north america-2-第51章

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s　so　paid　by　the　special　order　of　General　Fremont　himself　out　of　moneys　intended　to　be　applied　to　other　purposes。　　The　money　was　actually　paid　to　a　gentleman　known　at　Fremont's　headquarters　as　his　special　friend；　and　was　then　paid　in　that　irregular　way　because　this　friend　desired　that　that　special　bill　should　receive　immediate　payment。　　After　that；　who　can　believe　that　Stevens　was　himself　allowed　to　pocket　the　whole　amount　of　the　plunder？　There　is　a　nice　little　story　of　a　clergyman　in　New　York　who　sold；　for　40l。　and　certain　further　contingencies；　the　right　to　furnish　200　cavalry　horses；　but　I　should　make　this　too　long　if　I　told　all　the　nice　little　stories。　　As　the　frauds　at　St。　Louis　were；　if　not　in　fact　the　most　monstrous；　at　any　rate　the　most　monstrous　which　have　as　yet　been　brought　to　the　light；　I　cannot　finish　this　account　without　explaining　something　of　what　was　going　on　at　that　Western　Paradise　in　those　halcyon　days　of　General　Fremont。　General　Fremont；　soon　after　reaching　St。　Louis；　undertook　to　build　ten　forts　for　the　protection　of　that　city。　　These　forts　have　since　been　pronounced　as　useless；　and　the　whole　measure　has　been　treated　with　derision　by　officers　of　his　own　army。　　But　the　judgment　displayed　in　the　matter　is　a　military　question　with　which　I　do　not　presume　to　meddle。　　Even　if　a　general　be　wrong　in　such　a　matter；　his　character　as　a　man　is　not　disgraced　by　such　error。　　But　the　manner　of　building　them　was　the　affair　with　which　Mr。　Van　Wyck's　Committee　had　to　deal。　　It　seems　that　five　of　the　forts；　the　five　largest；　were　made　under　the　orders　of　a　certain　Major　Kappner；　at　a　cost　of　12；000l。；　and　that　the　other　five　could　have　been　built　at　least　for　the　same　sum。　　Major　Kappner　seems　to　have　been　a　good　and　honest　public　servant；　and　therefore　quite　unfit　for　the　superintendence　of　such　work　at　St。　Louis。　　The　other　five　smaller　forts　were　also　in　progress；　the　works　on　them　having　been　continued　from　1st　of　September　to　25th　of　September；　1861；　but　on　the　25th　of　September　General　Fremont　himself　gave　special　orders　that　a　contract　should　be　made　with　a　man　named　Beard；　a　Californian；　who　had　followed　him　from　California　to　St。　Louis。　　This　contract　is　dated　the　25th　of　September。　　But　nevertheless　the　work　specified　in　that　contract　was　done　previous　to　that　date；　and　most　of　the　money　paid　was　paid　previous　to　that　date。　　The　contract　did　not　specify　any　lump　sum；　but　agreed　that　the　work　should　be　paid　for　by　the　yard　and　by　the　square　foot。　　No　less　a　sum　was　paid　to　Beard　for　this　workthe　cormorant　Beard；　as　the　report　calls　himthan　24；200l。；　the　last　payment　only；　amounting　to　4000l。；　having　been　made　subsequent　to　the　date　of　the　contract。　　Twenty　thousand　two　hundred　pounds　was　paid　to　Beard　before　the　date　of　the　contract！　　The　amounts　were　paid　at　five　times；　and　the　last　four　payments　were　made　on　the　personal　order　of　General　Fremont。　　This　Beard　was　under　no　bond；　and　none　of　the　officers　of　the　government　knew　anything　of　the　terms　under　which　he　was　working。　　On　the　14th　of　October　General　Fremont　was　ordered　to　discontinue　these　works；　and　to　abstain　from　making　any　further　payments　on　their　account。　　But；　disobeying　this　order；　he　directed　his　quartermaster　to　pay　a　further　sum　of　4000l。　to　Beard　out　of　the　first　sums　he　should　receive　from　Washington；　he　then　being　out　of　money。　　This；　however；　was　not　paid。　　〃It　must　be　understood；〃　says　the　report；　〃that　every　dollar　ordered　to　be　paid　by　General　Fremont　on　account　of　these　works　was　diverted　from　a　fund　specially　appropriated　for　another　purpose。〃　　And　then　again：　〃The　money　appropriated　by　Congress　to　subsist　and　clothe　and　transport　our　armies　was　then；　in　utter　contempt　of　all　law　and　of　the　army　regulations；　as　well　as　in　defiance　of　superior　authority；　ordered　to　be　diverted　from　its　lawful　purpose　and　turned　over　to　the　cormorant　Beard。　　While　he　had　received　l70；000　dollars　（24；200l。）　from　the　government；　it　will　be　seen　from　the　testimony　of　Major　Kappner　that　there　had　only　been　paid　to　the　honest　German　laborers；　who　did　the　work　on　the　first　five　forts　built　under　his　directions；　the　sum　of　15；500　dollars；　（3100l。；）　leaving　from　40；000　to　50；000　dollars　（8000l。　to　10；000l。）　still　due；　and　while　these　laborers；　whose　families　were　clamoring　for　bread；　were　besieging　the　quartermaster's　department　for　their　pay；　this　infamous　contractor　Beard　is　found　following　up　the　army　and　in　the　confidence　of　the　major…general；　who　gives　him　orders　for　large　purchases；　which　could　only　have　been　legally　made　through　the　quartermaster's　department。〃　　After　that；　who　will　believe　that　all　the　money　went　into　Beard's　pocket？　　Why　should　General　Fremont　have　committed　every　conceivable　breach　of　order　against　his　government；　merely　with　the　view　of　favoring　such　a　man　as　Beard？　The　collusion　of　the　Quartermaster　M'Instry　with　fraudulent　knaves　in　the　purchase　of　horses　is　then　proved。　　M'Instry　was　at　this　time　Fremont's　quartermaster　at　St。　Louis。　　I　cannot　go　through　all　these。　　A　man　of　the　name　of　Jim　Neil　comes　out　in　beautiful　pre…　eminence。　　No　dealer　in　horses　could　get　to　the　quartermaster　except　through　Jim　Neil；　or　some　such　go…between。　　The　quartermaster　contracted　with　Neil　and　Neil　with　the　owners　of　horses；　Neil　at　the　time　being　also　military　inspector　of　horses　for　the　quartermaster。　He　bought　horses　as　cavalry　horses　for　24l。　or　less；　and　passed　them　himself　as　artillery　horses　for　30l。　　In　other　cases　the　military　inspectors　were　paid　by　the　sellers　to　pass　horses。　　All　this　was　done　under　Quartermaster　M'Instry；　who　would　himself　deal　with　none　but　such　as　Neil。　　In　one　instance；　one　Elliard　got　a　contract　from　M'instry；　the　profit　of　which　was　8000l。　　But　there　was　a　man　named　Brady。　　Now　Brady　was　a　friend　of　M'Instry；　who；　scenting　the　carrion　afar　off；　had　come　from　Detroit；　in　Michigan；　to　St。　Louis。　M'instry　himself　had　also　come　from　Detroit。　　In　this　case　Elliard　was　simply　directed　by　M'Instry　to　share　his　profits　with　Brady；　and　consequently　paid　to　Brady　4000l。；　although　Brady　gave　to　the　business　neither　capital　nor　labor。　　He　simply　took　the　4000l。　as　the　quartermaster's　friend。　　This　Elliard；　it　seems；　also　gave　a　carriage　and　horses　to　Mrs。　Fremont。　　Indeed；　Elliard　seems　to　have　been　a　civil　and　generous　fellow。　　Then　there　is　a　man　named　Thompson；　whose　case　is　very　amusing。　　Of　him　the　committee　thus　speaks：　〃It　must　be　said　that　Thompson　was　not　forgetful　of　the　obligations　of　gratitude；　for；　after　he　got　through　with　the　contract；　he　presented　the　son　of　Major　M'instry　with　a　riding　pony。　That　was　the　only　mark　of　respect；〃　to　use　his　own　words；　〃that　he　showed　to　the　family　of　Major　M'instry。〃　General　Fremont　himself　desired　that　a　contract　should　be　made　with　one　Augustus　Sacchi　for　a　thousand　Canadian　horses。　　It　turned　out　that　Sacchi　was　〃nobody：　a　man　of　straw　living　in　a　garret　in　New　York；　whom　nobody　knew；　a　man　who　was　brought　out　there〃to　St。　Louis〃as　a　good　person　through　whom　to　work。〃　　〃It　will　hardly　be　believed；〃　says　the　report；　〃that　the　name　of　this　same　man　Sacchi　appears　in　the　newspapers　as　being　on　the　staff　of　General　Fremont；　at　Springfield；　with　the　rank　of　captain。〃　I　do　not　know　that　an