New-York tribune., 1880-10-08
So. 4G4.

Ii sometimes happens that offences against
good morals gain impunity by their very
mpannrss and indecency. Men prefer that
the criminal should go unpunished rather than
chat their hands should be sOicd with the
work of inflicting the penalties which lie has
earned Some such feeling as this may have
kept from publicity ana general opprobIium
fne extraordinary episode in the career OF
W illam IL. English which is told III
another part of this Issue. 1t is easy
to believe that those who knew these
facts may have concluded that Nh English
was not worth even the contempt OF any
honest man. The grotcsque story would be
ludicrous, If it were not shocking. IL is some
times said in jest thai as soon as man las
been fairly nominated for office III this coun-
try. ne is charged with having murdered his
grandmother, ana with having accumulated a
large fortune by stealing pennies oil dead
mems eyes. The facts proved against MI.
English are so revOltingly mean and dishonest
that i'm their presence these rather coarse
witt.csms lose the appearance OF Jesls, and take
Oh a look OF sober possibility.
No Democrat should overlook the fact that
the statements made need not be accepted on
Republican newspaper. They are embodied in
the official correspondence OF William L..
Marcy, Secretary of War, Isaac Touccy, At
orney-Geueral, aud j. l.. E iwards. Commis-
siOner Of Pensions under President POlk-all
Democrats, and two of them famous and
revcred IN the party. The documents show
that William ii. English, finding that his
grandmother had been entitled to a pension
for twelve years for the Revolutionary
services of her husband, took out fraudu-
lent letters OF administration upon her estate,
and without the knowledge OF her heirs his
blood-rrlaious, prosecuted the claim for $39G1,
and received the money. The heirs, or some
of them, discovering this, demanded the
money which he refused to disgorgc, alleging,
AS final means OF protecting himself, that he
was nsolvent. lie is not insolvent to-day
He is well known to be millionaire, and yet,
within the past few weeks, one OF these heirs
whom he defraudcd has written TO the Commits
sIoncr OF Pensions, asking il it is true that Mr..
English collected this money in 1S45. This
is the personal or family side of this matter.
There is an Official side also. The de-
irauded heirs made Il new claim upon the
Government insisting that inasmuch as the
letters of administration were Illegal, the
payment to English was fraudulent and void
and could not stand in the way of payment
To the rightful heirs. While there was dis
position TO admit the justice OF the claim, II
was rejected because no appropriation had
been made by Congress. Mr.. English was then
Government clerk, and Secretary Marcy
demanded an explanation, which was so
unsatisfactory that III few weeks Mr.
English, who had powerful patron
was allowed to resign. The official side of
tins transaction, therefore. shows it to have
been fraud upon the United States Govern
ment, inasmuch as Mr.. English collected
money which did not belong 10 him and which
he was not authorized 10 collect; and 10 have
been also a case OF obtaining money by false
pretcnces. for he represented himself as the
legal administrator which he was not, and
knew he was not. The offence is as clearly
defined as bounty jumping, and quite as vulgar.
The personal side OF the lransaclon-Mr. Eng
lsh's treatment of his relatiyes-needs no
Characterization.
Probably the worst man who ever held the