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?
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