Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1879-06-19
lie Lost Els Breeches.

d Private lillian Hines, of Company F
Eighteenth United States Infantry, has los
his breeches.
On the llth day Of October, 1876, th,
trousers of Hines, and his blanket, wer,
destroyed by fire while he was sojournine
at Abbeville, s. c. On the same day Cap
tain I. J. Lloyd, commanding the detach
ment OF troops at Abbeville, ordered
board OF survey to convene and fix the re-
sponsibility for the loss. The board. com
posed of First Lieutenant c. X. Paul and
Second Lieutenant F. H. Barnhart, me,
pursuant to the order. The board found
that one woolen blanket had been damaged
to its full value, S4.55, and one pair OF
trousers damaged to their full value. 81. 10,
and declined to hold Private Hines respon-
sible for the loss. In fact, the board re-
ported that no one was to blame.
Two days later Captain Lloyd forwarded
true copy of the proceedings of the board
to the Assistant Adjutant General of the
South at Atlanta, Ca, and requested au-
thority to make a gratuitous issue of a
pair of breeches and a blanket to private
Hines. On the 2lst of August, VIM, B.
Rochester, Paymaster, United States army,
and Acting Assistant Adjutant General at
Atlanta, informed Captain Lloyd, through
the Chief Quartermaster of the Depart
mcnt, that the proceedings of the board
Of survey were approved. This seemed to
settle the question, and Private Hines got
his breeches.
But the end was not yet. The issue was
disallowed by the Quartermaster General
for want of the approval of the Secretary
of War, and August II, 1877, Capt. Lloyd
addressed a letter to the War Department
stating that gratuit0us issue of breeches |
had been made to Hines on the authority |
of the department commander, and asking
authority of the Secretary OF War to credit
Hines with the money value of the same,
the amount having been charged to Hines
On clothing account. Under date Of Aug.
IA, 1877, Adjutant General Townsend re-
'pectfully returned this application, with
he Information that there was no author
ty for the gratuitOus issue OF clothing ex-
'ept as provided in general orders of 1867
md 1868. This went to headquarters at
Atlanta, and under date of August 18th,
). McKeever, Assistant Adjutant General,
the document, by command of 1
Ruger, to Captain Lloyd, in COM
0and at Mcpherson Barracks, with the in +.
ormation that the commanding officer of /
he department never authorized any gra- |
1itous issue of trousers to Private Hines. j.
'aptain 7. J. Lloyd, commanding the post, .
eferred the letter with Inducements to {
imself as commander Of company r, and, l.
August 2lst, he respectfully returned it to
ltlanta, with explanation AZ to misappre- In
ension, and asked that the case be brought ! h
efore the proper committee Of Congress. n
his was respectfully forwarded BY Gen. h
nger under date Of August 22nd, to head Q,
aarters at New YORK and forwarded to .,
'e Adjutant- General Of the Army BY Gen. lI1
ancock August 18th. Il,
The whole business was pigeon -holedinI
e Adjutant Generals ONCE until Feb. 6. Il,
7S. when General Townsend respectfully
bmitted It to the Secretary Of War. Sec In.
tary McCrary studied over the natter
i'll Feb. 18th, when hs had the honor to n
lnsmit to the House Of nepresessatiyes
,opy Of the papers IN the case, and NJ liz,
ectfally requested the sancticn a Coz q