Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-18
THE CHARGES wITHDRAwN.
Gen. Swain Makes a Settlement with
Bateman and He Acknowledges a Mis-
understanding

OOAA' ''"oAhA 4AahCS - oGtblGluenE WIN
Bateman and He Acknowledges Mis-
understanding.
WASHINGTON, April 17.-Y Yesterday
afternoon Mr.. Bateman, the private
banker, gave to the press a copy of his
charges against Judge Advocate General
Swain, embodied in the letter filed with
Secretary of War Lincoln. In the letter
Mr. Bateman charged Swain with an at
tempt to defraud this firm in connection
with deposit of $4,000, for which a due
bill was given Gen. Swain, alleging that
Gen. Swain had first checked out the
money and then transferred the due bill to
other parties who had brought suit upon
it against Mr.. Bateman. The letter to
Secretary Lincoln embodied other charges
against Gen. Swain and demanded a
court martial. Gen. Swain, in response
to an inquiry, told the reporter that he
intended to say nothing at present about
the charges preferred against him by Mr..
Bateman. He considered it a question
tor the civil court to decide. The con-
tractors to whom he transferred the So. 900
due bill had sued Mr.. Bateman, and in
the trial everything in connection
with the matter would be known. He
was willing to stand by the result of the
trial. He added that he was sure that
the whole trouble would be found to have
originated from mistake and a mis-
understanding on the part of Mr.. Bate
man. This afternoon Mr.. Bateman, when
similarly interviewed, said that the S5. 900
due bill having to-day been returned to
his firm, and the suit against them based
upon it by the parties to whom it was
transferred having been withdrawn, he
has to-day written a letter to the Secretary
of War as follows
m.
due bill mentioned in my charges of yester-
day against Gen, ID. G.. Swain having been
withdrawn, and the differences between Gen.
Swain and myself having been satisfactorily
settled, hereby withdraw the charges con-
tanned in my letter of April Is against said
Gen. ID. G.. ISwaim, he claiming that they
were made under misapprehensOn of the
facts, which cOncede Very truly yours,
A. K. BATEMAN,
1t appears from these circumstances
that Mr.. Bateman's object in preferrIng
the charges to the Secretary of War and
giving his letter publicity was to force a
settlement from Gen. Swain upOn the
$4,000 transaction. ThOt having been
gained, he lost interest in the remaining
charges in his letter to Secretary Lincoln,
which did not affect anything but Gen.
Swaim's professional honor. 1t is not vet
known whether or not the Secretary of
War will allow Mr.. Bateman's charges to
be withdrawn.
Mr.. Bateman refuses to say anything
now further than that the matter is being
satisfactorily settled. Gen. Swain says
that the trouble is that Mr.. Bateman has
been speculating, suffered heavy losses,
and rather than call upon his friends to
help him out he sought to squeeze him
Swaim) out of $1,000 under the impress
sion that, in order to avoid scandal, he
would make good the amount claimed.
The friends of Mr.. Bateman say that Gen.
Swain has taken steps to pay off the ac-
count. 1t will probably never be generally
known who tells the truth. Mr.. Bateman
/ is from Ohio. he was formerly an officer in
the Revenue Marine Service, and con-
| Quoted a good deal of Mr.. Sherman's CAM
/ paign for delegates in 1880, especially In
| Georgia. Gen. Swain was President Gar
| fields most intimate friend.