The New York herald., 1876-09-04
THE COTTON BUREAU.

DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING INFORMATION
RELATIVE TO CAPTURED AND ABANDONED
PROPERTY IN THE REPORTS
OF AGENTs-TEsTIMoHY OF JUDGE CASEY,
Ix-CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COURT OF CLAIMS.
WASHINGTON Sept 8, 1876
Tho statements, letters and testimony relative to
captured and abandoned property before the Com
mittee on Expenditures tho Treasury Department
have Just been printed The investigation will be re-
sumed at tho next session OF Congress. when large
number of additional witnesses Will be examined.
IL appears from the document that the actual
moneys credited the Treasury s24 2jl, 269 The
total OF amounts expended from proceeds of abandoned
and captured property Tor the purchase OF products OF
the States declared nsurrection under tho act of
July 2, 1864, was 81, 1888.
The following recapituaiion ia gwen
Amount returned by agents. S., ,9l0, $40 IL
retnrned ..,............ 2465 ss3 60
The ba ance the profit cotton sold So 444 7l5 A
Amount covered IN, shown by the
books CT the Treasury Department. IN
cuding premium on sales OF con $26, SIS 03s p
Deduct amount returned BY agents,
which includes profits. ............... 5,9l0.549 IL
Balance covered IN 500 gO7, ,4sg %
Among the most important testimony before the
comm ttcc is that OF Judge Casey, who first np-
pointed Judge OF the Court OF CLAIMS IN May, 1851
Under reorganization OF the In March, 1868 he
was appointed Chief Justice OF the court and held that
position until the lst OF December 1870, when he
signed Since his resignation he has been profession.
ally engaged in the prosecution of cotton claims Hav.
ing been asked to state from what he procured
his information to the net proceeds In particular
cotton he replied principally by calls upon the
Treasury Department, wnicn we're referred TO what
was known the Cotton Bureau, answered by the
bureau tho Secretary and certified by him. He had
frequent occasion while Le was Chief Justice vi the
court to make personal inquiries IN reference to par
tcJlar cases while Mr.. kaufman and Nr Parker were
there all those instances he recognized them as
the heads and made his Inquiries oil them and received
the Information he desired through them lie knew
Mr. Noerr the present chief OF the captured and aban
doncd property dvision' very we'll He called Tor In
formation in some nity or sixty cases. commencing
~ith of John IL. Newman then pending In the
Court fCams for an amount OF cotton that had been
received By the Treasury agent at Vicksburg shipped
thence sod and Tor the amount Of proceeds paid
iuto the Treasury. a return, after great oeal of
delay sent the latter part OF 1872 or the begin
nng Of 1918 copy OF which he thought might be OBJ
talncd IRON the Court Of Claims in which the matters
returned 10 the first place were so commingcd and
confused TO be utterly unintegibc, and IN the Sec
ond place we're untrue and Incorrect as the events
proved In their statements Of facts. The return from
that bureau and IRON the Treasury Department showed
that there the Treasury tho proceeds OF ABOUT
go bales OF cotton from Vcksburg; they amounted
TO not over s12j, 900 $780, 0O0 Being dissatisfied
with the sattmen he asked for further proceedings
IRON the Court To OBTAIN correct iniUrmatOn at one
time making application for a subpoena duces tecum
Alter considering The matters the Court the l4th OF
June 1873 referred the matter OF the Mississippi cot
ton together with other cotton Of that region and
peciay Vicksburg cotton TO commissioner Mr.
Evecib, to report upon the amount OF cotton received,
to what points shipped to whom sold, now much pro-
cceds and whether these proceeds were In The
Treasury Alter some two years delay and examna-
tons oil the matters Mr.. Evelcth made report on the
Vcksburg cotton. from which II appeared that there
were the Of IL 600 bales received there
aud shipped.
O. / Understand you to say that the captured and
abandoned property division returned something over
the amount that remained In the Treasury
from Vicksburg cottony A. Yes
u Can you there tho proceeds OF how many bales
Mr.. Eveleih reports as remaining In the treasury of
the vicksburg cotonY A. can state from recollection
that Mr. Eve!ehs report showed that there had beer
actually sold and bad gone into the Treasury, OF the
cot on shipped from VcksDurg five thousand ana odd
bales the odd being less than 1907 cannot state the
exact number; the amount OF proceeds 10 gwen ap-
proxinatciy correct here IN the amendment 70 the
second report OF Mr.. Eveeth.
Q Al how muchs A A. ss2s, ,o2s o%-soms Ssooo 900