The Mint Fire.
THE MINT FIRE. Bill in senate to Settle an old Securtity Indebtedness. Special to the Times-Democrat. Washington, March 22. - An echo of the fire at the new Orleans Mint, which occurred during the Harrison administration, when Dr. Smyth was superintendent of that institution, was heard to-day in the United States Senate. Reference to it was made in a bill which was introduced for the purpose of having the Secretary of the Treasury accept, in lieu of full payment to the government, the sum of $28,897.70, the amount alleged to have been destroyed and lost at the time of the fire. The case then created quite a sensation. The fire was alleged to be of accidental origin, but the finger of suspicion was pointed at James Dowling, who at that time held the position of cashier at the Mint. Experts from Washington were sent to New Orleans, and an investigation made by government inspectors, one of whom was a woman, revealed the fact, according to their reports, that the ashes of the burnt bills recovered by the government, instead of being bills of large denominations, as was asserted had been destroyed, were alleged to be those of one and two-dollar bills. Criminal proceedings were instituted against Dowling by the Federal government, but after a long drawn-out trial, he was acquitted of the charges. Superintendent Smyth, who was responsible to the government for the loss, left the United States after the acquittal of Dowling and took up a permanent residence in Ireland, where he still lives. Suit was brought by the government against the sureties of Smyth, who were prominent merchants of New Orleans, D. C. McCann and Ed. Conery, both of whom have since died. Judgment was rendered in favour of the government. Since the rendering of the decision the representatives of the sureties have sought to be released from paying the interest on the money burned, which now amounts to nearly as much as the principal. A gentleman closely associated with the McCann estate was in Washington last summer and had several conferences with the secretary of the Treasury on the subject. It is understood that the Treasury officials were not willing to waive the interest, since the sureties, as well as Dr. Smyth, and as the judgment of the Federal Court of New Orleans proved, Cashier Dowling himself, were blameless in the matter, but it was suggested that such an arrangement could only be effected by an act of Congress. The bill introduced to-day, therefore, is meant to effect a compromise by the acceptance of $23,897.70 in full payment of the claim of the government against the representatives of Smyth's bondsmen. The bill was referred to the Committee on Claims.Close