Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina during the American Revolution, (Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 1999.)
South Carolina Audited Accounts relating to Asa Cole and numerous others as sailors and officers on the Frigate South Carolina SC1926
Yet, the Committee saved it's final, damning judgment for last in their excoriating list of fraudulent claims made by Asa Delozier, "Attorney for Sundry persons". This pronouncement is as follows and is cited in full by the writer of this blog:
"Your Committee are moreover satisfied that Asa Delozier did attempt to enlist the feelings and interest of Mr. John Mayrant, an officer on board of the frigate, in advancement of his views in purchasing the claims of the crew of the South Carolina Frigate, by offering him the sum of Two Thousand Dollars in cash or one third of the anticipated profits of such a speculation which he Delozier said would be equal to ten Thousand Dollars. This offer was treated by Mr. Mayrant with such indignation and contempt as it merited and a communication in relation to that fact was immediately made to the then Comptroller General by the later Gentleman.
And a similar offer was made to Hugh A. Nixion [Hugh A. Nixon] another of the Officers of said Frigate.
Your Committee have thus bestowed their utmost attention to the nature and testimony offered in support of this claim, they have endeavored to present it to this house in its point of view; If they have mistaken the facts or have drawn improper conclusions from them, it has been unintentional on their part; The evidence of fraud and of a disposition to impose upon the State have been so clear to them, That, they respectfully recommend that the prayer of the Memorialist be not granted.
S/ Thomas Case, Chairman"
This point may need a bit of explanation. Men filed for their pensions with the hope of having them granted to them by the state. If they could cite the name of an officer they served under who was still alive, that officer could be contacted by the committee and could then verify that the named individual had indeed served under his command. Many men could not do this, primarily due to the death of their named officer prior to the filing of their pension application. The only recourse these individuals had was to name as many upstanding members of society as they could who were seen as honest men and hope that their application would be accepted. But, if the indicated officer had served meritoriously himself and been commended by the senior commanding officer - in this case, Commodore Alexander Gillon - then the pension application of the individual had an even greater chance of being granted. John Mayrant and Hugh Nixon were both those types of gentlemen and valiant officers. But, Asa Delozier overstepped himself in approaching two upright and honest men who distained his request as repugnant to their character and dishonest in the extreme. The committee cited in their official document that John Mayrant contacted them to alert them of the overtures made to him by Asa Delozier. The fact that Hugh Nixon is cited as having been similarly approached indicates that he too must have notified the committee.
The list of fraudulent intentions on the part of Asa Delozier - "Attorney for Sundry persons" - is extensive, precise in it's description and enumeration by the Committee, and conclusive in it's pronouncement. To cite just a few of the legal malfeasances of this scoundrel, Asa Delozier attempted to file claims for individuals who had in fact already received full remuneration for their services at the time of this document being filed with the state of South Carolina, in some cases decades earlier. He attempted to claim remuneration for men who never served on board the frigate South Carolina and, in some cases, never even set foot on board said ship-of-war. He cited men as having performed services which they never served on board the frigate or for having served in vague positions of responsibility, such as that of "legionnaire". He produced signed affidavits from men who were proven to have been illiterate and unable to write at all. He produced names of men who were said to have served on board the frigate but, who appear to be fictitious individuals created by the mind of Asa Delozier as their names do not appear in the Portage Bill book of the frigate South Carolina. Finally, he contacted and attempted to bribe former officers of the frigate in order to garner their support for his scurrilous claims by lending their "word of honor" as officers and gentlemen that these documents were valid in their claims.
The Committee on Claims directed that the "prayer of the Memorialist" - Asa Delozier - not be granted. But, a serious, extensive crime of fraudulent activity had been committed in this case. Asa Delozier could hope to be disbarred at the very least, if not sentenced to prison for his criminal activities. Yet, there is no indication that he ever suffered any reprisals from the state of South Carolina for all his egregious crimes. This may be due to the writer of this blog not being in possession of these materials indicating what befell Asa Delozier after the discovery and revelation of these crimes. It could be just a matter of the passage of so much time since these events. But, one thing is clear concerning this fascinating bit of legal "shenanigans" - men have always been out to make a buck, however they can make that buck, even during the American Revolution and the decades immediately following the birth of our country. This century does not hold a monopoly on legal shysters. They, too, were there at the beginning.