Connecticut western news., 1883-05-30
SOLDIERS UNDER A CLOUD.
THE DAMAGED AFFILIATIONS OF SIX
 ARMY AND NAVY OFFICERS.
Victims of ExtravaRance and he Gambling g Habit-An Army Club where Many Off, ficers Who come from the Front
 fer are Fleeced.

Habit-An Army Club where Many Of- ficers Who come from the Front fer are Fleeced.
 A Washington dispatch to the New York Sun says: Six officers of the army and navy have been involved in disrep- utable practices that have recently been made public. Lieut.. Col. Morrow, Pay master Wasson, Paymaster Smith, and Col. nges are accused of dishonesty, while Col. Nickerson and Commander White are in disgrace on account of do mestic scandals. Those in power, both in the War and Navy Departments, are seriously concerned about the state of things that these exposures indicate. Col. uges was allowed to resign, when, by the rules, he should have been court martialled. He was charged with hav- ing obtained money by duplicating his pay accounts, and he preferred to resign rather than meet the charge. Major Wasson is a defaulter, as the Govern ment thinks, though he excuses his shortage by saying that he took the money as a forced loan, which he in- tended to return through the conscience fund. The amount taken is believed to be about $5, ,OOO. Major Wasson was 8 poker player. Paymaster Smith of the navy will be court martialled in few days on charge of dishonesty.
 | Col. Morrow's case is peculiar one.
 He has been one of the most dashing officers on Sherman's staff. Since he has been in Washington he has been living we'll, and was most popular member of the army set. Some weeks ago he went to Secretary Lincoln, said he was deeply in debt, and asked that he be sent back
 to his regiment. He believed that he could save money enough to pay his
 debts if he was allowed to do so. The
 Secretary consented. It appears, how
 ever, that Col. Morrow had done some
 thing worse than getting into debt. He
 has duplicated his pay accounts; in fact,
 implicated them. The Government had
 been no loser, and had known nothing of
 it, for Col. Morrow had managed to take
 up the vouchers as they became due in
 the hands of the brokers. When 1t was
 decided that he was to rejoin his regi- ment, Col, Morrow called ~his creditors
 together, told them what he had done, and proposed that the - accounts be
 pooled and placed in the hands of a
 broker, in pay accounts, named Middle
 ton. He further proposed to have
 enough of his future pay accounts hy-
 pothecated to take up the old ones. The
 creditors consented provided an order
 should be issued by Paymaster-G General
 Rochester to all paymasters to pay nc
 accounts to Col. Morrow. This was in
 tended as security for the brokers. The
 Paymaster-G General consented. The or.
 der was issued, the crooked accounts
 strengthened out and Col. Morrow went
 to his regiment. Secretary Lincoln
 knew nothing of this, but has now
 learned of it, and it is expected that he will order court martial.
 Commander White resigned from the navy day or two ago, and it is charged , that he did so to avoid exposure of { scandal that occurred in Norfolk. Col , Nickerson is accused of procuring {
 fraudulent divorce that he might re marry. There is little doubt that tht
 temptations of Washington life have let
 officers to violate their honor, and there 2 is less doubt that gambling in the arm, , has ruined many officers. Secretar. 5 Lincoln has announced his determine 9 tion to put stop to gambling in thu ! army, and the best field for him to begn Q his campaign is right here in Washing , ton. The brokers who advance none, a on the officers pay accounts at a ruinou rate of interest know perfectly well tha were it not for the gambling that pre- f vails here their business in this directio n would be greatly curtailed. This gam
 bling in the main does not take place g o the public gaming houses. It is done g l clubs.
 O There is the best authority for sayin e that there is an army poker club her d that numbers some distinguished officer
 who have made business of feecin
 officers just arriving in town from the
 regiments. Of course these men do nc ss play dishonestly, or at least are not SUI l. posed to play dishonestly, but the le generally win. Cases are known whel le officers have just come to town with u i'd savings of year or two and had Il n whole sum swept away at a single sitting g, Then they turn to their pay acooun Id for ready cash and then comes u r, temptation to duplicate these account ly There is little doubt that the infuen CT of some of the members of this club h. Id been used to shield officers, who, drive 'le to desperation by their losses, have d CT plicated their accounts and been ly tected at it. The club has been fearf CT that should the officers be driven to e ve tremity by court martial, they mig st. expose the practices that make duplic CT tion so common.
 ill
 tn A VictOry's Cost.