Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1879-03-12
nAzen AND sTaaAns:
A General Asssrtmsat q CAaeDasAaaans,
Military Omeers, ssssesfWhtch
Appear Serious.

PECK & HARMoN's CHARGES AGAINST HA-
Washington, March S.-The firm Of Peck
& Harmon, army contractors in upper Ds-
kota, have filed formal charges with the
secretary Of war against Colonel w. b. Ha-
zen, of the Seventh infantry, involving his
veracity in official conduct, and accuslne
him Of ~unoficer-liks behavior. The
charges do not grow out Of Hazen's testi-
mony during the Belknap trial, as stated.
but out Of a suit against the government re-
Gently d. cided BY the court Of claims in IA
vor Of Peck & Harmon. 1t seems that the
latter contracted to furnish the governmen,
a quantity of hay, and made arrangemsnts
to purchase it Of a certain man in the Mis-.
souri, valley, who controlled all the hay
within hundreds of miles After their BID
had been accepted, and while they were in
St. Paul making the contract with Quarter
master General Card, General Hazen, under
his authority as commander at Fort Buford
purchased this same hay, and Peck & Har
mon, not being able to carry out their con
tract, had to forfeit their bond. They suet
the government to recover. and the court o
claims rendered a unanimous verdict il
their favor. General Hazen's testimony il
the case, and his official reports which wer,
used by the government as documentary
evidence in the trial, are alleged by tn,
contractors to be perjury, and upon this the,
base the principal charges.
The following letter has been received b,
the secretary of var:
SIR: Colonel William B. Hazen having
made false Endorsements on official papers
and given untrue testimony in a case before
the our of claims. ir which Campbell K
Peck is plaintiff, We respectfully call your
attention thereto.
( We charge that Colonel William B.
Hazen is guilty Of conduct unbecoming az
officer and q gentleman in this and other
matters, and w are prepared to substan.
tate the same.
We therefore ask that We may be inform.
ed what formal statement it is necessary for
us to make in order that such charge may be
regularly filed. We are ready to appear be.
fore the judge advocate general Ut once, and
present facts which will, in our judgment,
prove Colonel Hazen's guilt.
Requesting an early reply, ETC., We art
very respectfully, ETC.,
CAMPBELL X. PECK,
WILLIAM HARMON.
Secretary McCarry forwarded q copy Of
this letter IT, General Hazen through the
general Of the army, and has received from
him a reply, asking that Pc K and Harmon
be ordered to submit their charges now in
detail. This request of General Haz n ha-
been complied with. aud his accnsers viii.
be heard from again in a few days.
HAzEN's CHARGES AGAINST STANLEY.
Yesterday. through his attorney, Richard
T. Merrick, of this city, General Hszen filed
formal charges against General David 7.
Stanley, Of the Twenty.second infantry.
Stan ey is charged with conduct unbecoming
an officer, but this covers a multitude of al
legged sins, as the specifications are large and
numerous, and in them Stanley is accused
of trying to ruin Hszen's character and de-
stroy his military and moral reputation a,
home and abroad. The charges, as is we'll
understood in military circles. grow out of
q feud of long standing between Hazen and
and are based particularly. upon a
written by the latter to Hazen, and
published in the newspapers BY Stanley, in
which he calls Hazen an imposter, and 9TH
,r pet names. The charges are of such a
that . court.martial will have to
'e ordered, and the prominence of the par
les will make a national scandal of it. Th.
.ourt will probably sit in Washington, and
We convened forthwith II is expected tina,
General Hancock will be president.