accounts, now
going on in the Psymaster Generals
Office, has proceeded far enough TO make
safe the assertion, that his defalcstion
will amount to between $400, 900 and
$500, 900. He will be tried by court
martial, which will doubtless impose as
penalty certain term of Imprisonment
and dismissal from the military service of
the United States. 1t can hardly be ex-
pected that any portion of the amount of
his defalcation will be recovered, except
q few thousand dollars from the sale of
his private property.