New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-13
The Case Against Ex.secretnry Thompson.
A Washington dispatch in the New York

A Washington dispatch in the New Yorh
Tribune of the tenth, says:
A few days ago Messrs L. @. c. Lamar
of Mississippi, and Carey Young, OF Ten
neseee, presented letter from Mr.. Thom D.
son, ex.Secretary Of the Interior, to Secre
tary Chandler, asking it it we' true that
Mr.. Chandler had said Mr.. Thompson
ought 70 be made to pay for the more
than 100000 of public money abstract ID
during his administration. The only
reply to the letter has been the service of a
process upon Mr.. Thompson this morning
in civil suit to recover 81 900, 900, prin.
cipal and interest. of the bonds, and for the
amount received by the defendant from the
so called Confederate States of America,
and which, it is alleged, revert d to and
became the property of the United States.
Mr.. Thompson says that this civil suit is
brought against him in order - make him
pecuniarily responsible for the dishonest
acts of subordinate clerk. Soon aft II the
bonds were abstracted, Mr.. Thompson
asked the House for an investigation, and q
committee was appointed accordingly. One
of it's members, Charles Csse, has written
Mr.. Thompson letter, dated second instant,
in reply to interrogatories, in which he says
the committee ives composed politically
of one anti-administration Democrat, Isaac
N. Morris, of Illinois, the chairman; one ad-
mipistration Democrat, Mr.. Thomas, of
Tennessee; one uthern American, j. Nor
rison Harris. of Maryland; and two Repub-
licans, Roscoe Conkling, OF New York, and
Charles Case. of Indiana. The unanimous
report of the committee, Mr.. Gaze says,
showed that not one line or word was ad-
duced before that committee indicating any
completely on Mr.. ThOmpsOn's part with
the fraudulent transactions alleged and
proved. On the contrary, all the
testimony showed that he was ut
terly ignorant and ursuspiciOus of
the fraudulent act, and each of them,
until brought to his notice by Senator Rice,
at the presidential mansion, on the evening
of December %, 1860. The report says:
The committee deem it but justice to aud
that they have discovered nothing to in-
volve the late Secretary, the Hon. Jacob
Thompson. in the slightest degree in the
fraud, and nothing to indicate that he had
any completely in the abstraction, or that
he had any knowledge of it until the time
of the disclosure December %, 1861 by
GODDARD Bailey"
Secretary Chandler says he holds as q
set off acceptances of the Secretary OF War,
John B. Floyd, Of drafts drawn by Russell,
Majors end Wsddell ON transportation ac-
count for $4,000, the exact amount of
the default, the bonds having been ab-
6LraCteQ Dy dOU8rU Daley tO mCot tnceo
acceptances. The Secretary further says the
government bought some months ago lot
Of rebel archives, showing Mr.. Thompson e
expenditure of portion OF the 81 ,0O0, 900
in gold to ba sent to Canada by the Con-
federate government, and the unexpended
balance of that sum which Secretary
Chandler claims belongs to this govern.
ment.
Mr.. Thompson, on learning of the above
statement, says he was as agent instructed
by the Confederate government to turn the
unexpended balance of the million dollars
over to the Confederate agents abroad.
adjustment Of his account, and q full and
final receipt Of all moneys was given to
him, which receipt he has now in his pos
session.