Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-22
RECALLS STIRRING TIMES.
Breath of War Days Waited Back
THROUGH the Years.

Inc surfing DAYS WQen the call 10
arms to preserve the union was about
the sole topic of conversation were
called 10 mind in congress recently
and brought with it a breath of that
deep detection into which the country
at times was plunged. Ottumwa peo-
pie are indirectly interested in the
matters which were considered in the
house of representatives be-
cause the name of General Cyrus Bns-
sey, with whom many Ottumwa old
soldiers, it is said, have a personal ac-
quaintance. General Bussey at any
rate, well wnown in Bloomfield and
around Abba.
The story sent out from Washing
| ton was in regard to a war
!! contract entered into between General
Bussey as agent for the government
and a Keokuk firm. The amount
which the government agreed to pay
was never turned over. After more
than thirty years the Iowa house has
made demand for the amount due
The house of representatives voted
not to reimburse the firm. The story
is told in the following under a Wash
ington date:
I Sensational chapters in the unpub
lished history of the army contract
frauds at st. Louis in 1862 were
brought to light in congress yesterday
and a claim of B. F. Moody & Co., Of
I Keokuk, Qa.,) for ISAAC for equippins
the Third Iowa cavalry was votet
down upon the presentation of re
l port made in 1862 which Presiden
Lincoln refused to make public for feal
e. ~J,t. ,o1y r,N1f
of the north despair.
Congressman Hit Witness.
!, Congressman Hit who was the stem
: ographer who wrote the famous repor
!. identified today the yellow musty docu
!; ments. whic hyesterday saw the llSh
; for the first time in thirty years.
: Congressman Smith of Iowa was il
; charge Of B: F. Moody & Co.'S, bill 70
, Originally the claim exceeded $50
: 900 but it was scaled down by the CON
) mittee to $S,446 Mr.. Smith contend
/ ed the claim was just, the contrac
l having been executed under the al
: thority of General John c. Fremont
5 through his agent, General Cyrus Bus
!, sey.
Mr.. Hedge of Iowa, Mr. Smiths co
league, denounced the claim. He in
peached it first on the ground that
had been allowed to slumber for thil
;. ty years without being presented t
congress, and then proceeded to poin
out thas it had it's origin in the actio
t of the famous commission consistin
/ of David Davis, Hugh Campbell an
: Joseph Holt, which unearthed the a
f legged frauds in General Fremont's d.
: partment of the st. Louis in 1862.
: Millions and Millions Saved.
: He declared that the commissio
.. had scaled millions upon millions {
: army contracts, one of which was thu
- of Moody e Co., and that Generi
:, Fremont had ben superseded becaus
, of the intolerable conditions that wei
, found to exist. THE report of tn;
;. committee said he, was never prin
. ed, because Lincoln believed that i
= revelations would make the people d
e spair.'
y 4 have that record here" said NJ
. Smith, raising aloft a package of p
~ pers musty and yellow with age.
: But it was never printed" insistt
a Mr. Aedge. 1T would not have bee
y advisable to print it."
;s Then he called on Mr.. Hit, chat
=, - man of the committee on foreign {
~ fairs, who had been an interested i
!; tener to the debate, to bear out h
# testimony, explaining that Mr.. Hi
70 had been the stenographer of the
- Louis commission.
~ Hit Tells of Frauds.
- The latter corroborated Mr.. Heds
g saying that the report which N
% . Smith had displayed had been writ
by his own hand He told of the
NJ gantic frauds unearthed in that inv,
in tigation and of the unwillingness
81. the authorities to permit the compile
h story to become public owing to d
is. heartening effect it might produce
&c the people. Personally, he said, he {
~ not remember the details of the part
n ular claim of Moody G. Co.
III Mr.. Smith in reply, while admitti
". that the contract might have be
In technically without authority, insi
an ed that the claim was not fraudule
al in law or in fact. The house, how
ba er, voted the bill down 80 to 70.