The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-16
TIE CALIFORNIA ROBBERS.
MORE hBOUT THE OPERtTfONs or
GEORGE ". PINNEI.
Unearthing Robcpon'- Rotten Rookcry IN
California PRymuster Spaidtng mud His
Promised startling RcVclntiOns.

/ I npnfthtN4 k0Mrnn mummy "
| California Paymuster Spnidtng mud His
Promised startling "Rcvclntions.'
To THE EDITOR or THE SrN-Sir: | read
| in a. IS mornings SrN brief account VI the do
ines Of that slippery rascal. George ". Pinney,
| who recently iumucd the Pacific coast with
| million or 50 Of money belonging to the Govern
| mcnt ard private individuals. know all about
| rinney. and good deal about Spalding, bis Inn
| mediate superior. as well and can tell some
| things about both these worthles, and inciden-
tally something about naval matters on the Pa
| Cinc coast.
good deal has been said about the appoint
ment Of Pinney to the chief clcrkship In spald-
ing's onlcc. and nutter has been created In
Grant circles In san Fran ,sco In consequence Of
this comment Spalding, the paynfaster, tries
to throw the responsibility Of the appointment
| wholly upon La Grange. Of the mint, Und saws
that 1t was upon his La Grange's) solicitation
aud that Of "another man" that Pinney was APP
pointed. lie doesn't tell US who the "0thor
man H. but everybody in san Francisco knows
that 1t was Billy Carr, the Adjutant-Gcneral Of
Engy Sargent and George Gorham and the dis
| triuutur under these two OF every spoonful Of
! Government pap on the Pacific slopc
Spllding's statement Of this solicitation had
| one good effect. la Grange seized upon II a. n
pfetcNt to give up his valuable superntendency
| uf the Mint. aud retired into his she'll covered
with mortncation and chaerin at tie fan OF his
| prote-e This story caused a universal smoker
FROM shasta Butte to the Colorado river. Once-
holdcrs-that Is to say Grants ofiicehoders I'm
| California don't resign $5uO places simply be-
cause Il petty official whom they have recon-
mendcd proves recreant to his trust. When La
everybody laughed aud well they might. Tor IL
was known that he and linney had been
severed years and the real reason for Ia Oranges
panic was apparent as the sum Of two and
THE TRrTn IN A NUTSHELL.
Here h the whole truth In nutshell. For
several wears past there has existed In Calior-
MIA what is known a. the Mare Island Ring"
The active agents Of this combination were
composed of two sets Hanscom, the naval
constructor: Spslding. the purchasing paymas-
ter; Piauey, his clerk, and one or two contrac-
| tors whose names do not know, but whose In
| nuence was all powerful IN Spaldngs once.
These gentlemen confined their efforts to the ac-
| QUESTION OF lucrc. They were aided and aOc;ted
| Ev Iffirv sargent j H. Cophlan, Cen La G range,
and George Gornam. and their connection with
the Ring had twofold object. viz. Pelf and
| time but the election Of Luttreli to Congress
three years ago tmpaired the usefulness OF the
navy ward ~ political machine. and latterly
these geutrv have confined ;heir operations ex-
clusiyely TO money making. IL would occupy
too much space IA Your columns to 70 into de
may be given In general way, DN stating that
not stroke Of wors has been done in the navy
ward AZ Mare Island for i've years that the Cow
eminent really stood Ia need Of and certainly
not JOB las been COMPLETED that II has not
slrgc. which was "reUAred" there-that Is, re-
| huiit-fur that was what was done 20 her The
| ktMtAItt Cost NflElndilN ABOUT tOpVN al
| Portsmouth. y. H.. IN times when gold was
| from ~ to ~ She rebuilt at Mare Island
at cost Of $4,000, onc-haf of which At least
went lat the pockets OF this Ring. The timber
out Of which SIZE was rebuilt was contracted
for ~ OREGON +, the astute Spaldlns and the
| Why fiuncy at $50 currency. They bought II on
the Columbia river Tor 81 THOUSAND, gold.
The iron ANA copper furnished by san Fran
cisco I'm, members OF the Ring, we're con.
tracted iSr ia the same way, and Spaiding and
Pinney were allowed i-cOunt on the bills Of
"scvcniy-ivr yer cent. Tor cash. our CORE
sp,ndcnt h. quite rehi when he saws OF Pinney
that "he svindl.d at both ends Of contract.
ia the lddIe, and everywhere that ne could get
ruth, however when he fails to connect Spald
iug with these trans lci.nns
srAIDING's ASrFcEDgNTs.
Spsldiae, Ike y sood many other navy pay.
masters. i % tie nese. when he can keep in
tne background inisslf and larry on his steals
awake. and not VI Too eonscentons cleS lie il
pomnous' vain, exravaeant fellow, loud :" nj
sue,cn, conspieuogs ia his dress, and, like
Grnut, shr- his toddy with the strongest ki.d o.
= e,tcK. l'c was appointed to the navy In 1861
through the influence Of Gen Bob -chenck.
While atsuoned in Cairo In iss or a.. spaldins'.
safe was ntNstcriOuslv scoopcd Of tour or ave
:. 5-... 49," famed II arr"s, 80 ca,,rt-iaaf-
tailed. spaldins wa convicted OF careless
ness the Court drew n very mid on account
OF Gca. Bob scheLek and was sentenced TO six
months suspension. Poor Harvey was de-
npunced Gs thct, and iugloriousiy dismissed
FROM the service good many thought at the
time that IL was a lucky thing Tor Saalding that
the court were ablc Ia make scaIiegoat Of Hnr-
ycy; otherwise they might have had to deal
more severely with hin.
\ our CORES poudent states that In the present
case Spaldiug has threatened to make "impOT-
tant revelations IN case he Is pushed too hard.
He saws that Plnuey was pushed into his place
IN bis once by persons who knew he would
steal, &C. This s doubtless uue, but Sir.
spaiding is equally responsible with Eflgv Sar.
| gent aud other. Tho ap ointment Il one Of
Spailings own making. Bt the rules Of the
service he appoints his own clerks, and no one
In " Arlington or elsewhere has any power over
them. TIE story that Pinney was pushed into
| his ufhce' Is therefore all bOsh. Spaldng no
doubt knew rs well as did Sargent and La
Grange that rinney would steal. and would not
only steal Tor himself Lut for Spalding too, and
for thar reason the appointment wae made
Spalding. Ia TRANCE, and tue rest Of the Riug all
shared N the spohs. and formed happy family
In iniquity
will add that II, while making them, Mr.. Spnld-
Ing viii also reveal where he got the money to
buzz $4,000 house on Pine street, san Fran
CISCO, where the cash cSme from TO secure his
lnrse stock iuvestn.ents. aud how IL happened
$500 It viii ril lend TO satisfy the mouisilive
public. aud make the WORK OF the Court OF ln-
quiiy all The more easy.
rINNEY's OPPORTUNITIES.
Pinney's wonderful lnluenco IN Spalding's Of
nce Is utoGsther incomp ttibe with the latter
innocence. Spalding used to sign half sheets of
Hv The Gre. lie used TO MT hllf dozen sigma
iures on ts many SUD Treasury caecks, aud hand
tnem all over 10 his clerk with confidence alto
gether too blind 70 he genuine. ilai,too, whSn
he knew that Pnnoy was up 20 his eyes in stock
speculltiOn-, and tnat he would Ill up one OF
those checks a. quick as fash II he got JAZZ med
: ~ the mHTNet Indeed these certlf 'ates Of M
. dchteduc-s. which ire aid to be forgeries, aud
which were issued t. the extent OF seV raj hun
drcd thousand dollars merely " nlicd IN" on
l blank sheets already bearing Spaldinl's siTna-
: lure. " Is nonsense TO say that Tine loss will
fail upuu private Individuals for the documents
l are genuine, fraudulent though the claim may
be. The difficulty viii I've TO separate the good
frotn the h a, ANA tAe Government mas u.yo 10
settle or repIeiaie sli' is the only means e
decide 1t.
4 Piunev. who used a. abuse and Kick and clf
his Wife untlI tlr uc.ghhols often inteIfrred, rLt
. away WITT another " man. hut ire left his wife
= | "A beautiful house ~ ''akiar u, Mhich Will dS
. | mucn ~ cIn-uIt ~ lady Iur hls loss.