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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
therefore insufficient for your purpose, I am ready and willing upon your returning them to furnish you with others in their stead which shall be more in form and receivable by the Govt. Yours · l\ImABEAU B LAMAR Capt. &C-
No. 2313. LAMAR TO T. S. JESSUP
Laredo Garrison Feby 7th 1847.
To the Quarter Master General United States Army Sm
When I took command of the Company destined for this Post, the Second Lieutenant, Thos. ::\I. Likins of my command was appointed A.A. Q.-:\I and Commissary. From the remoteness of the station from any public depot, it became necessary to intrust considerable sums of money to the acting quartermaster here for the purchase of supplies. Likins was not a bonded officer, and therefore special instructions were given me by General Taylor, placing the control of the funds exclusively in my hands, requiring the accounts of the Acting Quarter Master and Commissary to be at all times subject to my inspection and supervision. The following extract touching this point, is copied from the Instructions alluded to dated Hd. Qrs Army of occupation, Camp near 11ontery, Octo 15th/1846. "It is intended that such sup- plies as must be drawn from a depot shall be furnished you from Camargo or the nearest depot on the Rio Grande. The Quartermas- ter's department will furnish the necessary transportation for such supplies and they will be escorted by detachments of your command. But it is important that the Company should be supplied as far as possible by purchase in the neighborhood of your station. Corn Beef, and perhaps other articles may be procured in this way. For the pur- pose of making such purchases, the necessary funds will be furnished to your Quarter master and commissary, the expenditure of which will be under your exclusive control and the accounts subject at all times to your supervision All receipts for money paid out, should be taken in duplicate."-(signed.) W. W. S. Bliss asst. Adjt. Genl--'- When I called upon Likins in pursuance of my instructions, for an exhibition of his accounts he evaded it under various pretexts and finally refused to submit them.- He was consequently suspended from his functions as Qr. l\Iaster & Commissary, and subsequently arrested. His conduct, together with some other circumstances, created doubts as to the integrity of his official acts.- An enquiry was therefore in- stituted into the nature and extent of his expenditures, which was no difficult matter, as nearly the entire amount of his purchases had been made through one individual who acted as interpreter. He finally presented his papers; but upon comparing them with the positive evi- dences in my possession as to his real transactions, a discrepancy was apparent, which forced me to decide against the accuracy of his vouch- ers. By way of example, I will mention two instances. He holds the receipt of Mr Pierce for Nine dollars in payment for a patent Scale, or weighing instrument; when in reality he only paid l\fr Pierce five
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