OCR Text |
Show GENERAL. San Francisco Mint lurcstiza-tioii. lurcstiza-tioii. San Francisco, 17, Before the mint investigating commission to-day Geo. M. Pinney read charges to the effect that between October 1870 and October 1871 Superintendent La-grange-caused the selling of material belonging to the mint, received the proceeds and devoted them to his own use, defrauding government of various vari-ous sums, aggregating not lees than $500; also that during the same period Lagrange did, with intent to defraud government, approve and cause to be paid, sundry accounts for material, which had never been de-j livered to the mint, and appropriated the money bo drawn from the treasury treas-ury to his own use, defrauding the government in the aggregate not less than $10,000. He also submitted a copy of a memorandum book in thu possession of Lagrange, concerning which there has been some newspaper newspa-per comment. Ho said in preparing the charges he had not attempted to give the precise amounts, but expected ex-pected to adduce testimony showing the amounts detained by Lagrange to be in excess of those named. Frank M. Pixlcy, on behalf of a gentleman formerly employed in the mint, preferred charges against Lagrange La-grange as follows: With insinuating to one of the officers that he (La grange) would cover his settlement for 800 ounces Joes, after he had been informed in-formed by that officer that it would not be half that amount, and which finally resulted, I believe, in a settlement settle-ment at government loss, with trying to get the meiter and refiner to carry five extra men on his pay roll, when said officer did not know one of them, and they had done no work in hid department; with ordering copper from Philadelphia and then having new bills made out and the amount raised 100 per cent,; approving the same as correct, although well aware that government was being defrauded; with violating the laws and regulations regula-tions of the mint by refuaiug to send bills for copper, coal, etc., to operat ing officers for their approval, before paying said bills, as the law directs: with discharging some of the melter's and refiner's moat important men without consulting with said officers and without any cause. The coruniiision fixed Saturday for Pinney to appear with his wimesscs. |