Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-02-03
HAMMOND.
4 Sketch of the Career of the Champion
COnfessOr of the Indian Department.
IChicapo Times.1


Chicago Times.l
Gen. John FL. Hammond, whose confess
sion and prostration by an attack of heart
disease formed 80 sensational a feature in
the Washington dispatches on yesterday
morning. is gentleman about forty-five
years of age, with brilliant military and an
honorable business record. He went into
the army at the beginning of the war, from
Ohio, and during the early portion of the
war held the position of adjutant general on
the staff of Gen. w. T. Sherman. He was
restless, energetic and fond of adventure,
and in the latter part of the war he found
congenial occupation as brioadier of cavalry.
After the war he settled at Chillicotbe, Mo-,
and did
A CONSIDERABLE BANKING BUSINESS,
amassing wealth, and winning position of
some distinction in that region. He took
hold of the North Missouri railroad project,
and continued the line from Chillicothe as
far as Pattensbureh on its way to Omaha,
but at Pattensburgh the work stopped. Feel
ing that he had done all he could in the
provinces he came to Chicago and went into
the City savings bank with Obadiah Jackson.
This proved a failure, and Gen. Hammond
attributed the result to Mr.. Jackson's con-
duct. Gen. Hammond always stood high
here. He was most congenial companion,
and in his generosity was almost prodigal.
He was regarded here, as he had been re-
garded in Missouri, as shrewd, energetic and
venturesome, but his integrity was unques-
toned.
When the City savings bank failed three
or four years ago the General went to Wash
ington and got the appointment of superin-
tendent of Indian agencies. His family re-
NAMED here in Chicago, but his position
kept him constantly travelling from one
agency to another. 1t is believed by those
who know him that he went into the service
of the Indian bureau with the laudable am
bition of making himself famous by cleans
ing the Augean stable of the Indian service.
For couple of years he was
A TERROR TO THE AGENTS.
He fell upon them in true cavalry style, re-
lentlessly exposing rascalities, and forcing
rascals out of the service. For year or
more past nothing has been heard of his
raids on dishonest Indian agents. Either he
had worked every dishonest agent out of the
service, OF his ardor for the purity of the
service had cooled decidedly. 1t is the be-
lief of those who know him that in an I'M
guarded moment, and perhaps under the in
fuence of his we'll known generous impulses,
and his remarkable readiness to oblige a
friend, he took his fl st false step as matter
of accommodation to Commissioner Hayt.
That done, he found himself completely in
Hayt's power, and was in no position to take
| very lofty moral grounds in opposition to
Hayt or dishonest agents. 1t is not believed
that any wrong doing in which he has par
ticipated has enriched him at all, but that,
having taken one wrong step to oblige Hayt,
he afterwards took others to protect him
self. His tragic remorse after the perjury
which he confesses to have committed, sug-
gests that he did not harden himself by q
succession of downward steps, and his agony
of shame will enlist for him the sympathy of
many.
A few weeks ago he happened to be in the
Merchants National bank and expressed
himself quite freely to the assistant cashier,
Mr.. Nicely, an old comrade of his on Gen.
Sherman's staff, regarding Gen. Fisk's
charges, which he denounced as baseless,
and spoke with some bitterness of the de-
traction to which all persons in official sta
tons were exposed. He had just resigned,
and congratulated himself that he was nc
longer the target for oarping critics and
y-bodies