The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-04-16
4 CROOKED MAN.

Yesterday morning affirming that his
famous cotton speculations during and
Just after the war were honest ana
square, and denying q reportorial refer
ence to those specuIations which recent
ly appeared In the DEMOCRAT. The ed
itor OF the DEMOCRAT has not, that he
remembers, heretofore referred to this
septuagenarian fraud except with refer
ence to the Returning Board infamles
OF 1874.
We know little or nothing personally
about Returning Board Wells cotton
transactions OF the past; but II they
were not more honest than his Return
ing Board operations, tho less he says
about them the better. But. while We
know nothing personally about this old
fellows operations In cotton, We have
before us tie sworn testimony OF a most
estimable lady who does seem to have a
very clear knowledge Of some OF them
and a very deep interest In them. In
1873. Mrs. Marie p, Evans, In her case
against the United States, testified as
follows before the Southern Claims
Commission at Washington
Question by counsel. Have you any
knowledge OF any cotton left on the
Ouantico plantation, near AlexandrtaP
Answer. Yes sir: there were between
1900 and 1900 bales left there by direc-
tion Of Gen. Banks.
%. What became OF that cotton2-A.
Five or six hundred bales were stolen
by Gen. Wells, which he confessed
to me.
O. Who was he2-A. He was called
Gov. Wells at that time. / think he
was elected Governor about the time
the war closed.
BY Commissioner Adds:
q. Just tell the story OF that.-A.
Well, sir, / think he is the most dis
honest man / ever knew told him so.
Mr.. Linton had indorsed some notes,
and those notes were in the possession
of w. ~ d. Irkwood, of New Orleans.
They held, Of course, a privilege on his
crop and plantation, and ut the time OF
secession, l think the first winter In
IsS,. perhaps. Gov. Moore issued an
order that no cotton should be brought
into New Orleans; that It was In danger,
he said, Of becoming bait for the enc
my. or some such nonsense, and hence
all the cotton remained on the planta-
tions. Now, when Gen. Banks went up
Red River, there were 1900 or 1900 bales
on the place, 600 or coo baled and ready
for shipment. and the rest partly baled
and stacked in houses. When we went
up to tho plantation my father sent
word to David Irkwood, who was
on Governor Moore's staff, and . very
conspicuous officer, that We could sell
l. ;,,, to cotfot, anI TINT hc t,n,1ld 1iQ-
pose of it and sell It to planters who
would give sugar for It, and that he
could manage to make the transaction
liuuidate the debt. Mr.. Linton never
owed anybody at all, and this debt
weighed heavy upon him he had Pc
oular ideas about 1t, and 1t became a
sort OF unhappiness to my father, and
he wanted to relieve his mind, because
it was in an unhealthy condition. Mr..
Irkwood sent word that he would not
allow the cotton to be touched, unless
we sent its value In gold to him. or
course that was impossible, and we said
had been appointed as keeper. As soon
as General Banks made his second visit
to Red River, which was in 1864, we were
no longer there and Governor Wells took
possession OF these five hundred cotton
bales, which 1 proved by the steamers
and the men who took it away, and even
the merchant who sold it, and the price
il brought. 1 hold all those papers. /
went to see Gov. Wells on the subject,
and he acknowledged these four or five
hundred bales, but he would not ac-
knowledge any more. He said the rest
had been captured by the guerillas and
set us an example, sitting In the guber-
Material chair, when you acknowledge
you have taken from the man you call
your best friend five hundred bales Of
cotton2 I don't call that an honorable
code" He said, Perhaps. madam,
your ideas of tho code Of honor and
mine differ" Those are the last words
/ had with him. He had all his pro-
perty taken from his own name and put
in his wife's name to prevent any re-
dress.
Q. Did Governor Wells admit to you
that he had taken from four to five
tonP-A. Yes, sir; that he had moved 1t
as keeper.
Q. Did he say that he had accounted
for it to you or anybody else2-A. went
and asked him why he didn't account
for it-why the merchant hadn't re-
ceived It. Well, he said there was an
upset condition OF things in the coun-
try. l said, THAT Is very vague; that
doesn't mean anything at ALL" In the
meantime the creditors had the planta-
tion seized, and this cotton, at the rates
OF cotton then, would have paid the debt
or five times over. He didn't account
for 1t at all. He finally was pushed to
the wall 30 very hard that 1 think he
disgorged eleven or twelve hundred
dolars-some trifling amount.
q. Did he claim that was oil tho
money there was in his hands A. Yes.
SIR all that was In his hands as for
the rest, he said he could not give any
account OF 1t. / said, you were re-
sponsible as keeper for the whole
amount; you took it from the planta-
ton and you put 1t on boats in the Red
River, and you acknowledged that the
testimony or these men Is correct. and
these orders arc correct ?" He said,
Yes but everything was 30 upset that
it was hard to tell what the guerillas
had taken and what they had left"
Said !, What about these merchants
who sold 1t 2" And he said, "Well that
was other cotton" He was Governor
then, and there was not lawyer in the
city OF Now Orleans who would attempt
to prosecute him for me, although I
went everywhere with these papers
none OF them would take hold of it be-
cause he was Governor
q. You say he was keeper when he
took these five hundred bales?-A. Yes,
sir
Q. He took them in your absence
when Won wera in Ei1ropo uif n yo,,r