Accountants Office October 27^th 1799 Sir By a letter received from the Secretary of W[ar] to me dated the 14 Inst^t he observes that "the President of the Unit[ed] " States referred to me a complaint made to him by a citizen, that the " usual reward of ten dollars had been refused to him, for appreh[ending] " & delivering up to a military Officer a Deserter from Cap^t Millers [Company] " of Infantry. This claim appears to have been grounded upon a l[etter] " from Callender Irvine, Captain in the 2^d Regiment of Artill[ery, stating] " that the Deserter had been delivered to him at the Barracks, [at] " Pennsylvania on the 23^d November 1798, by a M^r Hugh M^cAlliste[r &] " also a certificate from Francis Gibson Lieutenant 2^d Co 2^d of Artill[ery] " that the same Deserter was tried at Reading, and found guilty of [desertion] " there are endorsements upon these certificates, one by yourself dated [the] " 16 August last, asserting that they were presented to you by Hugh " McAllister for the allowance and that you informed him it could not be " allowed. another by the Pay master General of the same date, purporting " that if the Accountant could not allow this claim he was not at liberty " to settle it. The President's orders to me are, that I shall enquire [and] " satisfy myself that justice is done in this case." — to which I replied on the 16^th Instant. As respects the complaint made by a citizen to the [President] of the United States that the usual reward had been refused him for apprehending a Deserter of Cap^t Millers Company I have to observ[e] that no evidence appeared in the muster Rolls that the person appreh[ended] was a deserter, neither did it appear that he had been advertised as such, or any reward offered for his apprehension. The claim was on these grounds rejected, such proof being thought necessary previous to the [claim] being allowed." As the representation in question was made to [you,] I shall with your permission, state that Hugh M^cAllister, the [person] presenting the claim, was a notary Public at Carlisle and was one of a number of persons indited for practising frauds on the United States, in presenting false Powers of Attorney & thereon receiving from the [Register] of the Treasury & War soldiers settlements. that it appears that as notary Public he had granted his signature & Official Seal to papers conn[ected] with intent to defraud the United States. that on the Trial of the said Hugh M^cAllister, the only evidences that could be produced were [some] of the party concerned, and were deemed insufficient to convict [him &] there is however with me no doubt but that he was concerned in these practices - and this with the reasons I have stated to the Secretary of War led me to reject the claim presented by Hugh M^cAlliste[r] & they were deemed sufficient by the Comptroller of the Treasury to whom an appeal is directed in cases where claimants are dissatisfied with my decision, - I have taken the liberty to state those particulars that the President of the United States might be in possession of the reasons which induced me to reject the claim in question, and I flatter myself they will be deemed sufficient. - I have the honor to be Sir very respectfully Your most Obed^t Serv^t. [signature] [signature] His Excellency The President of the United States.