New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-11

of the party which they represented, ana, ac-
cording to one of the conspirators-who made
n full confession-several dry-goods boxes full
Of such bogus votes had left Washington for
New-York before the fraud was discovered.
In some cases sealed envelopes containing Lin
coin ballots were opened and Mcclellan bal
lots substituted, but the main reliance of the
scoundrels was in the forgery of signatures of
pretended soldiers, or OF soldiers that had
fallen in battle or had died III the
hospitals, TO papers transmitting McCiellah
votes Judge Advocate Holt, In addressing
the Commission, characterized the crime
thus committed as so enormous as " to
merit the extreme penalty of DEATH ana
the result of the trial was that two OF the
conspirators were sentenced to the pententiary
for life. Newcomb, who had been taken into
custody, was not one of these, although 1t was
clear that he was equally guilty. The manner
In which he managed to escape their
fate must still be remembered by many OF our
readers and ought to have been known
10 ,Judge WestbrOOk The Washington cor
respondent of THE TRTBCNE in his report OF
the trial of the conspiratOrs explains how New
comb made out to save himself as follows 1--WE
quote from THE TRIBUNE of October 20, lo643
"The matter of principal interest to-day was
" the turning of States evidence by Newcomb,
" commissioned by Governor Seymour to come
"on and take the Mcclellan vote. lie says
&" that he announced to the soldiers that he
took no other kind. Mr.. Newcomb Is law
yer of Albany, and had perception enough
to discriminate the difference between his
"position before Il military court and an or
&" ,Iina1v civil tribunal. His evidence was full,
" clear and conclusive, and request was for
"warded tonight to the Secretary OF War to
"release him."
There is little occasion to comment upon
the significance of this extract from Mr.. New
combs public record. Now that he has had
his attention called to it there can be no
doubt-certainly there ought to be no doubt
that Judge Westbrook will cordially agree
with us that Ncwcomb was estOpped by his
character from being named for any such dell
cate and responsible position as receiver, since
a receiver is charged with caring Tor the rights
of others, and he had shown himself equal TO
robbing his countrymen Of the most sacred
and cherished of their rights. Whatever the
outcome of the investigation now III progress,
if ought to work ut least one wholesome ana
mucb-needed reform. That is to say, it ought
70 nut an end for all time to come to
the reprehensible and utterly indefensble
habit of appointing receivers on personal or
political grounds When an insurance com
papy OF a savings bank comes to grief hundreds
of people of moderate means, including many
widows and orphans, are made to suffer TO
greater or less extent. An upright receiver
who works with an eye single to conserving
the interests placed in his hands, can be OF
incacuable service to them. But the other
sort of a receiver, whose dominant idea is to
make all he can out of a company, and who
does little else than fulfil the functions OF
leech, is the sort of receiver of whom the
public hears the most these days. The new
leaf cannot be turned too soon.