No. 96.

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S office.

Washington, July 27, 1874.

I..The Court of Inquiry of which Major John Green, 1st Cavalry, is President, instituted by Special Orders No. 43, February 27, 1874, from this office, at the request of Captain W. H. Bell, Commissary of Subsistence, to inquire into a deficiency of public funds in the hands of Captain Bell, as exhibited in the report of an inspection of his money accounts made by Colonel James A. Hardie, Inspector General, May 29, 1873, has reported the following finding and opinion:

FINDING.

"After a thorough examination of all the papers and accounts of Captain Bell, the Court finds that the deficiency of eight hundred and sixtyfour dollars ($864.88) reported by Colonel James A. Hardie, Inspector General, did exist at the time of that inspection."

OPINION.

The Court is of opinion

1. "That the deficiency occurred through the careless manner in which Captain Bell kept his accounts while Commissary of Subsistence during the time covered by this investigation."

2. "That there never has existed, at any me, any intention whatever on the part of Captain Bell to defraud the Government in any way, or to conceal from the proper accounting officers the fact that a difference existed between their accounts and his own."

II..The proceedings, finding, and opinion of the Court are, in the main, approved by the Secretary of War.

In view of these proceedings, and of the fact that Captain Bell has now made good to the United States the amount of his deficit, no trial of this officer by court martial will at this time be ordered.

It is to be regretted there should have been any occasion for this investigation, and it is hoped that Captain Bell will so conduct his business hereafter as to save himself and the Government from similar

III.. The Court of Inquiry of which Major John Green, 1st Cavalry, is President is dissolved.

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR:

OFFICIAL:

THOMAS M. VINCENT,

Assistant Adjutant General.

Assistant Adjutant General.

GENERAL ORDERS

WAR DEPARTMENT,

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE,

No. 97.

Washington, July 28, 1874.

The following Act of Congress is published for the information and government of all concerned:

AN ACT for the relief of J. Scott Payne, second lieutenant Sixth United States Cavalry, late first lieutenant Fifth United States Cavalry.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That upon the occurrence of a vacancy in the grade of first lieutenant in the Fifth United States Cavalry the President is hereby authorized to appoint J. Scott Payne, formerly first lieutenant in the said regiment and now second lieutenant of the Sixth United States Cavalry, to the grade of first lieutenant in said Fifth Regiment United States Cavalry, with date of commission and relative rank in the Army held by him on the twelfth day of September, eighteen hundred and sixty-eight: Provided, That this act grants no back pay or additional pay in any manner whatever.

Approved June 23, 1874.

BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR:

OFFICIAL:

THOMAS M. VINCENT,

Assistant Adjutant General.

No. 93.

ADJUTANT GENERAL'S OFFICE,
Washington, July 28, 1874.

The following Acts of Congress are published for the information and government of all concerned:

I..AN ACT for the relief of Charles W. Berry, late private of the thirty-sixth regiment Wisconsin volunteers.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Adjutant General of the Army be, and he is hereby, directed to remove the charge of desertion from the name of Charles W. Berry, late private company E, thirtysixth regiment of Wisconsin volunteers, in view of his wounds while in the service; and that the said Charles W. Berry shall be allowed and paid the back-pay, bounty, and additional bounty under the act of July twenty-eighth, eighteen hundred and sixty-six, due him, in the same manner and to the same extent as if the said charge of desertion had never been made, and his application therefor had been filed before the thirtieth day of January, eighteen hundred and seventy-three. Approved June 20, 1874.

II AN ACT for the relief of Sheridan O. Bremmer, late a private of company E, eighteenth regiment Wisconsin infantry.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Adjutant General is hereby authorized and directed to remove the charge of desertion against Sheridan O. Bremmer, late a private in company E, eighteenth regiment Wisconsin infantry volunteers, and grant him an honorable discharge; and the proper accounting officer is hereby authorized to audit and pay all claims for bounty and allowances which he would have been entitled to had no charge of desertion been made against him: Provided, That no pay or allowances shall be granted to this soldier for the time he was actually absent from his regiment by virtue of a supposed discharge.