Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-10-21
Senator Edmund> and the Crane-Jewett
DefalcatiOn.

The tpllUWin" ar,I, a. lnil"nl'.'.l in th"
last It. .Juln~burN ftln(onrtn:
There are. certain facts connected with
the second appointment of Mr.. Crane a>
Collector of Internal Revenue, at a period
lyl!rn he WAS known t. be Il public default
;rl. and il the proceedings which have fol-
lowed the hcannounccmcn, of hi~ dciIlcl,ion.
which drmaui cA!ltIatioli.
We und-r-tlnd that Mr.. Crane was both
appointed and rr-apppimt"d on the recon-
nicnoarion Of senator Elmund>. During
a I,r,i,n of hi> first term, Edward y.
,Ir>ctt WAS hi> deputy. Senator Edmund~
WAS one of Mr.. Cranes >urctir> on his Of
,icitl bond some tim" before the cNpir,-
ton of Mr.. Cranes first term. .Iewclt re-
,iync,!. ami after rcmIiuing some months
in ItuI Ijugtum openly removed to Chicago,
where hrcngaccl in business, and has ever
since rc>id' Il.
In the W inter or ~prin" of l~11:;, upon the
arrangement # the ln,"rnll Revenue
system. Mr. Crane WIS rc-Hppolntel upon
Recommendation of senator Edmund> TO
IN enlarged district. He procured new
-lct!r- Mr.. Edmund> not being enc Of
lh,m.
In tl,. autumn of l>12 Mr.. .Jewctt came
10 burlington Oh business, putting up ut
the hotel kept hv Mr.. Crane. where Mr.
i.dmumd~ auI his family We're boarding.
The fact Of Mr. Cranes dclalcaIion was ut
tlEtt time known TO many persons. Mr.. Ed
mur,l> included. Mr.. .)rwrjt openly left
Burlington tor Chicago. no intimation hav-
inc then been made that he was RESPONSE
bic for the drf,l,:ltion.
After Mr. ,Jcwrtt had left. ii became
publicly known tina, Mr.. Crane had been 4
,lcf;,ul,rr To the amount of more than iif
teen Thousand dollars for more than two
years hcfolc hi, re-appointmcnt. and thai
lie had been repeatedly called upon to make
time the charge was made that .Jewett wa.
the guilty person; and it WAS openly claim
rd hv Crane and his friends that Crane ha,
been rc-appointcd in order to give hin
time and opportunity to make up his dctal
cation.
As soon a> Mr.. .jcwctt heard of tn
ch,rrc he publicly stated his purpose to re
I turn to Vermont and meet it. Instead c
irwin" HIM limc to DO 50. the friends q
Mr.. Crane procured :; warrant and sen
. the 'nitcd States Marshal to Chicago t
= arrest Jcwctt The Marshal found hin
e ready to start for Vermont; he came bac
I and found the friends of Mr.. Crane usin
every effort to make the public hclievc hil
, nuiltv. He WAS compelled to give heav
= bail. with resident SurcticS of undoubtc
i responsibility.
d Although the records made Il complet
e case against Crane, no proceedings wha
;, ever were taken against him until the ne,
: term Of the court when the grand jury il
. dictcd him Jc "ctt was also indicted
compclled to renew his bonds, and I'll
d case was pressed against him most vigo
e ouslv. III the case of Crane, nOn-residel
i bail was accepted. and the statement tn;
one of hi, counsel was out of town su
I; feed to put his case over to the followin
10 term.
N N Since then two terms have passed ar
ID no effort whatever has been mlde to brir
r Crane to trial. The simple production
e. the official records at Washington, it
leG said. would make the case against hi
ID complete; his trial would bring out Il
e facts concerning his appointment Al
dcftlcation, and show who is the par
really guilty The impression is vel
strong that he will meyer be brought
trial.
S nator Edmunls must be held respon:
bic for Cranes original and re-appoir
Vie ment. Will he explain how it lappe
t1 az that Il defaulter, for whom he was ba
whose detalcltiOn WAS well known at t
Treasury, was re-appolnted and allowed
enter upon an enlarged sphere of duty a
t. procure other persons who We're I
aware of his defalcation to become his
fetal suretie~? Viii he also explain W
Mr.. Crane is not brought to trial, Il
why the case Is pressed ayaiost Il you
man in Il distant state, destitute OF mea
and the expenscs of whose defense HI
t. be borne by friends who believe him
m nocent? Will he also explain whether
Ict true that Mt. Crane was rG-aDpOlQCeO
Tue order to give him time or opportunity
ate make up his old defalcution?