The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-14
THAT TREASURY FORGERY.
SHERMtN's LOOSE NOTION$OF 4 run
Lie OIEICEIi'S DUN.
surrcnderinr Forged Warrants TO the Mas
Accusoa Of the Forgery, and Agreeing to
suspend Criminal rrocc edings against Him.

AccuSoa of the Forgery, and Agreeing to
suspend Criminal Procce edings against Him.
WASHINGTON, Aug. l3.-The Sccrctary's
Office and the Treasury were u good deal dis.
turbcd this morning ut the exposure in THB
Sun Of the curious view which John sherman
and the men around him chose to take Of q
charge OF forgery. shown in surrcndcrng the
forged instrument TO the very mun who stood
charged on the affidavit Of an officer of the
Treasury Department with the forgery in ques.
ton. loose discipline and extremely loose
idcas OF the duties of public officers in cnforc.
ing public laws are proved throughout this
transaction. with n little political influence "a
the bottom OF the uncommon favor which VIVA
extended ~ Grow and Pugh. who stand charged
with the forgery. without going into the
merits and dcmcriis of the charge against
them. TO bo tried in the courts it seems that ths
complaint was made by clerk named French
TO whom Benson. Chief of the Treasury Secret
service, gave u prcind.d order from Treas
urer Gililllan. which Gliillan had never givcn
and whpss consequences Gilllllan nppcars TO be
ANXIOUS 10 avert; ana Benson, Gllilllan and
French are stll all together in the same depart
ment. Grow. IT seems, is n brother in-aw OF
Emory A. StOrrs Of Chicago. and John A. j.
Crcswcl was his counsel. facts which made il
none the less easy To procure the surrender OF
the forged warrants. Under what PROMISE tho
Treasury agreed 20 receive the money ii had
paid on forgery is plainly shown by the fol-
lowing extract from the petition madc by tho
tn" Treasury. in which. aluding 10 the Sur
render Of the warrant. the counsel say:
1h, done by the Secretary ON the explanation md
statements given in Whiting that your petitioners were
tuurclN innocent Oi the charge amt way that was
satisfactory iu the secretary himself. and this
ton was upon the express understandable on the unr the
petitioners that the rcfunIiNg the money tnthr Treas.
charged Had tins not been the under Standing the
Arrange cmcnt would not have been contaminated I
therefore request that the transaction be- carried out and
cousmmatcd IN good faith amt hunurnhy on the part "
nc Treasury Department. by directing the discharge d
the petitioners from arrest
In an additional statement Grow says: IT
was with this understanding that acted in
having the money refunded to the United States
Treasury. This puts the department in tho
position Of agreeing to suspend criminal pro-
cccdingS Tor n monetary cOnsidcratOn-tO wit,
the value Of the forged warrants-hoth sherman
and Wyman agreeing thereto. For wonder,
the prosecuting officers Of the District refused
10 be bound by this promise. and the Solicitor
OF the Treasury rendered decision to-day
which leaves them free to net. He decides that
IN" Secretary Of the Treasury could agree to
use his personal influence to get the men disS
charged. and could direct his employees to take
no further stops in the prosecution. hut IL would
be- at his peril that he ntcrfcrcd with the orderly
progress of justice.
The preliminary examination continues to-
to D." held. Perhaps the most extraordinary
thing in this most extraordinary business IL
that high officer Of the Treasury said to-day
that after receiving the money paid on tho war
rants. the Treasury had no further interest in
seeing the charge of forgery prosecuted. In q
private individual this would be called com.
pounding felony