the Secretary of the Treasury may, when he deems it essential to the public interest, specially authorize in writing the deposit of such public money in any other public depository, or, in writing, authorize the same to be kept in any other manner, and under such rules and regulations as he may deem most safe and effectual to facilitate the payments to public creditors. "SECTION 5488. Every disbursing officer of the United States who deposits any public money intrusted to him in any place or in any manner, except as authorized by law, or converts to his own use in any way whatever, or loans with or without interest, or for any purpose not prescribed by law withdraws from the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer, or any authorized depository, or for any purpose not prescribed by law transfers or applies any portion of the public money intrusted to him, is, in every such act, deemed guilty of an embezzlement of the money so deposited, converted, loaned, withdrawn, transferred, or applied; and shall be punished by imprisonment with hard labor for a term not less than one year nor more than ten years, or by a fine of not more than the amount embezzled or less than one thousand dollars, or by both such fine and imprisonment." In accordance with the provisions of the above sections, any public money advanced to disbursing officers of the United States must be deposited immediately to their respective credits, with either the United States Treasurer, some Assistant Treasurer, or by special direction of the Secretary of the Treasury, with a national bank depositary nearest or most convenient, except (1) Any disbursing officer of the War Department, specially authorized by the Secretary of War, when stationed on the extreme frontier or at places far remote from such depositaries, may keep, at his own risk, such moneys as may be intrusted to him for disbursement. (2) Any officer receiving money remitted to him upon specific estimates, may disburse it accordingly, without waiting to place it in a depositary, provided the payments are due, and he prefers this method to that of drawing checks. Any check drawn by a disbursing officer upon moneys thus deposited must be in favor of the party, by name, to whom the payment is to be made, and payable to "order," or "bearer," with these exceptions: (1) To make payments of individual pensions, checks for which must be made payable to "order," (2) to make payments of amounts not exceeding twenty dollars, (3) to make payments at a distance from a depositary, and (4) to make payments of fixed salaries due at a certain period; in either of which cases except the first, any disbursing officer may draw his check in favor of himself, or "order," or "bearer," for such amount as may be necessary for such payment, but in the last-named case the check must be drawn not more than two days before the salaries become due. Any disbursing officer or agent drawing checks on moneys deposited to his official credit, must state on the face or back of each check the object or purpose to which the avails are to be applied, except upon checks issued in payment of individual pensions, the special form of such checks indicating sufficiently the character of disbursement. If the object or purpose for which any check of a public disbursing officer is drawn is not stated thereon, as required, or if any reason exists for suspecting fraud, the office or bank on which such check is drawn will refuse its pay ment. Such statement may be made in brief form, but must clearly indicate the object of the expenditure, as, for instance, "pay," "pay roll," or "payment of troops, adding the fort or station; " purchase of subsistence" or other supplies; "on account of construction," mentioning the fortification or other public work for which the payment is made; "payments under $20," etc. Checks will not be returned to the drawer after their payment, but the depositary with whom the account is kept shall furnish the officer with a monthly statement of his deposit account. Deposits to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States on account of repayment of disbursing funds must be made with the office or bank in which such funds are to the credit of the disbursing officer. No allowance will be made to any disbursing officer for expenses charged for collecting money on checks. Whenever any disbursing officer of the United States shall cease to act in that capacity he will at once inform the Secretary of the Treasury whether he has any public funds to his credit in any office or bank, and, if so, what checks, if any, he has drawn against the same, which are still outstanding and unpaid. Until satisfactory information of this character shall have been furnished, the whole amount of such moneys will be held to meet the payment of his checks properly payable therefrom. In case of the death, resignation, or removal of any disbursing officer, checks previously drawn by him will be paid from the funds to his credit, unless such checks have been drawn more than four months before their presentation, or reasons exist for suspecting fraud. Any check previously drawn by him and not presented for payment within four months of its date will not be paid until its correctness shall have been attested by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Treasury. Every disbursing officer, when opening his first account, before issuing any checks, will furnish the depositary on whom checks are drawn with his official signature duly verified by some officer whose signature is known to the depositary. For every deposit made by a disbursing officer, to his official credit, a receipt in form as below shall be given, setting forth its serial number and the place and date of issue; the title of each officer shall be expressed, and the title of the disbursing account shall also show for what branch of the public service the account is kept, as it is essential for the proper transaction of departmental business that accounts of moneys advanced from different bureaus to a disbursing officer serving in two or more distinct capacities be kept separate and distinct from each other, and be so reported to the Department both by the officer and the depositary, the receipt to be retained by the officer in whose favor it is issued. United States (Assistant Treasurer or Depositary). These regulations are intended to supersede those of August 24, 1876. L. J. GAGE, Secretary. BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL MILES: H. C. CORBIN, Adjutant General. GENERAL ORDERS, No. 161. HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Washington, October 5, 1898. I. By direction of the Secretary of War, chief mustering officers are authorized to issue orders in his name for such journeys as the chief mustering officer and his assistant mustering officers may find absolutely necessary to make in the performance of the duties with which they are charged by the special instructions issued to them and by General Orders, No. 124, August 20, 1898, from this office. II. By direction of the Secretary of War, the Military Hospital at Santiago, Cuba, is designated as a General Hospital, and will be under the exclusive control of the Surgeon General, U. S. Army, in accordance with paragraph 1433 of the Regulations. BY COMMAND OF MAJOR GENERAL MILES: GENERAL ORDERS, No. 162. H. C. CORBIN, HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, Washington, October 7, 1898. The following order has been received from the War Department: WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, October 7, 1898. By direction of the President, the following-named general officers are honorably discharged from the Volunteer Army of the United States, to take effect on the dates set opposite their respective names, their services being no longer required, by reason of the muster out of volunteer regiments: Major Generals. Joseph C. Breckinridge, November 30, 1898; John J. Coppinger, October 31, 1898; Hamilton S. Hawkins, November 30, 1898; Jacob F. Kent, November 30, 1898. Brigadier Generals. Francis L. Guenther, October 31, 1898; Alfred E. Bates, October 31, 1898; George L. Gillespie, October 31, 1898; James H. Barkley, October 31, 1898; William M. Wherry, November 30, 1898. Aaron S. Daggett, November 30, 1898; Brigadier Generals Alfred E. Bates, George L. Gillespie, John B. Babcock, and Peter C. Hains will continue their present duties. The other officers named will proceed to their homes and await orders for their own convenience until discharge. Such of these officers as belong to regiments in the Regular Army will report for duty with their proper commands upon the dates of their discharges from the volunteer service, respectively, unless they elect to join at an earlier date. Upon the receipt of this order the officers herein named will relieve their aids and order them to join their respective commands. The travel enjoined is necessary for the public service. R. A. ALGER, By direction of the Secretary of War, the 3d, 5th, and 6th Army Corps are discontinued; the 1st, 2d, and 4th Army Corps will be reorganized and assigned to camps as below specified: First Army Corps, Major General J. C. Breckinridge, U. S. V., commanding, headquarters at Macon, Georgia. FIRST DIVISION, headquarters at Macon, Georgia: First Brigade, Atlanta, Georgia-31st Michigan, 4th Tennessee, and 6th Ohio. Second Brigade, Macon, Georgia—3d U. S. V. Engineers, 2d Ohio, and 6th Virginia. Third Brigade, Macon, Georgia-10th U.S. V. Infantry and 7th U.S. V. Infantry. SECOND DIVISION, headquarters at Columbus, Georgia: First Brigade, Columbus, Georgia-1st West Virginia, 160th Indiana, and 3d Kentucky. Second Brigade, Americus, Georgia-8th Massachusetts, 12th New York, and 3d North Carolina. Third Brigade, Albany, Georgia-2d Missouri, 3d Mississippi, and 1st Territorial U.S. V. Infantry. Second Army Corps, Major General W. M. Graham, U. S. V., commanding, headquarters at Augusta, Georgia. FIRST DIVISION, headquarters at Augusta, Georgia: First Brigade, Augusta, Georgia-10th Ohio, 1st Maryland, and 35th Michigan. Second Brigade, Summerville, South Carolina-14th Pennsylvania, 3d Connecticut, and 9th Ohio (battalion). Third Brigade, Augusta, Georgia-13th Pennsylvania, 8th Pennsylvania, and 15th Minnesota. SECOND DIVISION, headquarters at Greenville, South Carolina: First Brigade, Greenville, South Carolina-203d New York, 2d West Virginia, and 4th New Jersey. Second Brigade, Spartanburg, South Carolina-4th Missouri, 5th Massachusetts, and 201st New York. Third Brigade, Columbia, South Carolina--1st Rhode Island, 3d Tennessee, and 1st Delaware. THIRD DIVISION, headquarters at Athens, Georgia: First Brigade, Athens, Georgia-15th Pennsylvania, 3d New Jersey, and 202d New York. Second Brigade, Athens, Georgia—3d Georgia and 22d New York. Fourth Army Corps, Major General Joseph Wheeler, U. S. V., commanding, headquarters at Huntsville, Alabama. FIRST DIVISION, headquarters at Huntsville, Alabama: First Brigade, Huntsville, Alabama-8th U.S. Infantry and 10th U.S. Infantry. |