The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-07-24

lWve~stwAtsss o. the Bottom.
SPECIAL . M Evansville Courier
lxpsAxArofi-. Juiy N The invrsli-
g~iiss sa'" sn~ isssl,ls pcrpesvssed upon
mi. State IL connection with the cisim~
~ lstisns rislx.ns growing oul ~ the
evil w~r. snd which hss lust been start
~ ~ Governor hossv, promises 70 10
srispl~d bv anne very sensational d.
eelaeW.n ss. aud already the meet IN
s~nsr tussre<' center. npon no .nyessigA.
20. Shich y being made ~ the states
agent ~ Washington. Tnst thousands
~ inls-rs have neen stoler from the us-
tsansi treasury under the xuise u Iuii-
ana wsr claims there can he NJ donos.
ani "a II eqpslls clear thst the Govern
m~n'. naving discovered these fr~uds,
desires 10 hold The State responsible for
their effects. but the exact manner IN
which they were accomplished, whether
the State oflicers were hoodwinked or
were parties 70 sud hensficiarses OF the
frauds. where ,he vouchers yves 9 changed
snl hsw the, passed through The State
treasury. ara sli questions upon which
light u 70 he thrown. and which. Il !.
hoped. will lead 10 the punishment Ut
the thieves and the recovery Of the
money
Il i noted Ia this connection that the
Il ,verum.nt takes no interest Ia the in
s-ssix&tion. appears satisfied With re-
ceiving the money Of the State, though
n comedies that vouchers were raised IN
<osue instances and duplic Sted 10 ether
and this 10 being construed 10 mean thai
the Government could locate the guilty
parties. but. for reasons unknown 10 the
Indians officials. does not care - d. 90.
There il not one Of the State Officers
who might have figured in these trsns-
actions now living. and no one can ex-
plain the many things which The people
would like 10 know. The claims which
made the frauds possible orig;nsted be-
tween 1861 and 1865. aud were allowed
n different times up 10 1873. covering q
period Of about eighteen years from the
time Of origin n time Of settlement
During this time Indiana had three sepa-
rate Executives. = number Of State Audi
tors and State Treasures. al OF whom
were more or less officially connected
with the transactions, but all are now
dead. and not . living witness remains
70 throw light upon the mystery. To
make 10 possible for claimant 10 receive
compensation for supplies furnished 10
the armv. Il was necessary that each Of
these officers should have knowledge a.
some stage Of the proceeding Of the ex-
fateDce OF the claim. The person, who
hsd such claim. first filed il with the
Auditor OF State, who made duplicate.
which Was sent 10 the department a.
Washington. II the claim was paid
when first presented to the auditor, II
was by warrant on the treasury. the
State looking to the Government for re-
endorsement When the Govern ment
allowed the claim II was made out 20 the
Governor Of the State. who Endorsed Il
and turned ID over 10 the treasurer. sol
that ia any event the books Of shat Office
should show that The money Was both
received and paid out On the contrary.
they show nothing regarding the receipt
Of money on the claims which have been
raised. snd the full amount Of which thel
G0vernmeut holds that the State has rel
ceived. Take. for an exsmpIe. the mod
est claim 81 So Is filed By Root 3 Ben
net. This firm was IN the tioWare busi-
ness and furnished camp kettles and
other utensils 10 The amount Of their
claim. II Vas paid BY the State end sent
10 Washington where IL passed through
al The red tape stages where, q far ~ i |
known here, IL ceased 10 exist. But this i
modest claim nov turns up in the form |
Of payment to the State Of Is 425, and
the duplicate claim Shows thst this sum
vas charged, the voucher being raised
mt some stage in the proceeding, 20 that
il VS. Just one hundred times larger
than the original amount
- ~knInnala nfnai.t
ing 10 found 10 the case ~ the claim Of
A. Bookseller for $3.50 This claim
went through I'll the formalities oil
proving BY affidavit and duplicating 81
Washington. and like that ~ Root 81
Bennett. was raised one hundred times, !
the sum o. $3.50 being paid BY the Gov
eminent. hut no record having been made
here Of the receipt OF anything. Thel
claim OF .. r. Kendrick for o2930 was
raised 70 5000 and $1,000 wss thusl
wroDgfuliy taken from the Government.
The thieves were certainly very clever
ID their methods. for the raise Wss made
in each instance al along the line. The
abstract furnished b. the State being
made 20 correspond with the duplicate
claim that was filed either q the same
time or In advance Of the abstract. The
total amount Thus stolen aggregates $s6.-
123, and this the Government nov with
hoide in lie settlement with the State on
account 81 the direct TAX money refunded
by oct Of Congress. In doing this II IS
sumes that the money was paid into the
State treasury. aud that oil the disbon-I
esty was II this end snd al the honesty
q that end OF the line. A. : matter oil
fact, no matter where or bv whom the
frauds were contaminated. the people oil
this State never received one dollar Of
the raised claims, for none Of II ever
went into the treasury. Governor Hovey
voices the general sentiment when be
says that the frsufs were conceived and
executed in the department Il Washing
ton. and though there may have been
collision with one or more Indiana Of
ficials. the people ought not 70 be held
responsible Tor those individual crimes
John w. Coons. the States agent just
aent to Washington BY the Governor.
49,