Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1873-12-18

I the house in relation to cisrtain ievelopments
| connected with the late freedmen's bureau:
WAR DEPARTMENT.,
WASHINGTON, d. g., March 4, 1873.
! To the Speaker OF the House Of Representa-
! llNtL, Washington, ID. T.:
! -,rR-In the course Of the business connected
. with The settlement Of affairs, and paying the
I unsettled claims OF the late bureau of reu-
7 gees, freed men and abandoned lands, certain
| Developments have been made which deem
IL proper, under the circumstances, TO submit
! 70 the house OF representatives tor such action
I as may appear 10 be right. On the assump-
] lon Of the duties by The adj djutant-general,
/ under tbe act of congress, general nature No.
| l33, approved June 10, 1872, and the war de-
| paItWent BeneIaI oIuere 30. % OF lo1z' thtIe
| was no reason 70 suppose that such de-
| VelOpments would be made, because
| no special search was made bear
ing upon them, but as complaint after
| complaint was received that claimants had
not received from the late bureau their bOun-
l ties, arrears OF pay, ETC., the said complaints
were referred, in the course of business, to the
! second auditor, with whom rested all settle
/ ment and the final adj EstEaent Of the ac-
| counts. 1t gradually became apparent that
| vouchers 10 a considerable amount were hled
/ as if paid, and credit taken for the amounts,
! when strong proof NCS presented that the
claimants had not been paid; and in a similar
manner developments embracing other sub
/ jects called FOR consideration.
| "From the incomplete and Cisordered con-
| ditiOn Of the accounts Of the late bureau when
received by the adIutGnt-geneTali and from
the fact that examination had 10 be made In
/ two offices OF The treasury department to
| arrive at the true condition of certain ac-
counts and claims, so much time escaped that
| the trial OF the late co mmlssloner by general
I CDurt-martlal became barred in part under
the statute OF Limitations before it was ciscOv-
cred that he was properly amenable 10 tIlal al
/ al, thO1gh il was true that he could now be
brought before a military court on some spec
inc charges, yet for the reason that they
would be more or less dependent on tTausac-
tiOns which are barred, the trial would hard
ly be productive OF public benefit, and also
Tor the reason that the honorable House OF
Representatives has already ordered and held
an Investigation by a committee upon the 8f-
fa'rS Of the bureau OF refugees, freedmen ana
abandoned lands, have deemed II best not 10
give Tire case 10 a military tribunal. but TO
submit the entire subject tC the House OF Rep
reseEtatiyes. The department. q OF JUSTICE
however, has been furnished with some OF the
cases, and others are 10 fellow, o apparent
malfeaSanCe, with q request 10 institute ell
ther a criminal sUit or a civil suit TO recover
moneys belonging 20 the United states, or
both suits, as may be proper, against such OF
the officers and agents Of the late bureau as
may be liable. In this connection, attention
is invited 10 the correspondence with the at
torney-geneTsl. found herewith.
The late commissioner, dier-General
.. .. Howard, United states army, has been
promptly informed Of the absence OF import
ant records, and Of the apparent exhibits
against hum. with a view 70 mis- Offering eX-
plantations and supp ying the mtSsisng re-
c,rds. How far he has done this viii appear
by the corresp pondence printed in the reports.
In The ite n stated at one hundred and twenty
be seen that the account cannot be produced.
and no attempt has been made to prove what
has become OF the money. Accounts cover
ing the amount are alleged 70 nave existed
but the discussing officer, George W Ballech,
has stated that, as they were not considered OF
much Importance, they were not Kept IN the
cases with the other acc 1untS. The said ac-
counts have disappeared, iand IL seems that
neither the late commissioner nor the late
disbursing officer can account for their disap-
pesTancr. This item is Enown as the 're-
tanned bounty fund.' p"
As to the Misrepresentation Of public funds,
the records are in evidence, and these lrregu-
larities and violations Of law seemingly have
had much more 20 do with the confusion OF
the records than the defective condition and
the almost entire suspension OF Work py the
..The responsibility and accountability at
taching 10 the late commissioner, so iar as
now developed, amounts 20 upward OF sz1oi-
57S 66, and may be stated under the following
First2CIafmed by co,ored claimants, who
allege that they baVe not been paid their pay
and bounty. although the records OF the
treasury department show the settlement OF
the claims and vouchers have been MED by
the late bureau as evidence OF payment, s5S,-
second-Defalcatio OF St Clair Vaudeville,
fhird-Defalcation OF o. c. French, reduced
TO SSH 50.
Fou-th-Defalcation Of B. p. Runkle, s563 a
Finh-Acknowiedgsd by George w. Balloon
to have been paid 10 b. 2. Runkle, 10 reim-
burse the latter for mistake made by his
agents in paying bOunties 10 the wrong par
ties, sl.3N 03.
Sixtn-Due by the late bureau, in conse-
quence Of illegal double payments and certain
accrued Interest, several thousand dollars.
Seventh-Irregular fund, called the re
tained bounty fund.-" under the act of March
,, 1867, not accoun nted for, upward OF Sll,009
Eighth-MisappLcati Of public FUNDS and
iling Of vouchers, with the accounts covering
a certain month, when the payments were
made In a prior month; mlsapplication,
s}s8Is: vouchers covering time Subsequent
HrsYH do aEFrr
erroneous, s73.0iS; total, SlO9.jJ2.
The accompanying reports OF the adJutant-
general, and OF Inspsctor-5ederal Scnriner,
who made critical examination Of the re-
cords in Nerihcaticn of the adj management 5
report. point in detail IN TIE g. nsaciiOns ex-
hibited IN tll "a. r nli. srs
am. sir. with gtsa- r. Q e,i your Obedient
servant -, s.. IJELKNAP,
Secretary OF War.