Huntsville gazette., 1885-11-14
COTTON CLAIMS.
Thirteen Millions of Dollars at the Disposal
nf CIaiYnaufs.


Thirteen Millions of Dollars at the Disposal
illegal Claimants.
''SOme of the finest material for the
novelist that can be imagined is to be
found in the United States Treasury"
said gentleman who had been in that
department of the Government for
quarter of a century to a reporter.
Where is it?' he replied, in answer to
my question. "Why, everywhere.
There is a bureau called the Division of
Abandoned Lands and Property that in
itself is one great romance. Its history
is fuller of the marvellous than any
thing ever written. Why, there is
thirteen million dollars in its charge be-
longing to the people of the South
alone. You see, during and at the
close of the war there was val
liable property of all sorts which fell
into the hands of army officers, and
was turned into the treasury. Over
twelve million dollars of the money
charged to that bureau is the proceeds
of cotton taken from plantations all
it brought was turned in, as have told
you. The amounts finally became so
great that Mr.. Chase, then Secretary,
created division that should have
especial charge of all this sort
of thing. Why, there is one instance
in which one hundred and seventy-five
thousand dollars worth of cotton was
taken from a far South estate, when
cotton was worth five hundred dollars
a bale, and sold. The persons to
whom it belonged were lOyalists.
They haven't an idea of where
their cotton went to. Their names
were on the bales, and it would not be
difficult for them to make a case. if they
knew what to do. Butt has been near
ly twenty-three years since the money
was deposited. | don't know whether
any of them are living or not, and it is
hardly probable that they will ever get
what is really theirs. All the testimo-
ny relating to the case is in possession
of the Government The agent who
took the cotton and the one who sold
it are both dead, and the owners would
not be able to make their case without
some proof, which they haven't got.
There are other instances similar
to this. In 1868 we received one hun
dred and nine thousand dollars from a
Government agent for cotton taken
from foreigner, supposed to have
been blockade runner, in one of the
seaport towns of the far South. Sec
cumstances of the case said: This
money is only held in trust by the
Government, and some day we shall be
obliged to account for it, for the United
States really has no right to keep it.
But no demand was ever made on the
Treasury for it, | doubt if the owner
ever knew just where it went.
''Not knowing when the claimants
might make demand on the Treasury
for the proceeds of their cotton, the
money was never used, but remains
untouched in fund by itself. But it
has been so long ago, and the test-
mOny necessary to make q case valid
being in many instances unattainable
| by the owners, it is not probable that
any portion of this enormous amount
will ever leave the Treasury. The only
very large sum that was ever paid back
was in the case of Gazaway B. Lamar,
of Georgia, which you must have heard
of. Ex-Attorney-General Williams and
General B. F. Butler got back for him
! five hundred thousand dollars for
cotton taken in the manner |
have described. General Butler said
to me at that time: "If l
were younger and wanted to make
a great fortune quickly l could
do it more surely and easily in prose-
cutting these cotton claims than in any
other way 1T was always a wonder
to me that, after the action of the Gov
ernment in the Lamar case, more
Southern people did not try to recover
from the Government The main diff
| Guilty was in proving that particular
| cotton was taken. sold and the money
turned into the Treasury. Then they
| didn't believe that they would have
any chance in a fight with the United
States, and so they have let the matter
| fade out of their minds. But wherever
evidence of seizure can be obtained
upon the testimony of good witnesses,
and the sale proved, the case is a good
one. y Washington Sunday Herald.