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REPORT
Of the Joint Committee for the .Investi
gat ion of Frauds Upon the Soldiers, Pre
sented in the ilonse of ftepsesentotives,
by Mr. Smith,(Chester,) April 25, 1564.
Is TEE SENATE, March 10, 186.1
WILBRIAAS, It is alleged by the paths in
jured, that certain military officers in the vol
unteer service cf the United States have prac
tised extensive frauds upon the men of their
respective commands, by withholding a huge
portion of the local bounties paid by the
authorities of divers lac s in this State, and
appropiititcd the money thus withheld to the
use of the officers implicated;
And whereas, It is the duty of the
to see that justice is meted out to the pri
vate soldier, wh'.se rights have been thus
abused, as well as to extend to the officers
implizated an opportunity of vindicating them.
selves, if these chergesprovo unfounded; theto
fore, be it
Resolved by the Senate, That a committee of
three Senators be appointed • to act in coojenc
tion with a similar committee from the Route,
(If the House shall appoint• such committee,)
with power to send for persons and papers, and
to take such other ste-ps as they may deem right
and proper in the premise's, in order to bring
to tient the guilty parties, and to report to the
Legislature at the earliest practicable, day.' r '
Ordered, That Messrs. ;T. CLAIR, lidt'azumess
and inTEIN be the committee on the part of the
Senate. •
Tile tesolution was twice read and concurred
in, and Messrs SMITH, (CClrAtir p ) BEIM weld BAR
OCR Wen: app-itittd as the committee on the
part of the House.
L'Estract flout the Journal' of. House of Rep
resentatives ] ' A. W. IsENEDICT,
Clerk of the House Of Representati I •
In pur,nance of the proviEimni of the fore
going resolution, your committee' met in the
North Committee Room of the Senate chambei
on the eteventb day of March, 1864, and imme
diately proceeded with the examinat‘on of such
witnesets as from time to time were brouglio
More them, up to the nineteenth day of Apttl,
18G4, when their labors closed; not because the
subject was exhausted', or all tbe ground had
been traveled over', which the te,ttmony re
vealed, but becauie of the latene,sm ot the
session, and the want cf sufficient dine to make
a more lull and complete investigation: ' -
Your committee were fully imptesied with
the importance of the fact that coOng to toe
nature of the case, and the.necessity- of apply
ing a speedy if not an tff_letlial remedy - to cure
a growl/ g ev•lthat calls fur, reform, if Ave would
attest an outrage upon the•tient! of the citizto
soldier, by ridding the servi.e of officers who
have disgraced the uniform of the service, and
brought obloquy upon the prof: mien of anus,
that has in all ages of the world been esteemed
as honorable in the highest ciegro,. that to
delay their report till the next session of the
Lgashature would be to offer. immunity to
crimes on the part of those 'who have been;
guilty of gross conduct that, calla fur prompt
putnehment at the hands of the Government
of the Unittd States.
For weeks previous to the .appointment of
your crmmittee, thu ear cf every honest, high
minded-citizeu in the community was offended' .
by the prevailing iumors of base and abomkna
ble frmdis beii g daily practised upon the un
suspecting, confiding sold:ers, who 'were vol
unteeting in the service of the country. These
frauds were of it multiform character, and wale
practised by unprincipled men of all creed+ and
conditions alike ; and it was not until officers
of high rank in the volunteer seryiee were
Openly charged with guilty participation hi
these frauds, that it was deemed the duty of
the Legislature to interfere.
By a wise and fa.seeing statesmanship on
part of the present able head of the War De
partment at Washington. provision was made
or the veteran regiments of volunteers, them
in the field, whose terms of service had not
yet expired, to re-enlist for three years or dur
ing the war. Pending this provision of the
War Department, two' calls were made- upon
the loyal States of the North and North-seat
by the President of the Uaited States; to fill
up the decimated ranks of the differeut corks
and divisions of the army of the United States,
sersng in the field for the suppression of the
relialllon. By the liberality of the .National
Legis!ature, the government_offered lib.
era' bounties to those veteran. ;volunteers,;
as well as to those who would enlist as new
recruits to fill up the ranks of old regiments in
the field. The patriotic pride of the people of
Pennsylvania, so far from flagging when the
government offered a large bounty for volun
teers, it was only stimulated to renewed energy
and exertion, and in a few days after the call fur
new troops was made known, the various cities,
counties, boroughs and districts ,throughout
this State were vieiug with each other - for the,
honor of first filing up the quota allotted to
each separate locality. To effect this object,
our citizens, in a spirit of true patriotism,
opened wide their puree-striegs, and contrib
uted immense sums of money to pay local
bounties to such as. would volunteer. Your
committee cannot refrain from regretting, that
while they command the ruotiv:s that, prompted
individual coutributions for local bounties, .and
the laudable emulation that was displayed by
the citizens of the different localities to secure'
their respective quotes of men, that the mo
ney thus contributed had not been thrown into
a common fund to the credit of the State-at
large, and the Legislature had made provision
to pay a State bounty to her patriotic titizens,
both veteran and recruit, who re-enlist or vol.
meteor under the recent calls of the
President. If the mode above indicated
had been adopted, the necessity for such
an investigation as your committee has been
engaged iu for the past few weeks, would have
never °centred ; and the di honest Shyloeks,
uni ormed and ununiformed,who have di:graced
alike the profession of arms and the walks of
private life would have been deprived of the
ill-gotten plunder they now possess ;
guiltless and confiding,. but unsuspecting gal
s-der would have had all the justice meted out to
Jilin teat the liberality of our government and
ride designed for him. But this was not
done, and in the tumult of excitement that suc
ceeded the rivalry of different localities to pro
cute within the presoribed period the suliPosed
number of men required, there were not want
ing men who, for lucre and gain, were wiling'
to descend to the baseeees of tra.fficing in their
felloyeemen, shamelessly in the streets of the
cep'tal of our :stale, iu cpeu day, it, by doing
so,they could but put money in their per: e. This
may sound like fetish words, but youi'com
mittee hesitate not to assart that no lasisuage,
however severe, is sefficiently terse to' s
„give
anything like a true picture of the entrap .
that have been practised open the men who
have - volnuttered to defend the honor of 'the
flag of the Won, and maintain, against para-
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BY GEORGE BERGNER.
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sites and traitors, that government which hac
been consecrated by the blood of true patiiote
and pure men. But what language shells be
employed to describe a man wearing the uni
form of a colonel in the volunteer service who
could deliberately enter into a conspirary . with
a brother who is a civilian, several officers of
his r,giment, and a stool-pigeon outsider, to
sell the men of his own command for a Stipu
lated price, and pay'those man less than be re
ceived, whilst he, by falsehood and missepre
stutation, led his men to believe that he was
guarding their interests, and could cooly sit
by to - witnesa the success of his schemed and
quietly pocket the proceeds of his perildity
when the fraud was consummated? 'Yet just
such transactions have been brought ,to I light
by the searching process of truthful investiga
tion. Mete is a depth in villainy to Which
some men descend at the first plunge: that
causes common minds to:Shudder with i nirright.
To such a depth have some, of these descelneled,
whose cases sour committee will lay before the
World, although reluctantly, in all their I nude
deformity, without prejudice or ,partialitY,
the hope that the action of the ' Legielatute in
the premises will be speedily folloWed by the
proper department of the national l goverriment
with such measure of justice is the , nature of
-the case demands.
Your committee are unanimuna in the depres
sion of the hope that the most prompt meaus
within the reach of the War Department! may
lie adopted to purge the service of such officers
AB have disgraced them Selves by particijnielon
in the frauds upon the honesysnsuspecting'
unteera of our State, whose justdues have been
filched from them by those whose duti it was
co guard their interests with jealous awe and
scrupulous fidelity.
THE TIETT-FIFTH REGIMEST P. V. !
F The Fifty-fifth regiment of Pennsylvania vol..
l unteer , infantiy, coma:Lauded. by Col.-Riphard
White, wasthe fir.t brought ,to the notice of
. .
we- -
- our cernmittee.
AAO hr -into f%
This regimen, ; __ _teen doing duty f?r the,
past two years at fieautort. South Carolina,.
and had re-enlistea4n - . 'the month of Jativary,
1.864, and -were • sent ,iome to, recruit, i The
regiment-arrived in Hairieburg, Pennsylvania,
en the early part of February, 1864. , isle few
days after the arrival of the 'regiment end's-
soon as furloughs could be furnishedi-the rank
and file were permitted to,apart foritheir re
epeetive homes,
with orders Ito :wort at [(err's
deirg on a day fixed in' their' furloughe 1 The
testimony of setae of the men erceminell ebowe
'that befcire leaving. South Carolina ever ape
des of subterfuge was resorted to by , thCap
ta+ne of some of the companiis,with'the 3 k
o wi
-1
e d ge A. f the - Coign - 4; in order to make up the
requisitenum taw to- enable the regiment to it
turn. - To effecttthis collect a eurnbizif 'Dien,
who were unfit fer duty in the field for if long
time prior to the date of the departure of the
I egiment from South Carolina, some of. whom
had not dbue a day's duty for rooritns, but who
were in hospitals, permanent invalids, were on
the rolls as fit for daty, and finally smuggled
on-board of the vessel and brought hoiite, in
defiance of-the order of the War Dsiartaient,
'and against the "orders of tit) Commanding
General and the examining burgeon, in older
to swell the ranks of the regiment. 'Three td
those men belong to company A commanded
by : - Captain: David FOX, named respectively'
William Ititiney,-R_lbert I).V.llint and William
J - Hammoncl. • - .. ' .
'Thu menabovo 'named, with otherkivere
timed to sign the oath of 'Weiler:de, on. re-sra
listment, but-did not sign the declaration that
they were physically capable to perform :mill ,
Lary duty, on the ni.stuance Cif 4Japtain ;Fox:
that as soon as they arrived at Harrisburg' they
should be discharged. 'Rainey had lost three
tingetehf the right haitd, Hammond was totally
disabled by debilitation, from the effects of . ty
phoid fever, and was subject to epileptic
tits. These men, with the rest of company a,
were furloughed, • went home, remaiued 80111 e
time, when they returned dud reported agsde
at Harrisburg. Beth Were •they left" ;Harris
burg and on their return, they called ',upon
Captain Fox, to make out their psis's:for their
discharge, according: to his promise made ;them
before leaving Ranh Carolina, but' 'liqperidst
ently refused to furnish them with the neces
sary papers, alleging that it was necessary that
they Should go back to South Carolina. in or
der to have their discharges signed by thecom
mending General of the coils to which ; they
were attached; and when. pressed for £l,' dis
charge,
,Captain Fox, a few days previoirs' to
iettving for South Caroline, declared they *Lever
shonid. lie discharged till their time wail up;
acid triwe three men were actually ptrt, on
board the, cars to return with the .regl
*meta, by, direction of the Colonel, , who
was also fully cognizant of .the facts in their
cases, and would have been taken baisk . to
South Carolina, had it ii it heenfor the` Mier
lerence of yaur committee, Who requested , that,
the Assistant Provost-Marshal General tit!Har
rishurg would: order them before aihredidal
•boaid of examination. result whichi
that they were severally pronounced unfit for
duty, and , they are now in hospitals; itwci,
namely: Hammond and ;A'lc.im, at Yurk, Penn
sylvania, and Rainey at' Camp - Curtin, :near
Harrisburg.
It appears that when the men of the:Fifty
fifth regiment re-enlisted, they were riot 'Medi
:led to isnY,particulay butlity; and dOl. White,
finding that by order - ofthe War Department his
men could be credited to, any locality iilTenrisyl
vaniat. they' nitilg lit select; set himself to wok to
make arrangOitints , for that 'purpose, with a
view to make money oirt Of the transaction. In
order that there:should be no failure in this
purpose, he selected, as his coadjutors bathe nu
sintss, his own brother, Alexander 'it. White,
who is a resident of Baltinsore s , Md., a man by
the name of ; A. B. Farquhar, a resident of
York, Pa.,and Capt. David-Fox, of company A,
Fifth-fiftlreginient Pennsylvania. volunteere.
Through the agenChy ofFarquhar, Cot. White
and• his brother, Alexander M. Wnite, were put
In communication with a Mr: Reuben Bernard,
of Cheater county;W:', who was the disbursing
agent of,•the cormniiiioners of Cheater county,
Pa., and who was authorized, as appears by his;
own teadmorii, to procure a large number of
recruits to fill the quota of Chester county;
and tripay a local bounty for each man amount
ing to such rums as he might agree upon; not to
exceed a liimiteci amount per man. From the
evidence of 'Representative 111'Clellan,of Chester
county, we learn all the particulars of this in
terview, which we will give in he own wdrds,
as follows: "My connection with this businets
_was at the request of our county comMiesionets,
to assist Mr. •Bernard in procuring recruits to
fill fhb quota of oaf county. It was pioposed
by Mr. Farquhar that be could get over three
hundred men of `,Cot. White's regiment. lob •
jeeted.tO,'that,liiesmuch as they were veterans,
,bicaosieftAiras doubtful whether they would be
credited to our county: `I laritPairliriteriew
with Col. Binnford, through a letter of intro
duction of Mx. Smith, of Chester, and in
"THE UNION—NOW AND YOICEVEX."—Webster.
HARRISBURG, PA, SATURDAY EVENING, APRIL 30,..1864
that inteffieWriviii; not yet satisfied that we
would get the credit, I had 'an introduction
to Col White; either-in Col. Bern ford's office or
in the street. Col.. White stated that he was
satisfied we could get the credit. It wai pro
posed to send a telegraph to" the dec , -etary of
War making inquiries. Mr. Farquhar sent -a
telegraph and received againswer which satis
fied nee that they world be cr'edit'ed. Mr. Far
quhar told are either then .and there, or pre
vious to that, that these men ecou'd be had for
two hundred and seventy-five deillers per man.
This I think wee dti the last There-lay- in Feb
ruary. On alsonday,, :by appointment„ Mr. Ber-
nard, Mr. Farquilar, Col. White, A. t White
and myself went- into one of their rooms;
either the_Gal's. or. A. M White'sj,. to seake.
atratigements to Paytiiir hneciredAnd fifty del
tars per man,to Col. White. He offered A.M.I
White as security for the faithful performsmce.
of the truit,.A. While agreeing with . hill'
brother ((OI filicherd Wnite) in signing a bond
to that effect. Squire .Snyder was employed to
pi vire such a bond, and it was signed in Ben—
ben Bernard's room at the -Jodie Haute. After
he bond, was_ prepared and signed, R. B
Col. White, A. M. White and myself went over
to the-Harrisburg. Bulk to deposit part of the
money to ;; C 01..: White's credit. Mr. Weir
was not in, and we went .back about nine
o'clock. A difficulty ; erase : .418 to the arrange
ments with the bank: A. M. White pro
poied that the money shouid be depoeited
to his credit. Mr. B:roartal objected to
that, and a ated %id. he would preferlo pay the
men in person, to which A. M. White back
some umbrage; "es rather impeaching his ic
tegrity, and demanded.his bend from Mr. Ba
nerd, which was given up to him. The con
trolling idea for making this arrangeMeint was,
that the men were away on furlough, anti that
it would be impossible for Mi. Bernard to, pay.
them in person, without a great Anal -of team
ble. The next day Mr. Farquhar tirade a now
wes that the men should
be paid in person. On that day, Thursday, the
28tu.of.Fe)truaty, just before 'we commenced
to pay the
,men, I heard Mr. .Fatquhar say
that,. the' men - word to get two hundred and
twenty dollars( apiece,- and the ether. thirty
dollars to be paid to the colonel. (White.)
don't recollect how . many men , were .paid on
that 4.14 ye but I believe some eighteen or
twenty, and.the test the;nexteweek: Mr. B-r
-ner- counted the, money. as "I marked their
names on the rah., andl did not know till this
evening but that the men received two bun
dreel and, seventy-five dollars apiece. :I hid no
conversation with C done! White in making tbet
bargain, as to what was to be done with the
money, particularly, nor did I hear him:
sty. Did net know but that the
men`' ere to get' two hundred and 001;e -dollars
paid down in cash,until feik - Minntes natwe we
ectuiritiaiieed -paying. I dein'ethink Mr. Barnard
knees itetitii.emire be co antedittit brit two hundred.
and fifty dollars to the first map. 'then said to
hi su,on information received fionclitti'P t a4 quhare
that the .men.. were only to get two hundreds.
and twenty dollars. 001. White wits presene,:
and did not object.. At .that I said - to Cul.
'White, - that the arrengeixtent. He said, Yes,
it wait" FrQlll the foregoing testimony we
have the following facts, established beyond
doubt - or cavil; viz: I—That Cu!. White, t in coo-.
junction with his brother, A. M. White, and. A..
B. Ferqnhar, did attempt tp,effect an Arrange
ment by Which the sum of- one hundred and.
thfrty-eight thousand dollars B.hOUld be put at
the sole disposal of A. M White, who :was
no who responsible to -pa , o that sum, or ana
part thereof, to the metent the Fl(4-fifth
merit; and failing in that attt rept A. tI. Whi t e
relinquished the transaction,
_on the rendition
of the bond by Mr. Bernard. -
2. Thetwhen Col:White, A. M. White and
Farquhar fai , ed to induce Mr. Bernard to place
the tuuds at the absolute dispoi al of W Kite;
tit Faiquhardhe next day; rem wed the at
tack, 17 proposteg twit the meney i.hould be
paid to the MCCI in person; but when:the ageni
commenced the process of paying timmen, it was
..tr once the, overed that the sum: of thirty Ool
tars should be retained inl each case for the
benefit of Col. White; Mr. Fa/gainer, and the
4>ther officers:of the Fifty fifth: rigiruent, which
amount was actually retained from the begin
uing to the end ofthe transaction, thus reveal.
lug, in the most unmistakable manner:the
orl_lual design of Cul. White; A. M. White
and Farquhar. when. they proposed that the
monevaihould be placed to the credit of A:
41 White---theit.theie three men should, deal
with the men of-the Fitlytfilth regiment we
they,
.though t -proper; other words, pay
them just such sumsps suited their ,purpose.
Your cptrunittee,cannot avoid the =elusion&
drawn fro.m. thesedamnlng facts, that a da
consphacy had' been .deliberately formed be
tween Col-White, A. M. White and =Farquhar
to defraud the men of the•Flity-filth: regiment
out of a large portion of the Money honest ..y.
corning to them from the county .of Cheater, to
Which they ha& been credited by.. Col. White,
wi.hout the - least ascent trona any of the men;
indeed, withnut:theiriknowledige•Pf what die
poaidon had, beehrnade of them by-their colo
pel. Suppose that the.arrangement first pro
posed by these tnea tri Mr. Bernard_ had been
assented to, and' the_ entire amounti of money
had beOti placed to the credit •of A. M.
White, wptud not Col. White have had
it hi .Ids power to pay the men just
such, sums as ,isuited his purpoffe, and where
Would they-have-had, a remedy ? The men, it
is faii t9.la_eetkton, had confidence in their
Colonel, and would have been satisfied to
%;live one hundred and fifty or two hundred
dollars, in full, for local bounty • or such other
sum as theColdnel and his confiliderates, A. M.
'White and A. B. Farquhar, might agree upon.;
so that the margin should he large ,enough to
Setisfy -the patriotic, &sites' of these worthies
to do the very beat for the interests of the men
of the Fifty•fath regiment. is too pal
pable to admit - of" - doubt that, — instead of
making the pitiful etiM of thirty dollars per
man ' on three hundred and fifty eight men.
which is ten thousand seven hundred and forty
dollars, which. went into the pockets of Colonel
White, on that item alone, while Mr. Farquher
got seven thousand five hundred doilit:rs, ad
cording to his owe receipt, dated March 6,
1.864,that the dividend would - hav e"been swelled
;to double;.br treble;these sums, lad the orig
inal-design not been frustratedby the o bjection,
to place the funds under the sat; Control of
A. M. White'. Colonel White hadiasaUred his
men, PO had Captain Fox, _that-they should'
have the highest bounty that was paid, to vet
erans and recruits • and the man believed them
because they cobided in.their_henor as men
and officers, without the slightest suspicion
that they were to be deceived. It aviil alto
be found that Colonel Richard - White
...i . cknoWledges to have received from Mr.
B inard, as per receipt, under date Of March
1861,-ma. account of the local bounty of'
Whestei .
these= 'of ten thotiaand ; and
fifty dollars, and that the ieceipted rolls for
twenty-six men, at two hundred and seventy
dollars each, making` . the fiatthersu iv. of sever,
thousand and twenty dollars, making- in: ttu;
aggregate seventemi thouiand and seventy' dol
!ars, and'ifive presume that be paid thchounty
to six men, two hundyed7and" twenty -donate'
each, and retained thirty dullara off each man,
he pockettd on that item' sevetiliundred -- and
eighty dollars. It• is worthy of remark' here;
that the sum paid by Chester county wus two
hundred arid seventy dollars, and it is well
established that none of the men of tbn;Fifty
fifth regiment received morerthait.taio.htindrell
aodtwenty dollars so far as tlie,teitiinony he
-
fore your cornarittee veil,' except the eighteen
or ,twenty thert:;pairlAim the firtt day:by Means.
Bernard and Itl'Clallen. •If deduct .twenty
men from tb tee'. bunaredaland fifty-eight; we
have a twit] of three hundred and &fifty-men
to whom. but:two. hundred'and kfety dollars
tWas paid; if, indeed; all these Mem were paid,.
- Ohs testimonyetihows that nine - at :kart have
not.been athiclewonld leaveothe -satin' of
fifty dol'ars retained: off' each of the th'ree %un
-drad and thitty-the men, rettliing.the respect
able sum of sixteen thousand six hundred, and
fifty dollars , torle• accounted . for by Oolorol
White.. • • • -
To shotv,.beyond a'doulit, that the: plan was
well laid to, cover the.tracks of Colonel White
and those acting with him in thienefarions
busines?, r it is-only necsmary to refer to the
torairof rUc7tipi *Mali tiMsetmen were required
to sign; m.receiving-their two hundred and
twenty dollars, instead of two hundred and
'seventy & t ilers, 14:i which they were entitkd,
which is thefe Viet&
• r •
"Ilittahmtmo, Februiry.24 1864.
We„,the un,dinsigneA, veteranvolunieeis be
longifirttb Oolnnel 'Richard White's regiment,
NO fifty-five , PennSylvania volunteers, -have
this day received of Reuben Bernard the local
bounty. of. Chester. county?'
The above receipt is couched in such lan
guage as to close the door against all inquiry
on thai3ubject_of the amount received by the
men:of the• Fifty-fifth regiment Pennsylvania
volunteers, so fir as- the record Is- condeined;
and if Colonel White had not been-intercepted
by this investigation, and some of victims
from his regimentrietained and examined be
fore`-your caminittee, his guilty participation
In these dark transactions might' havoescaped
that just exposure and punishmentlittsolrichly
merits, until called to account before another
tribimal, from which no adroitness or finesse
will shield the guilty Itom the scrutiny of that
eye that,never slumbere. •
Your committee regret. the, fact that just
about the time thatrthisintrestigatioporae leeti
tuted the kitty-filth rrglwatt Pennsylvania vol
unteers :(oCloner : It. . White) was ordered to
S t o o rh c! C pp ti o ro rt l q in iL a iv an c d f ttt e tt am th i e n y in w g ett h d e et . t me rli tt ed o of t
that gitneitt detail, : and, thereby eliciting
all , the fachi from, Pherlympiuthe of ',living
,Withetesee,. . the entire, tamtac
tiou touching the:ft:Ando that have, been but
partially detected-- But.- your committee are
Indy warranted In saying that , encingit has
clean diselOsed to fix upon the Coloeel of the
Fifty fifth regimen t l'epneyjynnie ;Koine t ems,
and Captain GaVid,loX, of company' A, of said
regiment, the charge of wilfutly and
iraly degelitna. and defrauding their ratio,- by
the,oiat'shaineless eindbarefaced : reitereatesene
' iatiOns' and 'lulu' dec4ialona. that bad me
reikt to, _in "orider- to_ makeemoney at
the expense of ; _bottt.._trut h and -- honor. lh
wetineetcy c ,of ..lohn..iititken.otr,a.n Olean o•
fie4iteci4 l CifinOrtiecountlr fire ,paptitia
.FTerc,- - corepertY' Anirrlify fitttia regiment,.: tbe
charge of titiving received the sum of teventy
dollare, in least:fifteen cas s -whictrattionnt
d .te.the streu 04,104 hateireelesed "fifty dol
lars- he having 'paid - to tliec men' tint tsv*;
hundred. dollars , each, whit-t he ri calve i at
,least taro,•huudrtAtold-a,veaty.tigliate, Inas
much es they . ..were credited ttCheeferetitinty,
:rei 4114 we. the sum fist, for alt th, Mail of
she, : Filty.fifth,regitnent: The witness Stites
thBOUllitifii With' WhOlil.o4:itain Fax Wade. the
agr, 1-m ~-et to get two hundred donate' each
was fif , tten or twenty - .,'Yoor committee:heve
assuined, ae "the WO, the s nallest number.
fit rebrimen; in order to avoid heap
pearance of doing injuttic- to any man.: The
m ral turpitude of Captain F. in .this bust-
Mt? B. 18 not to' be me iltired by tee hunthei of
men he cheated, - :because his ptlllt, iu a Metre]
-point of view, ,would be as great if practised
upen one victim of his deception as if it had
exti ndecl to a greater number,
~The above remarks relative.toltbee cobtluct
of Capt David Fox, of :company A, FillY-fifth'
regiment PenueylvAnia volunteers, are equally
Applicable to the :conduct of: Calatain Welker,
company.' • Second: Pennsylvania cavalry,
who is as deeply, implicated in cheating; hi,,
men and retaining their local bounty, mo
ney OS Fox is. The cases of thotte two
men, are similar in their character:, as will
be found by reference to the testimony' atcom
panying ;this report. Your committee' can
not cloge this report :without adverting to ihe
case of a LioutenentTdiff r icho wie;thelfeeruit
tog agent of the Governuidat at Tndlatte,
arta county, Pennsylvania. Take Wan,. instead
of discharging his duty to the Govermiteut as
an honest-mwrionght - to do, resorted to the
moat unmanly expedients to cheat and'defraud
out of-their 'just &les those who were entitled
to the Government premium, enlisted as vete-•
rens and recruits,arindiana, and . is deserving of
thiylproper•••nufittlhthent for his duplicity and
knavery; and-itie the hope of your committee
thmtthe, withall , those who hatfe been detected
in like practices, 812,01 be summarily dealt
'W'ith by the, proper authorities. The sooner
such men are out Of 'the service the ,better it
will be for the morals of the volunteer army in
the field.
THO INVETIGATION IN PHILADERHIA.
Fiona inforritati6h which was communicated
to your c unatittee, that frauds were practised
upon volunteer eoldiere in Philadelphia, your
committee deemed it a duty to proceed •to the
latter c ty, to institute an inquiry into the ex
istence or,rnalpractices on the .pert-of officers
engaged in the recruiting service. - According..
ou the 83 day of 'March; 1864, your com
naittee arrived at. Philadelphia, and proCeeded
to examine such witnesses as were brought be
fore I 18; whose evidpnce we heard patiently for
a whole day; but finding that • the scope of in
quiry which might be opened up in deist locali
ty promised toiuvolve a length of time and a
field of labor that might : : occupy • months, your
committee was compelled to abandon the in
vestigation in that quarter, and return to their
duties at the
,seat..of.-Government. The late
ness of the session and , the certainly of a
speedy adjourninent, adridniebed' your com
mittee of.the necessity of bringing their labors
to a close,'and we accordingly returned to Her
risbitrg on the 2d day of March, 1864•
The result of t: the investigatioteAir4hiladel-
Phiairas of a most dead - Wry andtiunoonneczed
character, embracing a class of cases that re
quired extended inquiry, but which came pro
perly within the province of the military au-
PRICE TWO CENTS.
thurities, if ti o-e in ct tumat.d would but do
their duty to the government and the men
under their immediate command. Ytiur coin
['Atte° would-retnark here-, however, that the
loose and reckleki manner of doing businees on
Part of the t ffixere conuected.wit ia.the - rt-cruiting
"service of volunteers , ki
calls ndly. for the most
searching inveitigation on the Pot the gov
ornment atVaehingtos, and the immediate in
stitution' of reform in that branch of the ser
vice.
Macy cities or great hardship" and nhumarn
ty were brought to the notice of your cornmit
tee, which,wiLt. claim the attention of thiil pro
per authorities,. as exhibited in the. testimony
of the Complaintante, which will accompany
this 'report ; but which were beyond the;reach
of your oommittese, or we believe fur want of
-the poiver.to Make Snub an'inveltigatilm as
would,bn necessary to expose the abuses that
havebeen doubtless practised upon the volun
taint enlisted and 'detained in barracis Phii
adelphia." Yonr - eorriniittee must, say,' ht.ew
ever, In one.instanee, a sergeant distributed one
hundred and fifty doaars which he had retained
from the e.ilaiere.
Your committee did not desire to entrench
upon the functions of the authorities of the
general government, in pushing their inquirie ,
tee far ; or into localities that come within the
proper sphere of COngrera and the War Depart
meet ; and they indulge the hope that even
these delicate allusions to the fact that abuses
do exist at Philadelphia in the enlisting de
partment, may. be not altogether lost ; bgt that
it may be the means of inducing those - whose
'wilds.) duty it is, to make inquiry, and ieforra
any existing abuses that may 1) , 1 discovered.
Your committee, in conclusion, desire to re
mark that, in their opinion, no time should
he lest le bringing to a speedy trial there oft
COM whose conduct has brought reproach upon
the service ; the moral. effect of which' up :m
the men of their regiments can produce no, other
result than that of inspiring the deepest con
tempt for canard who could descend tb the
low and unmanly artifices to which they to
sort to cheat and defrand . tbe soldier of his just
It is the opinion of your committee that Col
onel Riehard 'White, Captain David Fox and
Captain Walker should immediately be sum
moned before a court of inquiry to answer
such claarges as.the liecretary of War sbotVel
feel disposed to base upon ibis report.
Your Comm ttee deem it proper - to add; that
the grest length to which their report has al
'ready been .extended, and the near approach
of the arljournmint of the legislature, have
prevented them from incorpores lag Into it
taanyinstances Of wrong which the evidences
deVeloped. They have elven those instances
whichseemed must especially to demand noticd
and as types of the whole. Your committee:
however, earntstly invite the attention of the
Legis!atiire and the Military authorities of Gov
ernment, as well as the good citizens Of the
Commouwealth, to the evidenceecuompaiiyins
the report, that all may ascertain for them
selves the charac'er of the wrongs perpetrated,
AA that the cffenders inilitaiy and civilian,
may meet the morn of the community, even it
itstmaid be :found, what it la homed may not
be the case, that, they have so arranged their
plans as to esc rpe the. un shmeot of criminals.
All'of.whieh is rest Submitted
IHOA. sr. CLAIR; —
CHARLLS eroANDLEiS,
CEO.
P. tRAZSR SMILH,
B. lU.ED.
• 7 - ROMAs J. BAR . GRP.
t:• wmitteQ,
Attest—Capt. GUST'L. BRAUN,
01.-k n 4). mmOtiPe
Pennsylvanitt Legistatiu-e.
REPOIYTED EXPRESSLY FOR THY: TELEIALLPIL
SENATE.
AFTERNON SESSION
FREDA; April 29, 1864.
• Mr. STEM called up House bill No 931,
an act to authorize the Allentown Bank to in
crease its' capital stock. Passed -finally.
Mr. HOUSEHOLDER called up. Satiate bill
No. 1118, an act to incorporate the Gettysburg
Battle-field - Memorial association. .Passed
finally.'
Mr. NICHOLS called up House bill No.
710,. an act to annul the marriage contract i e
tween Titus F. Cronise and Estelina CrOnise.
Passed finally.
Mr. GRAHAM called np an act to incorpo
rate the: Pittsburg and Philadelphia coal oil
company. Passed fuudly.'
Mr. FLEMING called up a, supplement to
the charter of the Philadelphia. and. Reading
railroad company. Paised finally. '
Mr. GRAHAM. called up Senate bill No.
1029, an act to.incorpdrate the Allegheny asy
lum. Rassed,finally. •
Mr. 'JOHNSON read in place an a4t to
change, the venue, in ;the case of f. 9omMon-
Wealth Henry B. 'Masser,. (of the Sunbury
American,) 'from Northumberland to 'Union
county. • ,
Galled up . Mr. JOHNSON,, .and passed
finally. •
At 6 p. ar Adjonmed,
'HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES•
AFTERNOON SESSION.
- Fixbir, April 29, 1864.
The House met at 3 o'clock, P. IC
PIIPTZLIO
Mr. PERSHING offered a resolution, which
was amended and passed as follows :
Resolved, That the Committee on Printing
be instructed to inquireinto the causes of the
delay in ftirnishing the Adjutant General's
Report on the Gettysburg Cemetery, ordered
by the House.
,=V/SIGN OP IMVEEMJE, LAM& • ,
REED'offered a resolution, (which was
discussed Enid adopted.) providing for the ap •
pointtnent of a select committee of five mem
bers to take into consideration the mode of
assessing and collecting ,taxes, and report at
the adjourned session of the Legislature.
PRIVATE CALENDAR
The private calendar was then taken up,
and several bills were passed. .A long discus
sion then sprung up on a bill to rearrange the
districts in the city of Philadelphia fort the
election of select councilmen. Thty bill was
advocated by Elem.& Watson, O'Hara, Miller,"
and Smith, (Philadelphia,) • and opposed by
Meatus. Barger, Quigley,- Hopkins and. Scho
field. The bill Reseed a third reading, and
the House adjourned. .
, _
Present Position of Isongstreetie-Poreer.
WASICINGTON, April 213:-/hidisible informa
tion has been received here that Longstreet's
army is at present located at Charlottesville,
Virginia, as a reserve to the army under Lee.
STMUIIINTIN ,WH OE,
The following are the rates tutvertlatng la the
GRAPH. Those having advertising to do will find it c..,.a
-retdeo trot rePrence., . • • • - 7
f , ,-- Four tides or l e ss c m
no es (t morotbaii four COLS
Pan A itata.faaass.
Suede) , 7. -4 30
Vro days.... 60
Three .lays • 7b
One week 1 25
gue month 3 00
Two months 4 50
Three months 560
Six months 8 110
One year... .... . .. ..15 00
Auuntualratten Notices..._.
Marriage Notices
Auditor's Notices...
Funeral Notlceseach insertlo
State ht
tut a square.
APR 0.18 egcwsr
One day ..$
Two days .. 1 00
Three days 1 2
One week 2 21
One month 6 00
Two _months 9 50
Three months__ 11 CO
Six months 15 5
One year 26 CO
$2 25
Etueneei notices.
before Marriages and.
each Insertion
•
to the Local Chits/on, or
Ewer Clitrre PER Lots for
331) ZeiegrapQ.
Fortress Monroe.
DAMAGE TO VESSELS, ea.
Forrass.s MOlnton, April 28.—The steamer
New York, C t apt Chisholm. while coming
down the bay last night off the mouth of the
Rappahaamook river, was run into by an un
known schooner, considerably damaging the
upper wood work and carrying away three of
the state rooms of the New York.
No one was hurt and no blame is attached
to the management of the steamer.
Major:Mulford. was on board with rebel
prisoners from Point Lookout.
The schooner Twilight, loaded with coal,
was ran into to-day, and sank in Hampton
Roads, by the U. S. steamer Iriquois.
The steamer Massachusetts . arrived to-day,
with large mails from the Gulf, Hilton Head
and Newbern.
XXXVII[th Congress—First Session.
SENATE
WASHINGTON, April 29.
Mr. SPRAIN/ITE (Rhode Island) introduced
the resolution of the State of Rhode Island in
relation to the reimbursement to that State, of
the money advanced for the payment of offi
cers and privates mustered into the 'United
States service. Referred to the military com
mittee and ordered to be printed.
Mr. HENDERSON (Missouri) introduced a
joint resolution providing for the printing of
copies of the report of the military commis
sion, of which. Major General Irvin McDowell
was President; to inquire into the cotton
speculation.
Mr. Grimes (Iowa) suggested that the Sec
retary of War be requested to furnish the re
port to the Senate.
Mr. Henderson accepted the amendment.
Mr. Lane (Kansas) moved to add, if not in
compatible ,n his opinion with the public in
terest. Adopted.
On motion of ,Mr. Grimes, all the papers on
file in the executive office touching the sub
jects under consideration, or any rerson sup
posed to be implicated in said report were ie
quested to be transmitted to the Senate.
The resolution, as amended, was then
adopted.
Mr. Commas declared the statement read
a cruel and base slander on Admiral Porter.
He had the highest authority for denying it.
Mr. Henderson was glad the Senator could
so authoratively deny the statement. The na
tional currency bill came up in order. The ques
tion being on the Finance ommittee's.amend
ment to the forty-first section as proposed to
be amended by Mr. Pomeroy, by the insertion
of .a proviso exempting from State taxation
that portion of the capital invested in or
based on 11 S. bonds.
Mr.'olarke made an earnest speech Spins
the amendment of Mr. Pomeroy as being cal
culated to interfere with State banking laws,
and array the banks of the States against the
national currency.
Mr. Pomeroy's amendment was rejected
Adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Mr. Stevens (Pa) said that Mr. Blair had
been allowed to go on in his own way, and
Mr. M'Clruag should have the swain privilege.
The Speaker replied that that was by con
sent of the House.
On motion of Mr. Stevens,Mr. M'Clung had
permission to proceed. He denied that he
had made any charge against the military
member of a liquor speculation. The latter
could not control his vindictive character,
and_had said that the former was a Treasury
agent, which was not the fact, nor was Mr.
Bonner a Treasury agent until some weeks
after the liquor traniacticin. He(Mr. M'Cluog)
was a great admirer of Secretary Chase, whom
he compared to an iron -clad, plated with sir
inch iron, and the individual pur.urng him as
a Major-General firing paper wads from a
poli-gtui, and the sentinel not. aroused from
his alumbe.rs.
Mr. Clay, (Kenteky,) as a member of the
select committee, reminded the gentleman
that there was nothing in the evidence to
show that Mr. Blair was engaged in a liquor
speculation.
Mr. M'Clnng said he referred to the evi
dence itself; and the House could draw its
own conclusions. The military member and
the eight officers of his staff who signed the
original order were cognizant of the fact that
it had been altered. They were not only mo
rally but legally bound by the act of the
former Michael Perreri, who - was their agent.
He reiieated that they ratified the act, and it
would not now do to repudiate the act of their
own agent. He was satisfied that the public
would come to a similar concbiaion. He quo
ted from and examined the evidence in sup
port of his position.
Markets by Telegraph.
PIEELADELPIETA, April 29
The dullness noted yesterday was not in
the least abated to-day. There was a limited
demand for flour, but holders did not seem
disposed to meet the views of buyers; conse
quently there was but a few hundred barrels
taken for export at sB@,B 25 for fair extra
family, and $8 50 per bbL for good. In the
trade the sales have been small, at yesterday's
figures. Rye flour continues scarce at $7 per
bbl. No transaction in corn meal. 'Wheat is
in demand, but there is very little here. 'We
quote, in the absence of sales; red $1 85@.
$1 88; white ranges fosinsl 95@,2 05. Bye
is scarce and wanted at $1 45131 50. Corn
is in demand at $1 35, but there is none of
fering. Oats are firm at 88@,90c. Quercitron
bark—very little offering, and it is in demand
at $4O per ton for first No. 1. In-seeds there
is but little doing; small sales of cloverseed
at s7@7 50 per bus., and 400 bus. timothy at
$2 75; flaxseed. atl3 37i@,3 40. Provisions
are inactive, the:holders keeping : :up their
views. 'Whisky is unsettled and nominal at
$1 30 p3r gallon
Stocks dell; Penna. S's flai; Reading Rail
road 681; Morris C=9181; Long Island 47f ;
Penna. Railroad 73i; gold 180 i; exchange on
- New York 1-10 disconA.
The Gold liherket,
:Xs* , YOBS; April 29.
Gold fe111.6 1781" oil rumor that the . Five
per cent. legal, ender Treasury notes were to
be withdrawn from circulation. Subsequently
it rallied to 179.
150