Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-08-29

FRAUDULENT CLAIMS.

Washington state that Solicitor Robin
sin, of the treasury department, to-day
gave an opinion of importance to the
effect that the secretary of the treasury
is justified in setting aside a fraudulent
claim against the government, although
the claim has been allowed by the South
ern claim commission, and money for
it's payment appropriated by congress
| The opinion was written in reference to
the claim Of Caleb Tomkins of Georgia
for damages growing out Of the war
j The southern commission allowed it.
and reported it to congress according to
law, and money was appropriated for
its payment, but evidence has recently
come to the treasury department to
show that it was fraudulent. Although
there Is no law authorizing the
secretary to refuse to pav
claims Of this character, still in the
light of the evidence before him, which
was discovered subsequent to the deci-
sions Of the southern claims commits
sion, Solicitor Robinson is of the opin-
ion that the secretary can legally post
pOne It's payment until he can have re-
ported the matter to congress, and let
that body repeal the bill authorizing the
payment of the claim.
SECRETARY THOMPSON
is going to Indiana next week to re-
main until the president goes west the
first week in September, when he will
join the presidential party, and make
the trip through Kentucky and Tennes-
see with them.
THE son OF SECRETARY STANTON VERY III.
BUT MOI INSANE.
The statement that E. M. Stanton,
son Of the late Secretary Stanton, has
become the inmate of an insane asylum
is not true. He is very i'll at his resi-
dence here, and for two days has been
unconscious, suffering from infamma-
ton of the brain.
| RECEIVER APPOINTED
Justice Strong, in the United States
supreme court, has appointed Colonel
Calvin II. Alvin, recently manager OF
the New Orleans, Mobile and Texas rail
road, receiver of the Jacksonville, Pen
sacola and Mobile railroad The receiv-
er is authorized to put the property in
good running order. This action is in
tended to secure the lien of the Dutch
bondholders, which is based upon the
terms Of the s per cent bonds, several
millions of which they hold.
NOT ANXIOUS TO RISK THEIR LIVES.
General Mcneil, of ST. Louis, having
declined position on the Sitting Bull
! commission, the secretary Of the interior
telegraphed the appointm of Gen.
Francis A. Walker, of Yale College, who
declined Another, not named, has
been requested to serve
GENERAL SHERMAN.
A telegram has been received at the
war department announcing the safe
arrival ofGeneral Sherman at Helena.
NJ T.
THE B. AND O. RAILROAD.
Governors Matthews, ofWest Virginia
and Carroll, of Maryland, have notified
the war department that United States
| troops are no longer needed along the
line of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad.
General Hancock will order their i'm
mediate withdrawal.
THE LATEST SPANISH OUTRAGES.
Under date of Aug Is, the secretary
of state addressed letter to the secre-
tary Of the treasury, setting forth that
from ]. III. Boardman & Co., of New
buryport, he had received a letter Civ
ing an account of the firing by a Span
ish war vessel on the schooner Edward
Lee, and requesting the treasury depart
ment to cause proper inquiries to be
made respecting this matter, with a
view to ascertaining whether the intel
hgence is authentic or not The reply
of the Deputy Collector at Province
town, Aug. IS was reached to-day
He says that after diligent and
particular inquiry he had obtained a
copy of the letter addressed by Captain
Atkins, the master Of the Lee, to his
mother, residing at Provincetown, I'M
der date of March II, substantially,
that the Spanish cruiser first fired a
bombshell, exploding it short distance
from the vessel. Next was a charge of
grapeshot, and the firing was repeated
several times. The Lee was put under
full sail and escaped. The collector
then adds: 81 have also ascertained
from John A. Durham, the master Of
the Ellen Rizpart, which recently ar
rived, which was also fired at, probably
by the same cruiser, that he boarded
the Lee at sea, July %, in longitude
76 deg 40 min, latitude 81 deg. 80 min,
when Captain Atkins related the story
in substance as above, adding that the
armed vessel was a sloop, and that the
Edward Lee escaped from her by going
to sea and outsailing her. It is not GER
tain when the Lee will return to the
United States this season or the
next, and at what foreign port she may
enter cannot now be ascertained."
This reply was promptly sent to the
State Department. In the absence of
the master of the Edward Lee, the Col
lector will be instructed to at once take
the deposition of Captain Durham re-
garding an attack on his own vessel,
and make oath as 10 the statement of
Captain Atkins. The explanation Of
the Spanish minister, that the firing
was done by an over-zealous officer,
does not excuse, in the opinion of the
State Department, making American
vessels targets for Spanish guns.
A Sharp Rebuke.
A IL. I 7