The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-10-17
RUINED BY SPECULATION,
Why Assistant District Attorney Hoxie,
Of Brooklyn, Resigned.
A CONFESSION OF GUILT.
Taking Money from the Governments Debtors
and Losing 1t in Wall Street.


Considerable excitement was caused in Brooklyn
yesterday afternoon, by tho announcement that As
sistant United States District Attorney George w.
Hoxie, oil that city, was a deiautcr 10 the govern
mont aud had resigned his ofnco on that account
the amount OF money Improperly collected and re-
tanned by Mr. Hoxe could DO asccr Aimed but It
the deaulter conducted himself Of late, well as
the method which he has chosen OF making public the
dcfalcation, has excited much discussion as TO
whether no was altogether rational
Shortly before the Brooklyn evening papers to
press young man VISITED The Offices and lett
vclopc, without making any explanation. On open
ing the envalopo found 10 the following
letter Of resignation:-
OFFICE UNITED STATES DISTRICT ArroRSKrl
CLINTON AND Mosrsewn SHEETS.
A.. W. TrssrY. ESQ usrrnD srArns ArroasEr EASTERN
DEAR SIR For reasons which you understand hereby
resign the office Of Asis,sn. unod states Attorney
speesiuey. dEoaGf v. noxiE
The publication alluded TO read os iollows:-
BaooKLYS, y. Y. Oct I6. 1879
To those whose moneys have boa tru.ted settle
Atorner Tor the District Of New and wnen
have not yet been settled tho
When received tho moneys expected honestly TO
use them IN the manner mentioned In the receipts
me- have in all other in the Office They have
and S been los.
many years ago anu IN "ncn have made ana lost large
Of these remained long time with.
out action ~ me- with the expectation from time
that isht he enaoied 10 procred with them.f I'll
have made every possible during the past two
that eau ana II SO, win return you the sums 10.
fully Mr. Tonncy, thu District attorney IRON
he ses ss o Of
% s h M s q the
es.enaate the offence but realize l. most faiy and
INTERVIEW DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
HERALD reporter later IN the afternoon called ut
the office Of District Attorney Tenney at the United
States building, corner OF Clinton and Montague
streets Mr. Tenney cioseted with Assistant Dis
irict Attorney Herbert Hull, Noah 1iobcls clerk to
the Rsgstrsr and one or two other onncIa AN in.
tcrview finally accorded me reporter, and in
answer 10 inquiries as TO what he had to say on
the subject Of Nj. Hoxie's defalcation MIR. Tcnney
said that he completely taken by surprise M
any outsider who had known Hoxs could possibly
be- He had had no intimation OF The matter unlii
ne returned 10 his Office from Now York, where
no had been trying case. ihen no found Hoxic's
letter of rcsig lying on his desk He scdt
Mr. Hull, and they had up that time
been working the matter. He said that he had no
idea TO the amount OF money Hoxie had taken.
Tnero Ii At present. SAID the District Attorney mo
way OF dnding out; but the money Is IRON old judg
ncnts that the GOVERN has Obtained That is as
as | could understand from the evidence ut
hand. He has taken the money Ia those cases In
view or compromising thom with the government In
such instances he has made record OF the
TACT, and has sent no money to Washington.
He has never consulted me about cases, as /
gavo him INSTRUCTIONS never TO money In this
Office, was not repository for funds. All
That are regularly compromised go through mo in
the proper form, and are entered together with
the correspondence thereon with the Attorney
General anu the Treasury Department Last week
WasLingon through this oiroe ana .hs asrcemon, Of
COMPROMISE Was approved forget The name oil the
case, but MS soon as me papers camo back ioid Mr.
H0xIe W collect the amount due and settle 1t The
amount was about $4,000. He then tod me tha. he
had collected the money, but had used II. He
settle II, however, he said. told him Saturday
again TO settle II and he he would
THIS Is what he refers to In his letter
NY knowledge Of his transact IONS In thai line
rs limited to TINS instance. no idea as TO the
amount he mas collected, have any idea to tho
names Of The parties from whom he received money,
He took the money IRON people, promising to settle
iner case with the governments on receipt OF stipu
lated amount which, II done, would remove
judy debtors OF Tho United States Insiead
however, OF forwarding the history of tho onsc to
put the money "a his pockct, and there The matter
rested. usually takes thrce or four months TO
Vie y case through Inc ordinary chanaes, so that no
not liable 10 DO hurried, and nobody the
transaction except himsclLn Nftl ts
GIvK REcEIPrss
"Dfd ne give receipt 10 the parties from whom no
received he f' Na #1# HtM#
II don't know. That can be ascertained only when
tho persons Interested shall come forward ~
I'll he mas signed the receipts Tor The money as
Assistant Distrct Attorney will that receipt hold good
with tho government as between the party who paid
nYn
''That Is query" said Mr.. Tenney, sTor future In
vestgAtion. There are, perhaps, between 1900 and
5000 OLD Judgment cases on the books OF this Office,
which cases nave accumulated Organization
OF Tho Court he probably read tho history omany
them, and was familiar with tho judgment record.
Hts action was like mat OF trusted who Shout
obtain number Of old debts that were considered
bad, and who on his own responsibility hould collect
some OF them without tho knowledge oil ms pIoyer,
anu pocket tho money without recording the facI
There Is no way OF telling IRON tho books how no
selected tncso cases ior correction"
did you evor know tuat he specuiated In Wall
strce,fn +.
"No, sir; never drcamt that he specialized at ALI
He was abio, iBteiiigent industrious dgent, and
everything In tho onlcc was Kept by MN, except In
this particular. with Remarkable regularity"
shave you taken any measures looking TO his
rest ~
"wsil have tclegrnphod fully on tho subject TO
tho Attorney Geperai Tor Instruction and advice In
the case, ami In the meantime viii occupy my time In
investigating It. Itis terrible thing. hcxie nad a
bright career. 10 was excellent lawyer and prose-
cuiing officer ~ &fI t : IE7s.-st tft&
HIS MENTAL AND PHYSICAL CONDITION.
Mrs RodenshaiI, the iaay At whose house Mr. Hoxie
(Hoxe) had becn boarding with them Tor about four
teen yerrs. He was tho only Doarder IN the
house. he bad not been like r nmseiL Mira.
nSnd 10 sit ciaspng ms