THE GREAT ROBBERY. 113 subject to the order of this Convention or of the | ties, by and with the advice and consent of General Assembly. "Seventh.-The officers aforesaid shall retain in their hands all property of the United States in their possession, custody, or control, subject to the disposal of the State, who will account for the same upon a final settlement with the Government of the United States." Secret Action. The evacuation of Fort Moultrie took place on the night of the 26th. The excitement which followed upon the act resulted, among other things, in the seizure, by the State, of the telegraph lines leading out of Charleston, and in the Convention's sitting almost exclusively in secret session. The legislation, therefore, of the Convention was not made immediately public, and was only learned either from the enforcement of the acts, or through the partial record of the Charleston newspapers. The Convention assumed the responsibility of the conduct of affairs in the harbor as well as on land-thus setting aside the power of the Governor and Legislature. Gov. Pickens acted under its orders and instructions. An ordinance, entitled "An Ordinance to amend the Constitution of South Carolina, in respect to the Executive Departments," was passed in secret session of the Convention, Dec. 27th. It provided as follows: the Senate; to nominate all officers; to appoint ambassadors, ministers, and consuls, as the General Assembly may previously direct, and also all other officers whose appointment has not otherwise been provided for by law; to fill vacancies during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions, which shall expire at the end of the next session of the Senate; to convene the Senate whenever it thinks it necessary, provided, nevertheless, during the existence of the Commission, that all treaties, directions for the appointment of ambassadors, ministers, consuls, etc., be subject to the advice and consent of the Committee. Second. That the Governor immediately appoint four persons, with the advice and consent of the Committee, who, with the Lieutenant Governor, shall form a Council, whose duty it shall be to advise with him. The seizure of the Custom House, Arsenal, Post-office, Castle Pinckney, &c.-the occupation of Fort Moultrie and of Sullivan's Island-the removal of the buoys from the channel, thus necessitating a special pilot for entrance-the suppression of the lights in the light-houses-the additional fortification of the city and its approaches-the enlistment First. That the Government has power to of an army-all were accomplished by the alreceive ambassadors, ministers, consuls, and most unremitting labors of the Convention agents of foreign powers; to conduct nego- and Governor, in the three days following tiations with foreign powers; to make trea-Major Anderson's movement. CHAPTER XVII, A WEEK OF EXCITING EVENTS. THE ROBBERY OF THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT. THE ALLEGHANY ARSENAL AFFAIR. ALABAMA ELECTION. THE SOUTH CAROLINA COMMISSIONERS' ARRIVAL AT WASHINGTON. AFFAIRS IN VIRGINIA. LIST OF ARMY AND NAVY OFFICERS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA. SENATOR TOOMBS' TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS. HOPELESSNESS OF COMPROMISE. THE week of December 25th to January 1st | evening, December 25th, called immediately was ushered in by a revelation of fraud which upon the President, to advise him that he startled the entire country. The facts were had been informed, by letter, of a large robsubstantially as follows:bery in his department. It was decided to Secretary Thompson, re-investigate the matter at once. Proceeding The Great Robbery. turning from his trip to to the offices Mr. Thompson attempted to ex North Carolina, Sunday amine the safe in which the Indian bonds 15 A Philadelphia journalist having investi gated the matter, wrote of it as follows: were kept, but discovered the key to be miss- | $300,000 worth of them additional, in all ing. He made several attempts to find it, but $870,000. On the 18th of December he adfailed. Different statements were made by dressed a letter to the Secretary of the different subordinates as to the whereabouts Interior, frankly imparting these facts, and of Mr. Godard Bailey, disbursing clerk, a requesting an investigation. This letter he native of South Carolina, to whom the bonds gave to a Senator to be delivered to the were specially intrusted, and who held the Secretary on his return from North Carolina, key of the safe. He was found, and asked which request was complied with. The in for the key, but could not produce it. The vestigation proved the truth of the state Secretary, at once suspecting the worst, pro- ments. ceeded to the office of Mayor Berrett and solicited a special police force. With these he returned to the Department, and put a guard at every avenue leading to it. The clerks were summoned, and orders given not to allow any of them to pass out. The safe was then broken open. The bonds were missing. The register of the bonds was found. Monday, Bailey, it was ascertained, was missing. Mr. Black, Secretary of State, District Attorney Ould and others, having knowledge of the nature of the bonds, were called in by Secretary Thompson. The clerks were severally examined as to their knowledge of the disappearance of the instruments. After much close investigation, Monday and Tuesday, the facts were elicited. They proved to be as follows: About two months previous to the discovery of the loss, Mr. E. Russell, of the firm of Majors, Russell & Waddell, held about a million of dollars of the official acceptances of the Secretary of War. These acceptances had been given, conditionally, in advance, for transportation of supplies to the army, under contract with the Government. Mr. Russell, not finding himself able to negotiate the acceptances, was greatly embarrassed, pecuniarily; and, ascertaining from Godard Bailey, with whom he was intimately acquainted, that the latter had control over three millions of Indian Trust Funds, invested in bonds of different States, arranged with him for about half a million of dollars-these bonds to be hypothecated in New York. As security, he gave Bailey the acceptances of Mr. Floyd, which Bailey placed in the safe where the bonds were kept. During December these bonds greatly depreciated, and the bankers in New York, who made advances on them, called for additional security. Bailey, in order to save the bonds, delivered over "Floyd, to aid Russell, Majors & Co., in comply. ing with their huge contract for the transportation of army supplies from the Missouri River to Utah, accepted their drafts, in some instances absolutely, in others conditionally, for a sum exceeding $800,000. Subsequently he allowed Russell, Majors & Co. to draw the whole amount due them under their contract, with the assurance on their part that all of his acceptances as Secretary of War should be retired. Drafts matured, and Russell, Majors & Co. were un able to meet them, and others were soon to mature, which, unless money could be had, would be pro tested also. Under these circumstances, Mr. Bailey, the clerk in charge of the Indian Trust Fund, who, it is said, married a niece of Secretary Floyd, was approached by an agent of Russell, Majors & Co., and told that unless the acceptances referred to were provided for immediately, the Secretary of War would be disgraced irredeemably. He was then asked to lend to Russell, Majors & Co., temporarily, State bonds of the Indian Trust Fund to the amount of eight hundred and seventy thousand dollars. Bailey, influenced by the conviction that this breach of trust was the only means of saving the honor of the Secretary of War, and satisfied, also, that Russell, Majors & Co. would be able to replace the bonds ac cording to promise, delivered bonds amounting to $70,000 to Maj. Russell, the principal of that firm, who hypothecated them to the Bank of the Republic, New York. This is said to be Bailey's version of his unfortunate breach of official trust, which it was impossible to conceal longer, inasmuch as the Indian Bureau bad applied for the coupons, to collect the January interest on the bonds abstracted. Hence, the confession, of Bailey to the Secretary of the Interior, on Saturday, of the whole affair." This affair, whatever its causes, was unfor tunate in its results, since it added much to public excitement, and turned popular sentiment very strongly against an administration which had failed so utterly to answer to the demands of the hour. Report magnified the EVACUATION OF FORT MOULTRIE 115 sum abstracted to millions, and linked Mr. | enemies of the Union; deprecating any interFloyd's name as a principal in the robbery- ference with the shipment of arms under Gothus intensifying the feeling of indignation vernment orders, however inopportune or imgrowing among all classes in the North politic the order might appear; deploring against the Southern men in the Cabinet. the existing state of things in connection with Mr. Cobb had retired, leaving a bankrupt the administration of important departments treasury; and now that Mr. Floyd and the of the public service so as to have shaken Department of the Interior were responsible confidence in the people of the Free States; for a most gigantic breach of public trust, it that while Pennsylvania is on guard at the gave rein to the most exaggerated stories of Federal capital, it is her special duty to look perfidy and recklessness in the Cabinet. But, to the fidelity of her sons, and in that view the facts were as given above. The sum ab- call on the President as a citizen of this Comstracted amounted to eight hundred and sev-monwealth, to see that the public receive no enty thousand dollars, which, being in bonds, were traced; and Messrs. Russell, Majors and Waddell, being possessed of a vast property, were enabled, eventually, to save the Government from serious loss. leghany) Arsenal Excitement. This great temporary deThe Pittsburgh (Al falcation was followed by the Pittsburgh (Alleghany) Arsenal Excitement, which, for a few days, threatened serious consequences, and added materially to the alarm of the friends of the Union. An order was given to ship from the arsenal 78 guns to Newport, near Galveston, Texas, and 46 guns to Ship Island, near Balize, at the mouth of the Mississippi river. As the fortresses at both points named were still unfinished, the order of shipment, it was felt, was given thus early in order to place the valuable guns in the hands of the Secessionists. The news dispatch from Pittsburgh, dated Monday, December 24th, said that the Chairman of the House Committee on Military Affairs had been telegraphed for information that leading Democrats of the city telegraphed to the President to have the order of shipment immediately countermanded, since the people never would allow the guns to leave the arsenal-that a call, signed by citizens of all parties, was made public arranging for a meeting of citizens to take necessary action in the matter-that a report gained currency of large amounts of shot, shell, muskets and accoutrements having already been sent South, &c. An immense meeting was held on Thursday in the street opposite the Court-house. The report of proceedings stated that several resolutions were adopted "declaring loyalty to the Union, and ability to defend ourselves against all detriment at his hands. It behooves the President to purge his cabinet of every man known to give aid and comfort to, or in any way countenancing the revolt of, any State against the authority of the Constitution and the laws of the Union. A dispatch from the Hon. Robert McKnight, asking the people to make no further resistance, but to ask for a suspension of the shipment of the guns until further advices were received from the War Office, was read and approved."* This storm was thus mo dent until Dec. 29th. For the correspondence which followed, see a future Chapter. Secession gained ground first movement toward "coercing" the rebel- | their first communication before the Presi lious States. In the North it aroused a perfect acclamation of delight. "Huzza for Major Anderson !" became the street-greeting, for, without a full knowledge of the affair, men believed it to foreshadow a determination, on the part of the Administration, to resist any further encroachments upon its authority. [The incidents of the evacuation are given in Chapter XIX.] The election of Delegates rapidly in Virginia, after Virginia's Defection Alabama Election. to the State Convention, inern Virginia then, as later, was loyal to the Alabama, came off Decem- Union, and took little part in affairs, except ber 24th, resulting in the choice of a large to protest against the course of the incenmajority of unconditional Secessionists. The diaries, led by such wild and reckless spirits entire majority for secession was over fifty as Roger A. Pryor. John Minor Botts, one of thousand. In many localities Union and the most eminent and able men that the Conservative tickets were not voted upon at State ever called citizen, thundered away all. On the same day Governor Moore is- with the Paixhan guns of his incontroversued a proclamation, convening the Legisla- tible logic, against the "bloody heresy," the ture of that State, January 14th, to provide right of secession, and stood up grandly for for any emergency which might arise from the Union, the Constitution and the Laws. the action of the Convention, which was to It was not reason, however, which controlled meet January 7th. the hour; and Virginia, "Mother of Presidents," it became painfully apparent, was rapidly gliding into the arms of a paramour, who would rob her of her jewels and debase her ancient glory into the very dust. On the 24th the South Carolina members of Congress (House) sent in, to the Speaker, a letter stating that, by the act of secession, their State had withdrawn from the Union, thereby dissolving their connection with the House, and that they should, accordingly, vacate their seats. The letter was signed by Messrs. John McQueen, M. L. Bonham, W. W. Boyce, and J. D. Ashmore. Mr. Keitt had previously withdrawn. The Speaker, however, directed that their names be retained on the roll and regularly called-thus failing to recognize the act of secession and the withdrawal, for that cause, of members. sioners in Washington. Army and Navy The prospective movements in the South were canvassed excitedly in both army and navy, a large proportion of whose officers were Southern men. When attention was called to the subject it was found that the materiel of the two services would suffer severely by the defection likely to follow, since a majority of the commissions above second lieutenancies were held by Southern men, notwithstanding the proportion of population and wealth in the North was as three to one. South Carolina alone, with her fifty-. two thousand voters, was represented in the navy and army as follows, at the date under consideration, December 24th-30th. The South Carolina Com. Arrival of Commis- missioners, Messrs. Barnwell, Orr and Adams, arrived in Washington Dec. 26th-their mission, as before stated, being to treat with the Federal Government for a peaceful adjustment of all relations between the Government and their "Sovereign" State. The evacuation of Moultrie, by Major Anderson, not a little complicated the difficulties Capt. Abraham C. Myers..Q. M. Gen. Dep......1833 of their position. On the evening of their arrival a number of leading Southern men were called into counsel, to arrange more fully their line of conduct. They did not, however, lay Name. ARMY. Original entry Department. into service. Maj. Adam N. McLaren....Surg. Gen. Dep......1833 Capt. Wm. W. Anderson.. Surg. Gen. Dep...... 1849 | Mid'n Benjamin F. Perry. Naval Academy......1857 1856 Bvt. Maj. L. B. Northrup. 1st Regt. Dragoons... 1839 1853 1843 1st Lt. Jas. L. Corley....6th Regt. Infantry...1850 Three West Point Cadets from South Carolina: viz., H. S. Farley, James Hamilton and George Reynolds, resigned at the call made by the Charleston Mercury [see pages 45–46]; and Lieutenant J. R. Hamilton, of the United States' Steam Sloop Wyoming, had thrown up his commission; but the list above given was on the rolls at the date of South Carolina's secession. After that act a rapid succession of resignations occurred, embracing officers of all grades, who almost immediately offered their services to South Carolina. The two Departments at Washington accepted these resignations without a protest! Every commission thrown up added to the record of disloyalty, ingratitude, and dishonor which Capt. Barnard E. Bee....10th Regt. Infantry... 1845 influenced the entire movement, so far as Name. NAVY. Original entry 1824 ......1827 1828 officials were concerned, for disunion. They .... ..1839 Mr. Toombs' Address. |