The National tribune., 1888-10-11

| jumped from First Lieutenant to Major and
/ Paymaster when Maj. Cash died. Mrs. Good
loe was Miss Betty Beck the daughter of Sena-
| tor Beck, of Kentucky, and the pair prove
themselves true kentuckians in their mutual
/ love Of horses, and both are excellent riders.
I GoodlOe has a splendid country home ont near
the historic dueing ground by Bladensburg,
1 and most of the time he rides or drives into the
1 city 70 his duties. Senator Beck lives with
them al all times, for in Winter time the Major
and Mrs. Goodoe take house in town.
WHO OWNS THE MONEY.
There is a sum Of money slowed away in a
/ safe up at the War Department that is some
thing Of white elephant to the authorities
1t does not belong to the United States, 1t does
not belong to the person it was taken from, and
the officials seem to think that the original
/ owners of the funds have lost all equitable
title TO it. They can't even pay it in to the
Treasury without special act of Congress to
that effect
Along in 1864 Washington was a huge hos
! pital for our sick and wounded soldiers of the
Armies Of the Potomac, the James, aud the
Shenandoah. I do not know how many men
We're here in those days, but there were many
/ thousands.
Il was invariably the case then that the
! very moment that sick soldier would begin
a. all to mend, his mind turned naturally
! toward his old home, aud he became anxious
/ for discharge from service or a lurlough, so
! that he could go there, and the mail of the
Surgeon General was laden daily with petit
tons for one or the other coveted document
that meant home TO the petitioner.
At that time Surg.-Gen. Barnes had a large
force Of Hospital Stewards detailed for clerical
dutylB has Office, and one Of these, bright and
weii-educated Young man, served him in the
capacity Of confidential clerk, aud had special
charge Of matters relating TO soldiers in the
many hospitals here.
ocrrrra1 To this x,cu,,O y,o1
these sick soldiers were so very anxious to get
the documents they asked for that they would
IN most cases be very glad indeed TO pay some
thing to further their wishes. He therefore
prepared and sent out circular broadcast
through the hospitals stating that he held such
personal relations with the proper authorities
that he could procure Burroughs discharges
for those wanting them, and would do so if he
was paid fee of $ for procuring a furlough,
or SO for a discharge
All the world over the old belief in nothing
ventured nothing gained prevails, and our
soldiers were as apt as any others to risk ven
ture If there was promise of gain. The young
Hospital Stewards circular was an audacious
one, and perhaps it was the very audacity of
the outrageous proposition that tempted men
TO close with his offer. When a few men had
actually received the papers they sent money
for, that fact became speedily known among
the other men, and the scheme bore rich
fruit.
The Stewards plan of operation was TO pre-
pare discharges or Burroughs for his clients and
slip them in with the bundles of other papers
prepared each day for official signature, and as
there were hundreds Of papers to be signed for
each days mail, it was impossible to examine
each one in detail The feasibility of such
scheme was demonstrated in later years in the
Navy Department by bogus vouchers in the
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery.
The Stewards scheme bore such rich fruit
that his mail fairly rivaled that of his official
superiors, and that was what brought the young
man 10 grief. The size of his mail created first
wonder and then suspicion, and at last he was
arrested one day with large mail in his pos
session, and that told the whole story.
The letters seized contained money to a con-
siderable amount, how much / am unable to
learn. Charges were preferred formally and
the Steward was brought beforea general court
martial, which met here Feb. b. 1865, of which
Brig.-Gen. II. S. Briggs was President The
culprit pleaded guilty, and was duly sentenced
to be dishonorably discharged from the service
and to year Of imprisonment, which he duly
served in the Albany Penitentiary.
The money taken from the Steward found its
way to the Adjutant- Generals Office and is
still there in the envelopes in which it was
mailed It appears that none of the victims
have ever made any demand for the return of
the money, and il is possible that they thought
ii better TO say nothing about it but it seems
10 me that after all it belongs to the men who
mailed 1t, no matter whether their action was
creditable or not
The most surprising thing about this whole
case is that the ex-HosPital Steward has been
for years past a clerk in the very Office where
the money taken from him is now slowed
away.
VETERANS IN TIE CITY.
Maj. John 4. Kress. Ordnance Corps. Q. S. A..
who Is in the city from his station at Pttsburg,
for few days, is one of the five officers of the
Ordnance Corps who obtained admission into
thai organization without passing through
West Point. All Of these were subject To an
extended and thorough competitive examina-
ton.
Gen. James J. Dana, Deputy Quartermaster
General, q. s. A., on the retired-list. arrived
here last week from Europe. where he has been
OF long leave and, with Mrs Dana is located
at No. 1913 | street. Gen. Dana was a Colonel
and Quartermaster during the war
Maj. Frank b. Hamilton, the Senior Captain
Of the ID U. :. Art, and almost the senior for
promotion 70 Major, IS visiting at No. l435 K
street, until the yellow fever epidemic in the
South viii enable him 10 20 TO his station at
Mount Vernon Barracks, near Mobile He is
from Ohio, and graduating from West Point in
1862, was breYetted Captain in the following
September for gallantry at Antietam, and
gained the brevet Of Major for Gettysburg
He served IN the I4th Inf for four wears after
the war but was transferred back to the artil-
/ lery in 1870.
D. 7. Bragaw, Co. K, 4th N. Y. Cav, Barbara
Frietchie Post. Brooklyn, n Y
Col. =. A. Sboles, 9TH r. l., Atlanta, Ga Col.
Sh0les, besides being one Of the bright, enter
priaing men who are building up a new South,
is one Of the leading spirits in the Grand Army,
and has worked hard and successfully for the
growth and prosperity of the Department of
Tennessee and Georgia.
Col. William Ii. Clapp, Captain. 10Th u s
Inf- whose company is now stationed at Camp
Douglas (Salt Lake City,, Utah, after a long
tour OF service in Texas, is spending an ex-
tended leave Of absence here, and is located at
No. I4l6 Corcoran street. native of Ohio. he
was IN business in the East when the rebellion
/ broke out in 1861. and served the first three
months IN the list n. Y. militia; then returned
/ 70 his native State and became Lieutenant in
September, 1861, IL the 42d Ohio. There he
served a year and half fmuch of the time as
4 an Abide Camp, aud then was promoted to
/ Captain and Assistant Adjutant- General from
+ winch rank be was mustered cut in December
( 1865. with the brevet grade of Lieutenant-
Colonel conferred for meritorious service.
| PENSION OFFICE FRAUDS
The Commissioner Of Pensions has been ad.
I vised that Albert Riddle, Gilmer, w Va who was
/ indicted for violation of Sections 5404 and 5405
Revised Statutes ofthe United States by seeking
TO iutimidate members of the Grand Jury, was