The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1879-05-14

! Massachusetts, Cavalry and part Tor
the Fifty fourth, and Fifty fifth 1nfan-
try-all colored regiments, as is well
known. Almost without exception
these recruits were refugees from the
Blackwater region of Virginia and the
Chowan country iu North Carolina;
ignorant, credulous and disposed to
confide in Massachusetts preacher MS
they would in the Angel Gabriel him.
self. Upon enlistment they received
each $50 and promise that the re-
manning $3.50 would be forthcoming as
soon as papers were returned from the
Adiutant Generals office to show that
they had been properly accredited to
the quota of Massachusetts,. Well, rs
soon as the negroes were enlisted they
were taken away in transports, some
to Fort Powhatan aud others to Nor.
ris Island, Charleston, where, of
course, they would never see the Mas
sacbusetts preacher or their $3.50
again. The miscreaut was arrested
just as he was getting ready to leave
for the North, having "filled the quo
tas" of his townships. His papers,
which were seized, private correspond
ence and all, showed that when he left
| Massachusetts, there was Il bounty fund
raised by the townships and placed to
his credit as recruiting agent of $6l,-
/ 600, In one of the Fall River banks
that he had drawa-altogether 5000, OF
which Sl46O was for his own personal
expenses, leaving $500 to7reprcsent
the amount paid IS bounties to the
seventy six negro recruits he had en-
listed that he still had q credit of
$55, 800 in the bank, while lie held re-
ceipts from every orc Of the recruits he
aaa enlisted for the fall amount of the
$500 bounty.
Most of these receipts--in fact, as l
remember, all except three-were
signed with x marks. Captain Sage
took the testimony of twenty odd of
| the recruits, and every one of them
Eswore that he never had scen the pa
per purporting to be bounty receipt
- RI
except two or three who swore that
they had signed their X marks after
being told that il was simply formal
lily to show their friends in Massachu-
setts that they had actually been mus
tered into the service. But they all
swore that they had never received
any money except the original $50
frompthe Massachusetts preacher, in
addition to Che regular United States
bounty Of 800, Which was paid them
by the army paymaster whom they |
were mustered into the United States
service. Upon this Captain Sage pre-
ferred charges against the Massashu-
sets divine. He was chucked into the !
provost guard house, and court-mar-
tial was ordered to try him.
And now mark the sequel: Three
days after this conclusion was reached
a lawyer arrived from Washington,
and the next day after his arrival
was ordered to send the original pa
pers 10 tie case-not q transcript
mind you, but the originals--to Wash.
ington for review, and the provost
marshal was ordered to release the
thief. Captain Sage, who was an up
right man and a gallant officer, deter
mined to see the thing out; so he
wrote q letter to a friend in the office
of the judge advocate general at
Washington, and, 10 a short time, re-
ceived q reply stating that the case
had been dismissed on the ostensible
ground of want ofjurisdiction, it be-
Ting alleged that no offense had been
committed against the military author
ity Of the United States; that II any
body had been defrauded it was the
taxpayers of the townships who had
employed this reverend Yankee pick
pocket as their recruiting agent! To
this letter Sage replied, requesting
permission to argue the case before the
Judge advocate general, to show what
was as plain as pikestaff, so-wit:
that the defrauded parties were SOL
diers then in the service of the United
States, end that, therefore, the culprit
was amenahle to military law. This
letter evoked reply that settled Cap
tain Sage; for it informed him that The
reverend Massachusetts, thief was o
particular protege of Henry Wilson,
chairman of the Senate Military Com.
mittee, that Wilson's influence was
what stood in the way, and that if he
diGa't want to get himselfinto trouble
he had better drop the case at once.
Upon this Sage asked me if had kept
copies of the papers. told him / had
mot. He then ordered me to make out
an official precis of the case from mem.
DRY, which I did, and be took IL to
Washington and laid the whole mat
tier before Abraham Lincoln. is
Mr. Lincoln listened to the captains
story and then gave him an order for
/ the original papers. But they acre