American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-04-15
CURRENT, TOPICS,

80C
90 additional for proof Of publication.
CURRENT TOPICS,
The capture of Matamoras by tht
rebel General Diaz was accomplished
on the Sd, after brief and not yery
sanguinary engagement. Diaz's army
numbered about. 1000 men; Genera
Labarra, who commanded the garrison
was n9minslly at the head of much
largacfoEce, but as his principal officer,
General Toledo, deserted him at the be-
ginning of the engagement, and the
GOyernfnent troops, with few excep-
lions, refused to fire upon the
enemy when ordered, Labarra showed
his discretion by slipping across the
river to; the American side, where he
took refuge in Fort Brown. Gen. Diaz,
it is said, was cordially welcomed by
the citizens of Matamoras. He has is
sued a proclamation requesting them to
remain at home and attend to their
business, and promising them security
and the tights euurantsed by the Con-
stipiion q 1859.
OWING to the exhaustion of the APP
preparation made for fuel, lights, etc,
for public buildings, Secretary Bris-
,towsissqed an order on the "a l az
reetipgs The eustediapss Of all. public
buildings fhrong hout, TIE country. to
fmmesiatey cut OF these items 81 ex-
pense. The result was, that the vast
machinery OF he larger post-ofices,
custom-houses, ETC., was, brought very
nearly to a stand-still. the substitution
Of, candles fori gass bang the best that
could be done upon such short notice
e7ss c66kssticos stasss slsotioa, held
on,thes ID !. resulted in the re-election of
G9vernor Ingersoll and the entire Dem
ocratic State ticket, by a reduced ma
josiE - compared with that of last
year. Fhe LegSiaturesis also largely
Peirps1rSe LniE(FB /
ADDITIoNAL-te testimony in reference to
tta sale Of ppektlderships WAS given
before the Con rsssidnail Committee
by Gen. George EEah5er, who testified
f6at; Hdberts r. ssippsj post,frsdar at
Fort Abt4haAs 4jAfejnsteld him that
his profits were S15, 900 annually, one
third of which Twas paidtp Sen. Hedrick,
of Iowa. AID one-third 10 Gen. Rice, at
Washington He did not know, but he
understood that a portion of it went to
the Secretary of. War. Mr.. Raymond,
the INDIAN Agent at Fort Bertheld.
said that 4. he paid sOryil Grant
$1,000 for getting him the place.
Cen. Custer also testified to other
natters inPiicahns the Secretary of
War. and in reply to the interrogatory
ibid you ever represent the facts to
the Secretary of War a,'-witness re-
Piled - No, sir. I was IS suspicious
Of him as was of any suffer. We re-
garded the Secretary Of War a silent
partner IN almost all the posts" Wit
ness further gave as reason why he
and other army officers had not. preyi-
ously gyen informztionS of abuses
kndvM foffhem, the fact that by an or.
der dated Marhr1 "a, 1878, army officers,
were strictly prohibited from having
any communication with members of
Congress in reference to- army affairs
except through the War Department,
and were not SLOWED to visit Washing
ton during session of Congress except
under the most stringent regulations.
HsFs.f IA
:. GIN. RICE, the Washington attorney
J mentioned by Gen. Custer, was also, exs
Z afnined before the committee. He adj
mitted that he had secured four post
traderships for various parties for vari-
ou$cupSdereeups. From one person
he got "a 900, from another IS, 600, from
a third he got one-ha1f of the net profits,
and from fourth he got ions-thifd of
the net profits. He and Gen. Belknap
had been residents OF Keokdk, Iowa !;
had served in the war and were on
: friendly and intimate terms, hence his
success in getting those appointments
He denied that Belknap knew any thing
of the money which he (Rice) received
for these appointments, or that Belknap
had ever receiyed'any thing in consid-
Grafton therefor i.qf-zs1
~ FURTHER investigation into the mat
utter Of fraudulent mail contracts by the
Congressional Committee has brought
UdrthetfolEowing addisional evidence
Francisco. Taylor, of Texas,- partner
Of the late T. B. Sawyer in . numbei
: Of mail contracts. testified that Sawyer
told him that s2e, 000 wassgiYento j.
4. Rouett, atthat time Second Assist
ant Postmaster General. Sawyer ciiarg-
ed sz6600e to expense faeeounts for
money alleged to have been paid out
BY him in a Washington during
period Of three years and a half, be-
tween'68 and II. Witness knew moth
ing of these alleged payments, of his
own knovisdge; %. IL ssanderson, Of
the firm of Sanderson & Barlow, mail
p contractors, testified that he had never
= made any straw bids and never paid
any money 'orlmade any present to any
,post-office Official. Witness denied
point blank the evidence given by Dan
forth before the committees impIicafins