The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06

money he had was to be taken from him. Gen.
Butler had taken from this Virginia friend OF
Strouse between $4,000 and $75,o When
q General took money in this way he
had to deposit 1t at once in the Treas.
ury; there a strict account was kept
Of tho amount, whom it was taken by. and
whom 1t was taken from. Butler gave q receipt
to this man, and he afterward came to Wash
ington TO get his money. He and Strouse came
to tho War Department, where they bothered
sent for me.
"Strouse is after me-" he said; Tho wants
that money, and I want you to settle tho mat.
ter"
"what shall I do" I asked; "what are the
ordersf" He took the papers in tho case and
wrote on the back of them:
Referred to Mr.. Dana, Assistant Secretary of War,
to be settled as in his judgment shall be best.
E. NJ. STANTON.
The man then turned his attention from the
Secretary to me-. I looked into the matter, and
gave him back the money. The next day Mr..
Stanton sent for me. Isaw he was angry.
did you give that Jew back his money r. he
asked in a harsh tone.
"Yes. SIR"
"Wel." he said. IT should like to know by
what authority you did it."
If you will excuse me while I go to my room,
I will show my authority to you" I replied.
So I went up and brought down the paper he
had Endorsed. and read to him:
Referred to Mr.. Dana, Assistant Secretary of
War, to be settled as In his judgment shall be
best" I handed it over to him. He looked at
it, and then he laughed. you arc right" he
said; you have got me this time" This was
the only time he spoke to me in a really harsh
tone.
At the time that I entered the War Depart
ment for regular duty it was a very busy place.
Mr.. St'nton frequently worked late at night,
keeping his carriage waiting for him. never
worked at night. as my eyes would not allow it.
I got to my Office about 8 o'clock in the morn
ing. and ! stayed there nearly the whole day,
for / made 1t a rule never to go away until my
desk was cleared. When I arrived I usually
found on my table q big pile of papers which
were to be acted on. papers of every sort that
had come to me from the Observation-Disclosures
OF the office. Most of these came from the
Ordnance Department.; that i. they referred to
the supply of arms and ammunition.
The business Of the department was some
thing m Nearly 1886. 600. 600 were
paid out that year from June. 1863, to June,
1864 by the Quartermaster's office. and $221,-
600. 900 stood in accounts at tho end of the year
awaiting examination before payment was
made. We had to buy every conceivable thing
that an army OF mon could need. We bought
fuel. forage, furniture. collins. medicine. horses.
mules, telegraph wire. sugar, coffee, -four,
cloth. caps. guns, powder. and thousands of
other things. Sometimes our supplies came by
contract. again by direct purchase, again by
manufacture. OF course. by the fall of 1863 the
army was pretty we'll supplied; still. that year
we bought over 5000. 900 pairs of trousers,
naarly r 600 00n danpa1 ahirfa md =, 1,a,e
some 1000. 900 pairs of stockings. 325. 900 mess
pans. 207.O0O camp kettles. over $4,000 drums,
and l4,s3O flies. 1t was my duty to make con.
tracts for many OF these supplies.
In making contracts for supplies of all kinds,
We werc obliged to take careful precautions
against frauds. l had a colleague in the de-
partment. the Hon. Peter II. Watson, tho dis
tinguished patent lawyer. who had a great
knack at detecting army frauds. One which
Watson had spent much time In trying to ferret
out came to light soon after I went into office.
This was an extensive fraud in forage furnished
to the Army Of the Potomac. The trick Of the
fraud consisted in a dishonest mixture of oats
and Indian corn for tho horses and mules of tho
army. BY changing the proportions of the two
sorts OF grain, the contractors were able to make
Q great difference in tho cost o. the bushel. on
account of the difference in the weight and
price OF tho grain. and 1t was difficult to detect
the cheat. However. Watson found 1t out. and
at once arrested the men who were most direct
ly involved.
Soon after the arrest Watson went to New
York. While he was gone. certain parties from
Philadelphia. interested In the swindle, camo
to mo at the War Department. Among them
WAS the President of the Corn Exchange. They
paid me $4,000 to cover tho sum which ono of
the mon confessed he had appropriated; $780,
900 was restored by another individual. The
morning after this transaction the Phil
adelphians returned to mo demanding that
both the villains should DO released,
and that the papers and funds belonging
DO restored. 1t was my Judgment that, instead
of being released. they should be remanded to
solitary confinement until they could clear up
all the forage frauds and mako complete justice
possible. Then I would have released them, but
not before. So l telegraphed to Watson what
had happened, and asked him to return to pre-
vent any false step.
Now, 1t happened that the men arrested were
OF some political Importance In Pennsylvania,
and eminent politicians took a hand in getting
them out Of the scrape. Among others the Hon.
David Wilmot. ex-senator OF the United States
and author OF tho famous Wilmot proyiso, was
very active. He went to Mr.. Lincoln and
made such representations and appeals that
finally tho President consented TO go with
him over to the War Department and
SEQ Watson in his office. Wiimot re-
manned outside. and Mr.. Lincoln went in to
labor with the Assistant Secretary. Watson
oloQuently described the nature Of the fraud