Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-08-20
A REPUBLICAN DEFAU1TER.
A Good Man Who Went Wrong
Col. II. M. KelIy's Case.
Louisville Times.

4
On the LIST day of March, 1856, Col.
Rob TT M. Kelly, who was appointed
Pension Agent at this place by Presi-
dent Grant. and who took charge of .
the office December 26, 1872, holding
it continuously until the tirst-named
date, was succeeded by Gen. Don
Carlos Buell., appointed as Col. KEEL
ly's successor in December, 1885.
Gen. Buell's appointment was not to
take effect until January l, 1886. This
was probably due to the fact, as re-
ported, that Col. Kelly, when he
found that the President desired TO
name Gen. Buell. as his successor,
promptly forwarded his resignation
of the office, te take effect at the time
mentioned. But when the LIST of
January arrived Gen. Buell. did not
qualify, and it was just two months
from that day that he first took
charge of the Office.
When Gen. Buell. took charge of
the Pension Office it was given out
that he would not assume entire con-
troll for several weeks, and would be
initiated into the complexities of his
position by his predecessor. 1t was
also stated that the clerical force
would remain unchanged. This lat
ter statement appears to have been
Enthusiastically true, as with the sin
gle exception of appointing his step
daughter, Miss Mason, to position
in the office, Gen, Buell. has made no
changes whatever, though he has now
held the Office for nearly six months.
1t is fair to presume that Col. Kelly
did all in his power to show his sue
ccssor how to conduct the Office. In
the mean time he was editing the
Commercial and apparently doing
fairly well. His familiar face was
often seen on the streets, at the clubs
and in the gatherings of society. If
any body thought of the pension Of
flee at all, he supposed, as matter
of course, that the new Agent had
found affairs in ship-shape.
The first authentic information
came from Washington to the effect
that the bureau in the Third Audi
tors office having in charge the ac-
counts of Pension Agents had dis
covered
SHORTAGES TO THE AMOUNT OF $780,
600.
more than $4,000 of which aggregate
was discovered to be out in the Louis
vile Office but it had all been paid.
The Department was reported to be
investigating how the leaks occurred
as sort of summer amusement, and
for the purpose of putting an estoppel
on such business in the future. The
Republican clerks in the Department
had been pigeOn-holing these cases,
for which services they were proba-
bly, paid. One case had been laid up
out of reach in this way for thirteen
years. According to the information
it appeared that while the Democrats
have been successful in getting some
of the rascals out, enough rascals
have been kept in TO pretty eflectual-
ly cover up the crookedness of the
"outs."
SHORT FROM THE JUMP.
Col. Kelly had charge of the Pen
sion Office thirteen years, two months
and five days. His defalcation was
not sudden, but began Immediately
upon his first assumption of the Of
flee, and continued to grow through
out his term. At first the shortage
was somewhat inconsiderable, but
after 1878 it swelled in volume, and
in the less than eight years from that
time to the end of his term the great
bulk of the money was gotten away
with. In that period his shortage
foots up over $4,000. But here are
the painful details: Col. Kelly execu-
seven bonds while he was pension
Agent, and the date of each bond,
with the names of the securities in
each, and the amount of missing
money for which they were liable,
have been secured. lie executed his
first bond December 20, 1872, his Sc
curities being Thomas j. Griffiths,
Phillip Speed, w. A. Meriwether,
Sias +. Miller, John w, Finnell. An
investigation of his accounts and OPP
erations under this bond show that
he fell short to the Government ST.
SlG,42.
The second bond dated October l6,
1874. The securities were: j. W.
Finnell, Phillip Speed, ]. X. Goodloe,
John NJ. Harlan, z. NJ. Sherley, J. b.
Bowman, Frank P. Schmidt, j. X.
Ford. On this bond the shortage
amounted to $665.72.
Janury 80, 1876, Col. Kelly execu-
ted his third bond as Pension Agent,
with the following sureties: u. M.
ShGrley, John M. Harlan, j. w. Fin
nell, Phillip Speed, Thos. j. Grifliths,
j. b. Bowman, f. p. Schmidt. De-
falcation S1,9S2.37.
The date of the fourth bond was
July 30, 1877, and the sureties were 4:
Thomas j. Grifliths, Il. P. Schmidt,
j. w. Finnell, w. G. Whitaker, BY
ron o. Carr, j. B. Bowman, John ii.
Stewart, George D. Foreman, j. X.
Goodloe, u. NJ. Sherley, Charlton
Alexander, John Augustus Williams
The shortage was $67G.95.
A TREMENDOUS BOOM IN THE FIGURES
The fifth bond bears date the 5tl
of June, 1878. The names of the Sc
curitles appear as follows: j. B
Bowman, z. M. Sherley, John II
Stewart, w. c. Whitaker, John W
Finnell, Thomas j. Griffiths, F. P
Schmidt, II. J. Brown, Philip Speed
30. Carr. Though this bond wa
in operation not quite 10 months
Col. Kelly's accounts for that perioC
show a deficit of 81, SS3.S4.
Now ensues a period of the wildes
extravaganza. The sixth bond Q
Col. Kelly was furnished Feb. q
1880. The securities offered and &C
cepted were F. P. Schmidt. r. j