Then The Whole Job Fell
Into The Hands Of Mr. Cameron's Old Political Friend.
The 2,000,000 dollars, or 400,000l., were paid into the hands of
certain government treasurers at New
York, but they had orders to
honor the draft of the political friend of the Secretary of War, and
consequently 50,000l. was immediately withdrawn by Mr. Cummings, and
with this he went to work. It is shown that he knew nothing of the
business; that he employed a clerk from Albany whom he did not know,
and confided to this clerk the duty of buying such stores as were
bought; that this clerk was recommended to him by Mr. Weed, the
editor of a newspaper at Albany, who is known in the States as the
special political friend of Mr. Seward, the Secretary of State; and
that in this way he spent 32,000l. He bought linen pantaloons and
straw hats to the amount of 4200l., because he thought the soldiers
looked hot in the warm weather; but he afterward learned that they
were of no use. He bought groceries of a hardware dealer named
Davidson, at Albany, that town whence came Mr. Weed's clerk. He did
not know what was Davidson's trade, nor did he know exactly what he
was going to buy; but Davidson proposed to sell him something which
Mr. Cummings believed to be some kind of provisions, and he bought
it. He did not know for how much - whether over 2000l. or not. He
never saw the articles, and had no knowledge of their quality. It
was out of the question that he should have such knowledge, as he
naively remarks. His clerk Humphreys saw the articles. He presumed
they were brought from Albany, but did not know. He afterward
bought a ship - or two or three ships. He inspected one ship "by a
mere casual visit:" that is to say, he did not examine her boilers;
he did not know her tonnage, but he took the word of the seller for
everything. He could not state the terms of the charter, or give
the substance of it. He had had no former experience in buying or
chartering ships. He also bought 75,000 pairs of shoes at only 25
cents (or one shilling) a pair more than their proper price. He
bought them of a Mr. Hall, who declares that he paid Mr. Cummings
nothing for the job, but regarded it as a return for certain
previous favors conferred by him on Mr. Cummings in the occasional
loans of 100l. or 200l.
At the end of the examination it appears that Mr. Cummings still
held in his hand a slight balance of 28,000l., of which he had
forgotten to make mention in the body of his own evidence. "This
item seems to have been overlooked by him in his testimony," says
the report. And when the report was made, nothing had yet been
learned of the destiny of this small balance.
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