Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-02-01
CHEATED ON ALL SIDES.
BAD RECORDS OF LAW OFFICERS.
brewster Cameron Describes to Mr.
Springer,s Committee the shameful
Dishonesty of United States Marsha1s
aud other Public Servants.
Washington dispatch to the Inter-ocean.


Dishonesty of United States Marshals
aud other Public Servants.
Washington dispatch to the Inter-ocean.
Brewster Cameron's examination
before Springer's committee was con-
cluded today. The witness was al
lowed to testify in his own way, and
was only cross examined with a view
to bringing out all the information
Cameron was inclined to give. His
testimony was related entirely to the
accounts of the United States marshals
and their deputies, the commissioners,
and the superintendent of elections.
Cameron will be recalled in the future
for closer cross-examination after 9th
er witnesses have been examined. He
was notified that he should not leave
town until permission should be grant
ed him. In the early part of his testi-
mony there are three interesting items
in the cities of New York and Brook
lyn The supervisors put in accounts
largely beyond what they were allow
ed to collect under the law. Super
visor Allen, of Brooklyn, had $40, 900
cut out of his accounts, Johnny Daven-
port $4,000, and Dennison, of the
northern district of New York, S., 900.
Cameron was examined at the great
est length in regard to the accounts
OF Marshall Hall, of Pittsburg
Hall kept no books for the record of
fees received in civil cases. He held
the office during the profitable period
when bankruptcy cases filled the
courts, and received large sums of
He would add up his money at the
month and then decide what share he
would turn over to the government.
AS a general thing the government
share was small in proportion to the
receipts. The attention of the depart
ment was first called to this matter by
Congressman Bayne, who went to the
department with a man by the name
of Brown, deputy formerly in Halls
employ Cameron said that they sus-
pected that this man desired to black
mail Hall. At any rate they declined
to employ him although Bayne's de-
mands We're very urgent. Cameron
could find no evidence of Browns de-
sire to blackmail, but added that the
real reason why they refused was be-
cause they had plenty of agents of
their own He understood Brown
wanted $4,000 for working up the
case, but he knew nothing as to that
Cameron said that the attorney gen
eral had told him, when he had heard
of the charges against Hall. that an
investigation should be made at once,
for fear it would be said that Hall, be
ing from Pennsylvania, was protected
by the attorney general. This virtu
Gus claim was hardly supported by
the evidence that followed An agent
by the name of Haight was sent out TO
| investigate Hall, and found great ir-
regularities. The department kindly
notified Hall of the report and asked
Hall responded by saying that he
would make out q new statement of
his accounts, and if he found anything
was due the government he would re-
nit. The department waited all sum
mer and part of the fall to hear from
Hall, but finally another agent by the
name of Ballyn was sent out and he
is now finishing his report upon the
subject He has discovered that Hall
owes the government over $3.50, 900.
The evidence of the money due was
found through.laborious examinations
of the court records. There is no way
of getting at exactly how much Hall
owed as he rarely if ever made an ac-
ceivad by him. His bond was $50, :
600, and his property i'll sight was
valued at 5000
Cameron explained the non-prose-
cution of Hall upon the ground that
the deparement had only just closed
its investigation He said that Hall
was general regarded in Pittsburg as
an honest man. He resigned in June,
| 1882, because, SO it is said, Brown con
stantly threatened him with exposure.
Cameron wound up his testimony re-
Iating to Hall with the startling state
ment that he believed every marshal s
office where large number OF bank
ruptcy cases had been handled would
show the same condition of affairs as
in the case of Hall There We're no
system of accounts, and the fees han
died were much larger than the re-
turns from the average district. His
remedy for all this was to abolish the
fee system and place marshals and
their deputies upon salaries.
Two especially interesting facts
we're disclosed later on in the exam
nation III regard to two men whose
nominations for federal offices are
now pending in the senate. One of
these is Henry O. Wilson, who has
been nominated as a receiver of pub
lie moneys for the state of Alabama
| He was indicted as a deputy marshal
lent accounts The other man is Ar
thur Bingham, who has been nomina-
ted as co lector of internal revenue
for the same state. He has stood in
with the marshal's ring in that state,
and has opposed so far as he could the
efforts of the department of justice to
punish public frauds Robert Doug
las, son of Stephen A. Douglas, who
was marshal for number of years in
| the western district of North Carroll
ma, has heen short in his accounts !;
how much the department has never
been able to end out, because he
would never permit any officer to see
| his books, and when he left the office
he carried the books off with him.
He cleaned the marshal's office of
everything, aud as the courts IN the
neighborhood are friendly to him,
the department has neverbe able to
get hold of the books
In his report to the attorney general,
Cameron said that Bowen the clerk
of the court for the southern district
of Illinois, had not for years entered
a record in his office, although allow
ed clerk hire aud paid for the entries.
He was also defaulter to the registry
Of the court III over $50, 900. Bowen
has been dead for some time, and his
family have the proceeds of his in
dustry out of the range of recovery.
In another part OF his report he
said Wohy, the clerk of the Circuit
court of New Orleans, had failed to
account for S113, 2fS for the year 1882.
The agent who examined his accounts
took the shortage for one month and
made an average for the year The
clerk accepted the estimate without
questioning it aud promised to de-
posite the money to make it good
within the following thirty days This
period has expired and the account