Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-06-07
0TTMAN'S COMPROMISE.
THE GOVERNMENT THROWS
LIGHT ON THE SUBJECT.

Little Chance that the Prosecution Could
nave Secured Verdict-The Impossi-
bility of Tracing the Stolen Dollars
The Amount Ottman Finally Re-
ceiVed,
WASHINGTON, June 6.-The Depart
ment Of Justice furnished to the associ-
ated press this evening a series of twelve
letters and reports relating to the recent
ly compromised Ottman case, in which
the government sought to recover a large
sum of money said to have been stolen
from the Treasury Department in June,
! 1870. The correspondence thus furnished
is said to include all letters and pa
pers on file in the Department
of justice, which have any material con-
nectiOn with the case, and it covers
period of time extending from December
18th, 1877, to June 9th. 1888. The terms of
the compromise set forth in the letters
seem to have been approved by the At
| torney General, but no written approval
appears in the correspondence.
On the lth of June, 1882, Col. George
Bliss, to whom the case had been referred.
wrote to Attorney General Brewster as
follows: 1.-The adjustment authorized by
you in the case of Ottman has been car
ried out, and there has been deposited
$l2, eco in the Treasury tothe credit of the
United States"
The last letter of the series is from Dis
trict Attorney COrkhill to Attorney Gen
eral Brewster, and is as follows
Hon. BeRjdHliR Harris BrerSter, AttOTney
General:
SIR-In reply to your inquiry concern
ing certain matters in connection with
the case of the United States VS.. Ottman,
have to state that my letter of February
5, 1882, gives in detail the exact condition
Of the case at that time as far as it
appears from the records of the court
While | could not, owing to my relations
to the defendant as one Of his counsel in
the trial of the criminal case, act for the
government In the compromise, a careful
examination of the report of Colonel Geo.
Bliss, the special counsel to whom the
case was referred, which {
made at the time, fully sus-
tanned the statement l made to you
that the case was one which should be
compromised, and the proposition one
which at least the government should not
object to. That there We're suspicious
circumstances i'll connection with the
deposit of money in the AIeXan-
dria bank which justified its at
tachment by the government is
true. There was an absolute failure to
identify the money, as it had no special
marks by which it could be identified as
money stolen. Whether Ottman actually
stole the money or received it after it
was stolen or not, one thing is VerV
certain, that no honest jury on any evil
dence the government could obtain would
have found him guilty. He was indicted
nearly nine years ago, was tried twice and
was insisting and demanding another
trial, and to this, under the law, he was
entitled. | know personally, from my
thorough knowledge of all the testimony,
that it was impossible for the prosecution
i'll good faith to ask for conviction upon
the indictments. Under these circum-
stances, to compromise the civil action |
under the attachment and mol pros. the |
indictments was all that could be done.
Very respectfully,
GEO. b. CORKHILL,
U. 5. Attorney for District of Columbia.
The amount stolen was S31 800. 1t was |
claimed that the actual bills stolen from
the Treasury were traced to Ottman's |
possession. The latter was at the time a |
liquor dealer in Washington. Under the |
compromise $4,000 were awarded to Ott- |
man, and it has been freely charged in the |
newspapers that of this sum only s., 900 |
reached Ottman, who is now barkeeper |
in New York.
The Postmaster General to-day selected |
metallic red as the color for the new two |
cent postage stamp. The vignette which |
VIII be used on the stamp is copied from |
a life cast used in making HOudOn's statue |
of Washington.
The President to-day appointed Will |
liam ). ROulhac, of North Carolina, |
Secretary of the Civil Service Commits
sion.