In these biographical notes it has not been attempted to preserve
chronological order throughout, as the reader has observed, and we now
revert to sundry important facts in Officer McWatters' history, which
have been passed over by us without allusion. Perhaps the chief service
which McWatters has rendered to the soldiers is the successful war he
waged against the Bounty Claim Agents in 1868-69. As the law regarding
bounties then stood, the agents were able to grossly swindle the
soldiers. And many of these agents, all over the land, and probably the
most of them, did swindle them. To appreciate the full merit of Officer
McWatters in circumventing the swindling agents, it is necessary to
understand how they operated with poor soldiers; and as we find in the
New York Times of March 21, 1869, a succinct explanation of their mode
of operations, we transfer a portion of the article containing it to
these pages. It will be found interesting as an item in the history of
the times (as well as a comment upon the beauties of civilization in
general). The article is headed "Bounty Swindlers," and goes on to
say:--
"Herman, who is well known as a former claim agent in this
city, is now at large, under forfeited bail of ten thousand
dollars, for swindling discharged soldiers, who were credulous
enough to trust him, out of their well-deserved bounties. It is
estimated by the authorities that he made nearly twenty
thousand dollars by these operations, which he has so carefully
disposed of that it cannot be recovered by his unfortunate
victims. There are, perhaps, fifty others of the same stripe in
this city, who have gathered small fortunes by thus defrauding
the soldier or his widow and orphans.
"To protect the soldiers from these sharks, Mr. French, Second
Auditor of the Treasury Department at Washington, has, from
time to time, suspended all business transactions with them.
This had the effect of stopping the frauds for a while, but the
swindlers soon found a method of overcoming the obstruction.
This they did by procuring willing tools through whom they
operated as successfully as ever.
"There are said to be thousands of dishonest agents all over
the United States, who are continually engaged in this
nefarious business. They are principally lawyers who have no
reputation to lose, and who, therefore, are indifferent to
public opinion.
"The _modus operandi_ by which these swindles are carried on is
as follows: A. is a discharged soldier, B. the claim agent. A.
calls on B., and requests him to procure his bounty money for
him. A. is informed that, in order to enforce his claim, it
will be necessary for him to intrust B. with his certificate of
honorable discharge, to be forwarded to Washington as a
voucher. Thus far the transaction is legitimate; but now comes
the trickery. B. further informs A. that there is another paper
to be forwarded with the discharge, a blank, which he (A.) must
sign. It is merely a matter of form, B. says, which the
government requires, for some reason best known to itself. The
signature is given, and the soldier goes away, assured that
within a few days his check will be ready for him. The paper to
which, in his ignorance, A. signed his name, turns out to be an
absolute power of attorney conferred upon B., not only to
enforce the claim, but also to indorse the draft when it is
received, and to collect the money therefor at the bank. Thus
authorized, B. draws the cash at the proper time, puts it into
his own pocket, and keeps it there. A. calls for his money at
the appointed time, but is put off with the excuse that the
return has not yet been made by the department at Washington.
This explanation is repeated each time that A. calls, until,
finally, he becomes suspicious of unfair dealing, and
peremptorily demands either his certificate or the bounty. As a
rule, this demand leads to the speedy unfolding of the base
villany. B. acknowledges that he has collected the money, and
adds that he has spent it, but that he will refund it as soon
as he is able to do so. The claim agent having acted by full
power of attorney in the matter, cannot be prosecuted
criminally, and the only remedy open to the victimized soldier
is a civil suit for the recovery of the amount of his claim.
The remedy is ineffectual, however, by reason of the fact that
the swindler has no property out of which to satisfy judgment,
and the soldier being too poor to prosecute the case, the
affair ends at this point.
"There are now in the Second Auditor's office as many as
sixty-five thousand unsettled bounty claims, representing about
four millions five hundred thousand dollars, and by the recent
passage of another bounty act, that sum will soon be augmented
by nearly five hundred thousand dollars. It will thus be seen
that, unless some measures are taken by the government to
prevent it, five million dollars more will pass into the hands
of swindling agents, to the great loss of those for whose
benefit it was intended."
But long before this article appeared in the Times, Officer McWatters
had been reflecting upon a measure for rescuing the poor soldiers from
the despoiling grasp of the agents. He had laid his plans before the
Ladies' Union Relief Association, and the good ladies, at once
appreciating it, commissioned him to go, in the name of the
Association, to Washington, and procure, if possible, the immediate
carrying out of his plan, which consisted of certain changes in the
law. He went at once to the Capital, and called upon President Grant,
who kindly received him, and to whom he unfolded his plan. The Military
Committee of the Senate were also visited, and they, as the President
had likewise done, gave Mr. McWatters assurances of their sympathy with
his designs, which they proceeded to directly express, by a proposed
change in the law, which was in due time made. Messrs. Wilson and Howe
of the Senate, General Butler and General Logan of the House, were
particularly earnest and active in aiding Officer McWatters to
accomplish his great aim in this matter. A resolution "for the
protection of soldiers and their heirs," according to Officer
McWatters' plan, after passing both Houses of Congress, received the
approval of the President, and became a law on the 10th of April, 1869,
and thousands of soldiers have since blessed their ever warm and
judicious friend, McWatters, for one of the very best deeds that has
been done in their behalf since the war. Lodges of the Grand Army of
the Republic, in all parts of the country, passed votes of compliment
and gratitude to him; and the press, also, was everywhere laudatory of
him.
The new law forbids the Treasury and Pay Departments paying bounties
due the soldiers to any claim agent, or upon "any power of attorney,
transfer, or assignment whatever;" but provides that the money due
shall be sent directly to the soldier or his heirs, by draft, on their
order, or through the Freedman's Bureau, or state agents appointed
specially for that purpose, etc., at no cost to the soldier or his
heirs. The law also provides, that the government shall retain in its
hands such proper fees as may be due to the claim agents for their
services in procuring bounties, which fees are subject to the agents'
order; thus securing to them all that is justly their due, while also,
in a truly Christian or motherly way, shielding them from the
temptation to rob the poor soldier or his heirs of everything. (One
object of governments, we are told by sundry "great writers on Law," is
to protect the morals of the people; which we are very glad to be
assured of--sometimes. It is refreshing to be told that a divine power
has a hand in the governmental institutions of the world; for if we
were not so informed by the great writers, we might not always be able
to discover the fact.)
But this victory over the claim agents was not won without much hard
fighting on Officer McWatters' part. The rascally agents harassed him,
threatened him, and attempted to bribe him, etc. But without going into
details, we will content ourselves with transferring to these pages an
article which we find in The Sun, of April 10, 1869:--
"The thanks of hundreds of soldiers who have been defrauded by
the bounty thieves, are due to General John A. Logan, for
pushing through Metropolitan Policeman McWatters' bill,
requiring that all moneys due them shall be paid to the
soldiers direct, the government reserving to itself the fees.
While Officer McWatters was in Washington, the bounty thieves
pretending to enjoy influence with the Metropolitan Police
Commissioners, threatened him, and tried to buy him off, one of
the fellows offering him five hundred dollars to 'go home and
mind his own business.' We reproduce two of their threatening
letters, as follows:--
"'MR. MCWATTERS. Dear Sir: You are in a business that don't
suit you--something you have no right in. The men you are
working against are a large and influential class; have power
where you least expect it. You have a good position on the
police. As you value it, quit your present action. Let the
_soldiers_ take care of themselves; it don't pay _you_, nor
will it. You can't afford to play philanthropist. Leave that to
men of means, and women, if you like. A word to the wise.
"'Yours, a friend,
"'NEW YORK, March 27, 1869. H. B. L.'
"'MR. MCWATTERS. Dear Sir: Your visit to Washington will do you
no good, but may possibly result in great harm to yourself. You
have a good position now, and I think you had better let the
soldiers' matters alone, as you are interfering with the
business of those whose power and influence can be used against
you to disadvantage. If you think anything at all of your own
welfare, leave Washington immediately, and pursue the matter no
further.
Yours, etc.,