The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-07-24

have been entered there, and have beer
reported on in the most terrible way.
Wild, the Secret Service agent Mt New
Orleans, was dismissed from the Depart
ment OF Justice for taking money from
claimants in case he officially examin
ed. The contract made by him with tn,
clairiants, and the check paid to him
are in the Department. of Justice records
Yet he is now engaged 10 "protect' tn,
Government and the public agains
counterfeiters and swindlers in severa
States. The report recommends the alb
olition or thorough reconstruction of tn,
Secret Service.
In 1862 Congress provided for Treasur,
special agents collecting captured ant
abandoned property at the South. ant
for turning into tho Treasury the pro
ceeds Of such property, to be returned tt
the owners on proof before the Court o.
Claims of ownership and freedom from
completely with the Rebellion. Under
this act l75,000 bales of cotton were col
lected and sold, the proceeds being as
nearly as could be ascertained, $36. 500.
600. OF this, S9,3l0,787 were eaten up
in Expenses" leaving over $27 900 600
Of this, 50, 545, 900 have been returned to
owners under judgments of the Court OF
Claims, $1,623,000 by the Secretary OF
the Treasury, S292,000 under special acts
of Congress and Sl88,000 under the act
OF May IL, 1872-in all $11,64S, 900.
This should leave on hand over $15 ,5OO,-
O0O, but the report of the Secretary OF
the Treasury show but about $9,O00,OOO
on hand. What has become of the other
six and half millions the committee
could not learn.
This great raid and seizure of 175,OOO
bales of cotton, however, was not the
whole spoliation. Contrary to law, thou
sands and thousands ofbales were seized by
| Quartermasters and other Army officers
and sold, the proceeds never reaching the
Treasury. in one year-May, 1868, to
| May, l864-the Chief Quartermaster at
New Orleans, Col. S. B. Holabird, re-
ceived 1879 bales, worth at least So
100000, yet he only acknowledged 1884,
O00 net proceeds, and states that this
sum was spent for Army purposes by or
der of Gen. Banks.
AAlso contrary to law, Admiral Porter,
while patrolling the Mississippi and its
tributaries, seized large amounts of cot
ton on land and shipped it to Cairo as
maritime prize of war. The Supreme
Court has decided that this cotton was
uniawiuiiy taken by Porter, yet the
Treasury refuses to return the money to
the owners.
When the Committee on the Treasury
called in 1876 for the production of the
original records of cotton seizures, a Cab
met meeting was held and an Executive
order was issued py Grant forbidding the
production of original books and papers
before committees of Congress.
The law placing cotton matters in the
Customs division of the Office of the Sec
retary of the Treasury has been disre-
garded and special bureau formed
without authority of law with chief and
assistant and clerks, and with salaries
from 81 200 to $4,000 @ year. The duty
of Martin Luther Noerr, chief, is to fur
nish the Court of Claims true copies of
all records in that bureau pertaining 10
particular lots of cotton. Judge Mott of
that court stated from the bench that
Noerr had furnished four different re:
ports of captures of cotton at Atlanta !;
the first report admitting the cap IRE of
but twenty bales, but the last admitting
467! He declared that the Cotton Blu.
| rean's statements IS made up by Noerr
were wholly unreliable, and e.ated that
the law requiring keeping of, "Looks ofac-
count showing from whom the cotton
was received, the cost of transportation
and proceeds of sales," had been flagi-
tiously and scandalously evaded and de-
fled by officers intrusted with its execu-
ton. Noerr reported to the Court that
there were in the Treasury the records of
about 640 bales from Vicksburg, not over
$4,000. Mr.. Eveleth, Commissioner
appointed by the Court to examine the
nOffnn ranN-I. TN..-.1 =
bales had been seized at Vicksburg, and
that the proceeds had gone into the
Treasury, S925,0OO. Chief Justice Casey
of the Court of Claims swore that Noerr
showed no disposition to correct his
statement, and that he had tried in vain
to get Noerr to explain this great dis
crepancy. The Chief Justice also testifi-
ed that it was impossible for claimants
or their friends to get any information or
satisfaction at all in reference to their
claims from this division, except through
calls by the Court of Claims, the an
swers to which both tho Bar and the
Court regarded as wholly unreliable. In
my judgment they (Noerr's reports)
were in many cases intended and design.
ed to mislead and to prevent parties from
getting Justice"
William Fessenden, assistant to Noerr.
was dismissed from the Army in 1864 as
defaulting additional Paymaster. for
embezzling $20,00O He lent the public
money to Salmon B. Colby, contractor.
and William Coombs, clerk in the In
terror Department, for use in speculating
in lumber. Fessenden to receive for IT, Q
use of the money 10 per cent. of the ac-
tual sales. The money was lost by Fes-
senden's treachery, Colby claims, and
Colby was bankruptcd. Within q year
afterward he was made clerk in the Cot
ton bureau, where he has since received
on an average $4,000 per year salary and
large sums for extra services"
From August 25, 1865, TO May 5, 1878
rs Treasury paid 10 attorneys, agents
and informers more than 81 .0O0, ,OOC
from the money which belonged tc
owners of cotton. One Charles Eams
and various partners were paid within
ten months Of 1866 and 1867 $42O, 900 by
order of Secretary McCulloch, $I58, ,00(
being shared by Bames with John A.
Logan, then Representative and nov
Senator from Illinois. In about eigh.
teen months Of those years McCullOch
caused to be paid to S. FL. Kaufman
First Chief Of the Cotton Bureau, $82, 900
and Kaufman soon turned up as part.
ner with Boss Shepherd and w. Adams
correspondent Of the New York World
in ownership and managemnt Of the
Washington Star, which has been con,
spicuous in defending the District O
Columbia Ring and bolying the Glover
Investigations. Robert 3. Hale of New
York was employed as special counse
nr l.. ~ II