The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-01-13
Telearaphir.
WASHINGTON.
THE SUGG FORT AND WITOWSKI
FRA UDS EXPOSED--A SEVERE
REPORTLSEVERAL u S.
OFFICIALS RESIGN
AT ONCE.

WASHINGTON, Dec, 30.-0n the Sugg
Fort and Witowski iniquities the final
action to-day, is fitting end to two OF
the most barefaced pieces of rascality
ever perpetrated on the government
The Witowski claim was for logs alleged
to have been furnished the government
amounting to $20700. The claim was
rushed through the Treasury and paid,
although, as since shown,ssit was nothing
but fraud from the beginning, The
Third Auditor, in transacting the routine
business of his Office, takes up an ac-
count and the vouchers. A clerk makes
statement of the case, and the Auditor
certifes the balance to the Second Con-
troller. In the present case, the clerk
made a statement, but did not follow the
usual manner in preparing papers. They
were submitted to Mr.. Rutherford, the
Aditor. They contained an approval or
recommendation, which he struck out,
thereby, as he supposed, rejecting the
claim which he thought to be irregular,
The papers by some means reached the
hand of the clerk in the Second Control
lsr's office, and he indorsed them as if
the claim was approved and certified to
by an army officer. Mr.. Curtiss, the
Deputy Controller, signed this endorse
ment. The papers went on in their rou-
tine course, and in due time came again
TO Mr.. Rutherford. He said he was sur
prised that the Controller had approved
the claim, but it was passed, and Wit
owsk had received the money.
The claim Of Sugg Fort was for -four,
alleged to have been furnished to the
army, amonting to $4,000. 1t had been
before Congress and was rejected as
fraudulent. Sugg Fort, with the advice
and active participation of Congressman
Roderick r. Butler, obtained copies Of
the papers after the House had adjourn
ed and presented the claim to the Com
missary-General of Subsistence. He ap-
proved it, and at "A o'clock on the last day
of the fiscal year Mr.. Butler took it
into the Treasury Department. ltusu-
ally requires from week to several
msnths to pay a claim in the Department;
but this particular case which had been
rected by Congress, and without single
original paper, was passed and paid after
Office hours. Had it gone over one day
it could never have been paid, as Butler
and others well knew. Mr.. Rutherford
said there was not time to pay the claim,
but Mr.. Butler was pushing Congress
man, and some public officers are afraid
Of a pushing Congressman. Mr.. Butler
took the papers from office to office, and
before sundown he had his money, or
rather he and Fort had the Government
money.
The two cases were brought to the at
tention of Secretary BristOw On the
recommendation Of the Grand Jury, he
appointed a committee, headed by ex-
Senator Pratt, Commissioner Of Internal
Revenue. This committee, after an in
vestigation lasting many weeks, and
having given Third Auditor Rutherford
and Second Controller Broadhead and
their clerks every opportunity to explain,
made their report to the Secretary yes
terday. 1t was severe in its condemna-
ton of the officers named, for culpable
neglect of duty. The report was shown
to the persons against whom it was made,
and they indicated willingness to resign
at once. Besides the two officers named
are JamesF. Allen and George DOolittle
of the Auditors Office, and Deputy Curtis
and John c. Wilson of the Controllers
office. The designations of some of these
were received tonight. Probably all
will be out of Office tomorrow. The
case of Mr.. Broadhead is particularly dis
tresssing. He is seventy years old, and
has been in one position or another in
the Department for forty years. He has
for many years been favOrite with the
President, and is said to have been very
useful to Gen. Grant in settling his ac-
counts after his retirement from the
army. The President is represented to
have said some time ago that he should
never remove Broadhead.