The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-02-27


tho Hands Of Lieutenants and Cap
tains and Generals and Got into Con-
gress.
(IVushi9tom Letter.1
It seems that the trousers and blank
ct of Private VIM. Hines, Company
T., Eighteenth United States
Infantry, are still before Congress.
A report on them has lately been
made by the senate committee on
military affairs. Probably such an
exaggerated case of red -tapeism
never occurred before. It illustrates
better than anything can the man.
in which business is conducted in
Washington. It is no wonder that
the heads Of bureaus and depart
ments arc continually calling for
moro clerlSs and messengers and
porters and laborers, notwithstand-
ing the fact that these employees
aro now so thick they are continual~
ly running against each otho", or
stepping on each other, or waking
each other up with snoring. Tho
case of Private Hines, briefly stated,
is this He was stationed with his
company at Aiken, S. c., in 1876 !;
and while asleep his tent caught
fire, from no c,lrolesnoss Of his, and
his trousers and blanket were "dam-
aged to their full value" as certified
to by a board Of survey appointed
by the commanding officer. The
"full value" Of the articles was SS.65.
A gratuitous issue Of pair of
trousers and blanket was made to
Hines by order Of the department.
commander, and hero began the
tsouble. In the first place limos
was not in condition to appear on
parade, even for the purpose Of
intimidating the Ku k!ux of South
Carolina, and something had to be
hone. The accident was reported
to the sergeant, who reported it to
his captain, who reported it to the
commander of the detachment. Ho
ordered q board Of survey to esti.
mate the damage. A first lieuten-
ant was detailed as president and n
second lieutenant as recorder. This
board sal, SO to speak, on Private
Hines trousers and blanket, ana
they made a report in due form. AS
before stated, a gratuitous issue of
the II, clos followed al q It is suppos-
ed Hines was satisfied. The returns of
the issue were for warded from one
sfficer to another until they reached
the quartermasterg general. This
officer (Gen. Meigs) disallowed the
issue for want of tho approval of
the secretary of war. SO tho
articles were charged against the
pay Of Private Hines.
THE PLOT DEEPENS.
Hero the correspondence began
in earnest Hines 'captain wrote to
the adjutant general of the army
asking the permission of the secre~
tary of war to credit Hines with the
money value Of tho articles. Gen.
Townsend, the essence Of military
propriety, returned the letter to
Hines captain through department
headquarters, calling his attention
to paragraph 451, army regulations,
and saying that no gratuitous issue
of clothing could be made, except as
provided in general orders No 90 of
1867 and No. 23 of 1868. On it's
way through the military lines Gen.
Ruger ordered his adjutant general
to say that there was something
defective in tho board of survey.
When it reached the hands Of the
post adjutant he slaps on an en-
dorsement, and directs the captain
of Company r to report the facts.
The captain of Company T was
Thomas i. Lloyd. The post adju~
tant made his Enforcement, "By
order of Capt. Thomas J. Lloyd"
and Capt. Lloyd returned to the
post adjutant long endorsement
explaining the circumstances and
recommending that all the papers be
sent to the secretary of war, "with
the view of having the case brought
to the attention of the proper
committee of Congress. This. en-
dorsement is made as the command
er of Company T., and is sent to
himself rs commanding the post.
He makes another endorsement in
the latter capacity, and invites att