The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-07-17

an apppintmontt Ia the army for the same
cause, who has since been sent to tbs
penitentiary for meconduct in the army
and who seems to have played the spy
and donea all he could to shield the par
| ties concerned. M
FRAUDULENT COLLECTION OF INTEREST.
This inquiry, however, which seemed
to be desired by all treasury authorities
while It related to extortion. had very
different fate when it reached the for.
geries. At the same time that the pack,
age of $500 fell into Supervising Agent
Moore's hands, package was also found
addressed to the wife of the Interest Tel
Ter { the Treasurer's Office, con aiming a
valuable silk dress pattern. This was
kept by the teller, G. L. Jones. till he
learned that one Of Moore's assistants
had inquired about it, when he returned
it to the sender, r. NJ. Williams, formerly
Deputy Collector OF Customs at New
York, who had lately been indicted for
completely ia the " Lawrence" frauds on
the revenue, and who was soon after de-
tected in fraudulently collecting un-
claimed interest from the Government
by forging powers of attorney. In three
cases it was asCertained that A. u. Wy.
man, Treasurer of the United States, had
learned OF these frauds, and instead of
exposing Williams and having him pun
ished, had compelled him to refund the
money, and then surrendered to him the
forged papers that would have convicted
him. One of these three forged powers
of attorney was drawn in favor of Inter-
est Teller Jones, who, in paying the
many sums collected by Williams, drew
the check, in violation Of regulations, in
favor of Williams, instead of in favor Of
the claimant, and gave Williams other
privileges. Treasurer Wyman knew of
Williams fraud before Moore found the
package addressed to Mrs. Jones; but
while heNrged the investigation of the
extortion by outsiders, he let Moore
know nothing of these forgeries, though
Moore informed him of the finding OF
tFe Jones package. Williams was intro
duced to Jones and vouched for-while
under Fundamentally the Appointment
Clerk of the Treasury, ]. w. Porter, and
by d. Baker, Chief of the Loan Division
of the Secretary's Office. During the
Glover investigation Baker resigned.
Some of these fraudulent payments we're
made to Williams through Middleton &
Co., bankers, Washington. The head, S.
E. Middleton, was one of Treasurer Wy
mans bondsmen, formerly cashier of the
Treasurer's Office, and in at least one case
where Wyman returned the forged pa
pers to Williams, Middleton & Co., at
last accounts still hello the money, no
effort being made by the Treasury off.
cials to compel its return, and Wyman is
still defaulter to that extent. The
startling facts were discovered by the
committee that Wyman's accounts had
been passed and settled as correct, this
defalcation not being known to the per.
sons who settled his accounts except to
his bondsman Middleton, who said
naught of it; that the Treasury records
do not show the character of the fraudu-
lent payments; that the sole means of
detection is for the owner to claim the
money, and that the entry of the fraudu.
lent transaction and the forged signature
to the receipt for the money were
scratched off the Treasurer's Office re.
cords. This unclaimed interest has at
times been several millions in am punt.
When not called for after a long time, it
should revert to the Government, but
the Treasury has taken no steps of this
kind.
WHAT ASSISTANT SECRETARY CoNANT KNEW.
1t turns out that Charles F. Conant,
Assistant SecretarG of the Treasury, was
intimate with the forger and swindler
and that ]. W Porter, Appoint
ment Clerk of the Treasury, and D. Ba-
ker, Chief Of the Loan Division OF the
Secretary's Office, who introduced VIII.
liams, and vouched for him while under
to Interest Teller Jones,