Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1876-04-22
If HONEST NOTJUST.

has been some trouble In reference
to lie bondsof DT. Dennis Murphy,
Storckeeper and Paymaster at the
Harper's Ferry Armory-four very
prominent and substantial citizens
of this county being bis bondsmen.
1t is also generally conceded that but
for the burning Of the Armory, DIR.
Murphy would have been perfectly
able to show vouchers for all money
received by him and even now it is
well known fact, that the checks
drawn by him, together with remit
tances to the proper department,
clear the DIR. and his sureties OF any
liability to the Government. The
proper representatives of the Govern
ment, after a full and thorough in
vestigation of all these matters, re-
commended the passage of "a bill re-
lieving the sureties from even the
question of liability, and the Com
mittee on Military Affairs would I'M
doubtedly have recommended the
passage of such bill, but it seems
that owing to Mr.. Faulkner's influ-
ence, this act of justice to them has
been prevented. We quote Mr..
Faulkner's own language as embod-
led in his remarks explaining an ar
ticle in the National Republican. =
Mr.. Faulkner said
SIN 1858 Dennis Murphy, of my
county, was appointed military store
keeper and pay-master at Harper's
Ferry. l was one Of four solvent
men who became his securities in his
official bond. He settled his ac-
counts-and so they appear upon the
books of the Department-with the
most scrupulOus accuracy up to the
LIST of January, 1861. His settle
ments being quarterly, no further ac-
count was required of him until the
LIST Of April, 1851. Before that last
quarterly settlement could be made
the confederate forces took posses
sion Of Harper's Ferry, the vault in
which his vouchers were contained
was broken open, and every voucher
but one destroyed. In the absence
of these legal vouchers the account
ing officers of the Treasury had to
treat him of course az defaulter;
but having the highest moral and
persuasive evidence in their possess
sion that he was not really a defaul.
ter, they permitted the matter to
slumber until the 9Th of January last,
when the first information was given
to the securities of this apparent bal
ance on the books of the Treasury.
1t was then deemed expedient to
present petition to Congress, in
which all the facts of the case were
carefully set forth; and as Allen G..
Hammond, the security thus petit
ti0ning, resided in the State of Ma
ryland, Mr.. O'Brien, of that State,
very kindly took charge of the petit
tion and had it referred to the Com
mittee on Military Affairs. The
committee sent the petition to the
Chief OF the Ordnance Bureau to ex-
anime the statements contained in
it, to return copies of any papers
bearing upon the subject, and to ex-
press his opinion upon all the evil
dence before hisBureau whetherPay
master Murphy was in default or not,
and, if so, to what amount. A re-
port was made by the Chief of the
Ordnance Burea, which passed from
him into the hands of the Second
Auditor of the Treasury, who also
made report, and thence through
the Acting Secretary of War, George
M. Robson, to the Committee on
Military Affairs of this House. 1
will quote but two short paragraphs
from the report of the Ordnance Bu-
reau:
"'If all the checks thereon report
ed were drawn in favor of public
creditors and from the balance shown
to be on hand December 81, includ-
ing remittances after that date, as
shown by statement B, it would seem
that he had accounted for all the
public money intrusted to him.
And again, at the conclusion of
MS report, ne says.
In my opinion the sureties of
Military Store-keeper Murphy should
be relieved from responsibility under
their bond. ''3s'
sit was obvious that under these
reports the Committee on Military
Affairs could have done nothing less
than report bill discharging the Sc
curities from all further liability
But said to my friend, Mr.. Har-
denbergh, of New Jersey, member
of that committee, when he showed
me these reports, that I did not wish
the Committee on Military Affairs
to report any bill in conformity with
them; that would not consent that
any bill should pass Congress while
L was member of it that would re-
lease me from pecuniary liability To