Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-07
OVERMAN'S VOUCHERS.
The Major Claims 1t Was His Private
Papers That We're Seized,
INSTEAD OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
PEARL Handled Knives Are Made to Figure
as Lag screws, and
CAMBRIC AS MACHINIS1'S SERVICES

| CLEVELAND, Feb 6.-Although IL had
been expected that the Overman court mar
tlal would meet this morning only to ad-
journ until Monday, such proved to be not
the case. A surprise was created when
Colonel Gardiner for the accused waived the
absence of Mr.. Carkin, of the firm of Carkin.
Stiekney & Cram, of Saginaw, Mich, who
was to produce letter written by Major
Overman, and admitted that Major Overmau
had received 1924 so from the firm as an ed.
gineering officer and failed to account to the
Government for it.
1t was also admitted by Colonel Gardiner
that the Major had received the sums said
to have been received by him in three
specifications of the first charge, and that he
had wholly failed to account therefor; but
the fact that such retention of funds was
unlawful, or that the money was intended
for the military service, was denied. The
items of these specifications were S25 paid
the S. B. Hartman Manufacturing Com
pany for replacing piles in Sandusky har-
Dor, s94 IS paid by Captain Mack for
repairs to the Cleveland breakwater, and
go % paid by Mitchell & Co.
|, Paying for Pearl-HandIed Knives.
The witnesses were ordered to retire fronA
the courtroom, and Captain Myrick called
Nathan c. Martin, chief of section in the
Third Auditors department, to give evil
dence in regard to specification 1 of the sec
ond charge-that of Overman buying for his
own use lot of pearl-handled knives from
the George Worthington Company and
ok1n L.
screws Mr. Nathan produced the voucher
for 800 screws at 5 cents each. and nine
pounds OF washers at cents, a total of
S18 27.
MIR. Martin was asked to produce the
vouchers relating to the charge of buying
cambria from Lamson Brothers, of Toledo,
and charging it to the Government as 50 60,
the item in the voucher being for the
services of a machinist.
Colonel Gardiner then made formal de-
mand upon the Judge Advocate for the
original vouchers. signed by the Worthing-
ton Company and Lamson Brothers t'They
were unlawfully seized without the knowl-
edge and consent of the accused from his
private papers," said Colonel Gardiner,
"and as they are now in the custody of the
Judge Advocate we ask the Cous to order
them to be turned over to u.s.
How Overman Meets the Charge.
The Judge Advocate said that he had no
knowledge of the manner in which Major
Overman's duplicates of the original vouch-
ers had come into the possession of the Gov
eminent.
1t may be well to explain that an officer
OF the Government takes a receipt in dupli-
cate for all disbursements made bv him.
One voucher is forwarded to the Treasury
Department and the other is retained by
him. 1t is claimed by Major Overman that
the duplicate vouchers, which were really
his private papers, were seized by order of
the War Department. The court retired,
and after due deliberation ordered the
vouchers turned over to Major Overman,
which was done.
Mr.. Martin was recalled to the witness
chair, and produced the payroll for April,
1890, sent in by Major Overman. Upon it
appeared the name of William Harris, who
acknowledged having received from the
Government S45 for services rendered as
"watchman, boatman and gauge resder.'
Harris is the man referred to in the charge
as Major Overman's coachman.