Show startling official corruption V US S marshals and deputy marshals and their disgraceful doings conjured up cases fat and multiplied Mi lence lenze deputy marshal thieves and mar defers WASH washington MaTox dec 30 the complications delatin relating to the question of confirming attorney gene ral williams have called attention to three reports made in regard to the condition of affairs in the marshals office of the western district of arkansas made to the attorney general in january and february and october of the present year the reports were made by byh H C whitley chief of the secret service force based on the there results suits of an investigation made by aj L B whitney of that force and extending from dec 1872 to august last the first report received at the department of justice january last sets forth that A 31 A britton united states marshal had serving under him deputy marshals who derived their support 0 r t from the fees they could col F iee lec c t tand and that it was to their interest to make all the cases possible and that they werd were allowed to roam over the country at will manufacturing cases at will and that one third of all the fees obtained were retained by the chief marshal besides ten per cent of all P gross ross receipts from fees which britton claimed he be kept for a contingent rund jund for the balance he is sued checks in the form of due duo bills which could not be cashed for more than fifty cents on the dollar were bought up by postmaster scott and judge hooey united states district judge at a discount disc dise of fifty per cent col whitney VY hItney tended attended ht court and re parted that the cases were for tho the most part of a trivial character and yet all treated and charged for as cases before tho the grandeury gran grand gnand djury jury an abstract abstractor of the tho expenditures of the district court named two hundred and fifty persons said to reside at foit fort smith and to have served from time to time as a posse com commit commil mitat atus marshal britton certified that he had paid these men investigation investigations ii owed that of the tile number named only forty six resident reside at fort smith and that the others were unknown nin in that section of the country and that of the forty six only twenty five had even served in the tile capacity stated many of the deputies employed turned out to be thieves and murderer murderers and many opponents opponent of the republican lican ilean party and all were allowed by the marshal marshai Alai ihal vhal to range over the whole district and mako make arrests when and where they pleased without process or warrant on the most trifling kofl anses kii kli all ail were brought tu to fort smith Wiler where eone cone one person brought in several prisoners ho lie would get other persons to tomake make returns on warrants obtained from the commissioners and then collect separate mileages posse fees and subsistence and all these things were allowed by commissioner brooks and marshal britton on one abstract britton makes oath that he had bad paid one fleming the latter testifies that ho lie had never received it atone term of the court britton dismissed one ury summoned according to law and made up one of his own selection of confined in jail over half were discharged when the tile couro court met because there was no cause against them the U 8 commissioner was in the habit of issuing and dating back warrants of the deputy marshals who had been to the indian country A case ease is cited of an indian woman brought from chickasaw country to fort smith on the of september and tile the warm warn warrant nt dated back to the ad the woman was arrested on the statement of a negro that she had stolen cattle after commitment one day she was discharged tile the next i because there was no evidence and full fall mileage subsistence and posses possess fees were paid britton said to the marshal that he be could not allow over IRM 35 in any case but the marshals were urged to lve gue take tako any one against whom there was the slightest charge and bring them into fort smith without warrant and they could get the latter when they arrived when they came in with a large lot of prisoners they were allowed by the marshal to get other deputies to make returns and und thus multiply fees the commissioners who made out these extra papers were allowed ten per cent on fees for filling up blanks and swearing to them in one case miles were allowed where the distance actually traveled was less than those who made up the papers were publicly known as retaining marshals the report gives the ring at fort smith engaged in these frauds aa as marshal marshai britton united States commissioner brooks postmaster sterT J G scott J X W donnelly marshals clerk and H M A pierce editor of the patriot this first report closes by recommending that the department refuse to pay all claims of deputy marshals accounts and posse fees fill a full judicial investigation can be DO had on the ground that not one in ten are entitled to one third of the amount charged and in many daany cases whole cases ewes are fabrications when NV hen the report reached washington brittons Brit tons name was pending before the senate for confirmation he baving slaving been re appointed during the recess the previous summer sumer er at t the e ins instance ance anco 0 of senator clayton lay n his name was vas not withdrawn nor was any presentation 0 of f the facts made next month rno nth however the senate rejected him on the loth of february a second report reached the department of justice from the same official source setting forth that further investigation had developed the fact that judge storey was fully acquainted with the general character of tile the frauds named in the first report and some of those in the second were given more in detail parties who never left town were allowed and paid full fees of all kinds for hunting ater iter prisoners when those pretending to search had never left town and the same parties were allowed for arrests made at a distance when they did not leave town or make any arrests the chief deputy marshal don nelly postmaster scott and a merchant named lanigan Lan laan iaan formed a ring to buy up certificates by donnelly when the money came from washington britton turned it over to donnelly and the latter passed it to scott missouri deno dento crat |