The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-19
VOL. KILL $50.
THE SWINDLED FREEDMEN.
Syrp1tyK rHEr DIDN'T PUT iHTo
TuE BAYEs PLATFORM.
-. pe.ufort Branch Of the Freedman's
U.as ,a. ui.manascd-The Poor Negroes
pohbed of the savings OF Lifetime
..,,a scovtrs Peculiar Bookkeeping.

he
u.ns wa. .,ri.manascd-The Poor Negroes
,-ss.a AZ the savings OF n Lifetime
pra,,pg scoyiTs Peculiar BookkeepinE'
cu.p1rsros, 8. c., June 16.-The desire
-, an. lion. Garland white OF New York, In the
CocInnau Convention, that the Republican
- .hould insert little plank In the
s,.,torm protecting the freedmen In the
,.,,,.t Of the Freedmsn's Bank, has In
s,csd me TO examine the records OF the
..s. Of the Freedman's Savings and Trust
Company against Nelson II. Scovil, In the Cir
ii, Court OF the United States. From the re-
nor, Of the referee 1t appears that there s due
Nv scoyu to the bank the sum OF t2qe54.le. No
.,esptlons we're taken to the report, and execu-
don va, issued thereon for the amount found.
Tbe execution was returned "nulla BONA IL
A. aid proceedings have been instituted against
tho .ureties Of Scovll, who are nou-residents OF
An. State whether or not this Ia so cannot
All There are no records here to show the
fact Gov Chamberlain represents those sure
t,es. and Of course will protect them against
The righteous claims OF the freedmen, as sol
,u,nly adjudics ted by the United states court,
and possibly nothing more will be heard OF the
cse.
Nelson r. scovil testified that he was the act
ne cashier and aftetward cashier OF the Beau
fort Is. CJ branch OF the Freedman's Bank,
which was anciillsfy to the Charleston branch.
Bafofe this connection with this bank he had
been bookkeeper In the Albany City Bank and
cashier In the Quaftermaster's Bank. In 1868,
during the late war upon the capture OF Beau
fort, the United States started the bank at that
place as the "war Commission Bank" and this
was sfterwArd In the next year styled the Freed
mans Bank. 1t had no President, and no other
h.. tk.
cashier. He had no assistance, though several
times promised one, by tho inspectors who
came along. He says his once was frequently
crowded, and that he was overworked. To this
he attributes many OF the Irregularities which
make up the accounts against him.
He says he made his returns weekly to wash
tngton, and that no exceptions were taken To
thsm. The bLnk was one Of deposit only, but
he was instructed to loan out the funds upon
United st .tes securities. Among his returns tc
Washington was statement that ne had or
hand tl00JO OF United States bonds as ollaterali
for loans. But these bonds were not among his
assets when they were turned over TO his sue
&C sor. He did not content himself with accom-
modating his friends according to Instructions
but loaned the money with and without collat
era OF different class: 10 these matters h.
says he took the resp ponsibillty Individually, and
he has to fsce the loss Some OF these collaterall
were the wildcat State and county paper when
Hooded South Carolina. Many OF the partie.
thus accommod ted have gone into bankruptcy
and nothing had been realized out of them bI
Mr.. Scoyil said that he had not balanced his
onHb tn nve years. and tnat no INSPECTION as e
that matter hao been had In that time. wher
be loaned money on his private responsibility l.,
placed IL on the.exchange account, and did nO
charge himself with the profits Of the speoula
ton. For these private speculations BIZ had II,
Official records to show the various transaction,
hrOugh which the fund had passed, because nC
books W Re furnished him for that purpose.
hr. W. II. Lockwood, the present cashier, wb,
succeeded Scovil, testified that when he tool
possession of the ofice he found the books In
mutiltted condition as to the accounts tina
ensures had been made, AMI other emit les pu
In their place. Sever 4 large amounts seemed /,
have been lsely entered. These latter Soovi
explained by saying ha had made those eutriei
tn order to Increase the apparent business Of tn,
bank. 50 as TO make goou showing at w ash
ingtOn.
Several OF the merchants OF Beaufort testified
ths they mad done business at the bank. an'
could Ind no entry 20 70 ne same. One sad b.
account OF the same on the books.
One poor old negro woman named Kat
Glover, who claimed a pension on account q
her soldier boy, who had been Killed In the lat
war, was the seyerest individual loser. she ha
drawn her whole amount of $500, as appeare
by her receipt, At Washing on, when h I'd beer
forwarded by Soovil and witnessed by him as 4
IDe marx she had made on tue paper. The oil
woman testified that she bad never had a cen
of the money, tnat MIR. Scoyll was to get 1t 70
Der, anu she was to come to the bank for II
She had gone for II, but could never YET ii
There was no entry on the books To indie at
anything concerning her claim. The old womal
has been driven TO the necessity Of briuging
tult dkhiusl tue Odnh, huu u IL luOuGut sue VIII
recover against II for Scovi's default How
mSny more Of such cases there are II Is no
known.
Scuvil Is still living IN Beaufort, and Is said to b,
one Vf the praying Kind, though not n ministe er
HIS LAWYER was not disposed to make his u eff
ciency larger tnan possible. The United Slater
District Attorney represented the Freedman
B4nk, and whenever any OF these Northern law
yefi yet hold Of one end OF a rope, with anothe
Ike Guam oerlain on the other end, they cat
generally wind IL around the proper which Il
between them. The Freedmaus Bank Is there
fore hk' 'ly 10 suffer by their connection.
Had II not been for the TACT that tbs Beaufort
Bank was ancilisry to the Charleston Is .nk. and
that the business OF tne latter was we'll con
quo ed under its cashier, Mr.. Ritter. the loss L
toe bank aud 10 the freedman would We beer
bis accounts and captuIed all he had on hand.
The ire Omen VINO los: by the fiilure OF tn,
bsnks II Beaufort and In Charleston do not beal
their sses with the spirit of martyrs to the
party Tnefe are not many Of them who car
safn ANYTHING from their labor. Money gener
ally goes fas ter than they can get IL. But those
Of them who have hoarded a stocking full o.
W the " Yankee tiefs VINO stole IT," They had
deposit in thuse banks as small as &l.50. Mosi
OF them we're these little mites. An Id wood
sAwyrf, VII Sc patched pantalOOns have seen a
decade, brought me his bank book with a little
lees d 500 To his credit 1t was the result OF
thietine's sdyina. Oh, how he wished be had
he it Iu tue old stocking
Tue old stockin2s are coming 10 the from,
Eain. Inls time they go 10 tue United States
sh'er An Old negro bad 900 In unused hfty-
Sen. stamps, which been slowed aw ty
~ this he received the nard money. "Ianb
40 zoe um uowl' exclaimed he, as he re-