The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-20
The McNican AMaIds.

II is announced from Washington that tho
pending distribution OF Mexican award
money, under the convention Of July T. ls6S
will not include the WE'LL and La Abra
claims, but that these latter will bc soon in
ycstigatcd on the ground of alleged fraud.
This is simply the disposition ordered by
Congress, against the protest of Mr. EvARrs
Who held that, after an award is solcmnly
made evidence OF fraud cannot be shown 10
icieat an appropriation for il In Congress
A. Congress referred the question whether
there was fraud in these claims. Nos III and
$50, to Mr.. HAYES. presumably as an expert,
IL Will be- curious 10 observe with how much
Or littlcaiacrity aud industry Messrs. HAYES
and EvARrs push the Investigation.
The WE'LL and La Abra claims amount to-
ycthor to upward u a million dollars. or
considerably moro than fourth part of the
balance awarded against Mexico ai the final
account of Nov D. 1876. After the awards
N these eases, the agent Of Mexico asked a
'ehearng on grounds Of fraud; but the UNI
pirc. Sir EDwARD THORNTON, said that the
rules by which he wa. bound would not al
ow that Nevertheless he said. the circum-
ytantial evidence ia the case OF WE'LL, il
not rcfutcd by the claimant. would certainly
contribute to the suspicion that perjury has
been committed and that the whole claim *
fraud If perjury shall bc proved
hereafter no one would rejoice more than
the umpire himself that his decision should
be- reversed and that justice shouldbc done
On this hint Mr.. MAElsCAL, while express
ing McXicO's readiness To pay under the
treaty, applied for redress TO Don HAMILTON
FfsH'S office, whore he got nothing except
the cold shoulder, and then 10 Congress.
BENJAMIN WE'LL claimed that l,9ll bales Of
cotton. contained in 1872 wagons, drawn by
1886 mules, We're taken from him by COR
TINA, just across the Rio Grandc, in Scptcm-
Der, l76I Nov. without going far into the
facts, or undertaking to give an opinion We
may say that MeNco now proposes, APP
parently. to show that the witnesses to the
claim made the wagons ford the river whore
there Is no ford. and Mt time when the Rio
Grandc wl- not forlablc; that whereas no
claim was made for the 1872 wagons and
1896 mules ON the ground that these were
confederate property yet nowhere in the
Confederate army records does There appear
any quartcrma.ter's return of these losses
Of wagons and mules that not on Of the
l92 drivers. said tohe Cuu'' lcrn'e soldiers
could be found 10 testify iu the case, that
this great value In cotton was moved with
out other permit from the Confederate Gov.
ernmcny on Custom House receipts from tn,
Mexican, although made liable thereby to
seizure AMI conliscaton by both Govern
mon,s; that the main witness, apart from
the claimants themselves, one HlrE wh,
Il . \
crossing the river in Soptcmbcr has beer
di7croditcd by alIidayts of people who say
that IlrE was in Shreveport Throughout
the year 1854, and by many letters Of HIrE
showing the Same fact; that Confederate
officer, Cd. high character have testified tina,
10 trains 80 unprecedented could hay,
crossed their llncs without anybody in thch
array hioWnS If il, and set nobody in thcil
aluy did hnuw of II. These are brief H.
W,ltatlou- Of the class Of testimony. al
produced since the award, ON which McXicC
rDu's, clu7ius Si EDWAED IuORSTOS to uSC
the language already quoted. There a.,
also aiiiINNi;s discroGitlng the test imony o
NItL others reading. 81 know OF ms yer
soual knowlodSc that the claim of ELNJ
WE'LL is lrauduicnt;' others to show tha
any amount Of cotton carried by him mus
have been Confederate cotton, and 50 ON
But Lawyer EyAETs took the ground tina
This evidence VAS diitnic, AMI couldn't b,
gou" into after the award WAS once made.
In the cleeot the La Abra Company there
l. NO dispute that the mine WAS bought 10
1854 .nr eie,0n, aud a very much larger sun
invested IN working it.. Tho award again-
MoNicplcslcd un evidence that the coupan,