Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-04-03
A Great Crime EX,soSed.
the TRUTH OF THE HURT SCAN
DIAL COMING 20 LIGHT.
a Conspiracy 10 hob Issc Country in
tne Darkest Period Of iss History
How TWO Army Officers Suffered
for the Sims OF D.~fiHS uished
Christian Statesmen.

ti,e Darkest Period Of i.s History
How TWO Army Officers Suffered
for the Sins OF Ds>tinSuished
Christian Statesmen.
THE STORY OF THE CONSPIRACY.
In the early part of 1863, the dark
est period III our ccuntry's history,
John Sherman, Jay Cooke, Henry ID.
Cooke, Pitt Cooke, VIM. G. Mcorhead,
and a few others OF the same clique,
who had been drawn from obscurlty,
and had grown rich under the protect
ing wing of Salmon p. Chase, deter
mined to have Capt. Dickerson, the
Quartermaster at Cincinnati, removed,
and one L. w. HURT, Assistant Quar-
termaster Of Volunteers, Installed in
his place. This was one of the most
responsible and important posts in the
whole service. All the purchase of
clothing, supplies, &C., for the vast
armies operating i'll the West were pur-
chased i'll Cincinnati, and if these pat
riots could get their man they could
reap rich harvest with but little out
lay and no risk. They succeeded by
FORMING 4 CONDENSATION
w EdNC CSl NcN tuDI~
talists, friends of Henry Wilson, the
the forage and supplies. Dickerson
friends made a desperate fight against
a brother-in-law OF Senator Sherman
C. w. Moulton) were placed where
they could do the Sherman Cooke
vNiiSnl, R1ncr tho y,,nsf nnnI This
accoml lished in the spring of 1868,
and for months the conspirators had
full swing. Thi4 was the gloomiest
period of the war, and the finances of
the country were in a wretched state.
There was no ready cash to pay for
supplies, and consequently Quarter
master HURT gave vouchers Tor his
heaviest purchasers. Before these
would be paid he notified the Cookies,
and they bought them up at heavy
discounts, and in few days thereafter
received their face value III cash for
HURT. HURT also gave them timely
notice of purchases OF supplies to be
made, and thus allowed them to buy
up in advance all the grain and forage,
so that they controlled the market.
ONE OF THE AGENTS OF THE CooKEs
was fellow named George S. Scott,
who in time was dropped, whereupon
he preached, and thus Gen. Burnside
came into possession O. the prime: pal
facts and at once ordered Mai or Ma
than III. Mclean, one OF his Assistant
Adiutant- Generals TO take possession
Of Hurts office books, papeIs, &c.,
and thoroughly examine into the aif-nrs
of the Quartermaster' Department.
This was done, and MAJ or Mclean re-
ported the facts as lie found them.
The whole plot was revealed i'll the
correspondence OF HURT with his col
leagues in villainy and reported TO
Gen. Burnside. TIE arrest Of HURT
then followed, and he was ordered to
be tried by court martial. This would
have insured the conviction and pun
ishment of all concerned III his rascal
tiles; but this couldn't be afforded at
this critical period. A United States
Senator, the Christian bankers wao
were the financial agents OF the Gov
eminent and the friends Of Secretary
Chase, could not be dragged down to
felons' cells without sending a shock
to the hearts of the people which might
paralize and dishearten the best and
the truest
SECRETARY STANTON WAS FURIOUS
and at first vowed the great and the
little villains should suffer alike, but
as in MANY another case he in cooler
moments resolved TO temporize for the
present and leave to the future the
punishment OF these great crimes
against the nations life. Mclean was
ordered to the Pacific coast, Dickerson
died III lunatic asylum, and HURT
got off with light sentence. John
Sherman was made Chairman of the FL
nance Committee Of the Senate and the
Cookies continued to rob the country.
Now, ten years later, the truth is COM
| ing out and justice is to be done to the
living and the dead Mclean is now
| in the employ of the Erie Railroad I'M
| der Mr.. Watson, who as Assistant Sc
cretary of War knew how badly he had
/ been treated. Before Dickerson left
the army he wrote a.pamphlet.
/ MAKING KNOWN THE CONSPIRACY
against him 80: the country, and ac-
! tually publish, 4 ten copies OF the same.
They we've suppressed. however, and
| have becu seen only 10y few OF his
most intimate friends. y copy of this
pamphlet was semi 10 Gen. Meigs, who
( placed it on ti.e III the HUartermaster-
( Generals office. 1t will Ec sent TO the
House along with the rest of the pa
! pers in the case. lii this pamphlet
/ Dickerson makes direct charge
against Henry Wilson, which is sus-
! tanned by letters written by Wilson to
him. lie declares that Wilson de-
! manded of INN IOr certain New Eng
! land men contracts for clothing, &c,
which he refused, whereupon Wilson
wrote him saying that he would see
that he never prospercd, and threaten
| ing his removal. Many other equally
astounding developments Will be made
| by the publication ot;,ll the documents
relating to the case on file i'll the War
| Department. The Secretary of War
| has given assurances that nothing shall
be withheld, and Gen. Meigs declares
| that he will see to it that justice,
though tardy, shall now be done the
memory of his friend. Capt. Dicker-
! son.
The JAY Cooke failure seems TO be
one IF those cases that em5ody sue
cession of surprises. each one of which
puts worse face on the state of affairs.
The bankrupts have now filed an
amendment to their original schedule,
which reduces the amount of their as