Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-03-19

Wh'ch Is, IN every respect, equivalent
to gift to this individual, tainted with
this additional vice, that the contract has
been taken from the fair and legal con
tractor, who was entitled to il by law and
usage. and has been given to this individ
ual, who, upon no principle of truth or
fairness, was entitled TO receive il. See
Document SO.
Resides Conlraci- Bedford TO Washing
tan, Pa
James Reside was also the contractor
to carry the mail on the route from Bed
ford 10 Washington, Pennsylvania, Fri
weekly, in four horse post coaches, from
The lst OF January, 1882, 10 the 3lst De
cember, 1885, at 1900 dollars year,
(see Doc. 90) and he was paid for carry
ing the mail daily on the same route, from
the LIST Of January 1882, to the ist De-
cember, 1888, the additional sum of 8 500
dollars 6S cents year. for one year and
eleven months, with one months pay added
Tor discontinuine. making the whole allow
ance, Tor assumed extra service on this
route, 1888 dollars So cents.
Your committee examined several wit
nesses, who proved conclusively that this
mail was carried upon this route daily no
more than about 8 months; that is. from
the early part Of January, 1892. to the
beginning of September, in the same year
William Lewis. (See Doc. 62) who was
the agent Of Reside, and superintendent
this line from the LIST of April to the FIRST
OF October, 1888, is the most exact in his
evidence concerning it. He says, that
shortly alter the commencement Of the
contract in January, 1882, the mail began
TO run daily on that route, and "continu.
ed until few days after the Ist of Sep.
TENDER Of same year, when half the line
was withdrawn, leaving il tri weekly
line, at which it continues at present"
The amount of extra pay to which this
contractor would have been entitled for
the eight months. during which he carried
the mail daily, according TO the mapner
IN which the pro rata allowance is estima
ted by the present Postmaster General, is
2,644 dollars Is cents. He has received
I,133 dollars 66 cents. He has thus been
paid, under this contract, for services
which be did not perform. 6. Os9 dollars
cts. In this sum is included the months
pay Tor discontinuance. TO no part Of
which was he entitled, as he discontinued
the daily mail at his own option without
the order of the department The order
to discontinue appears to lave been made
fifteen months after the actual discontinu
ance took place.
During the year 1882 Abraham Har
bach (see Doe. 65) was a partner in the
contract on this route from Bedford TO
Washington, and was entitled to his share
of this extra allowance, il any we're in fact
made as consideration for extra services:
and II will be seen that his interest in that
line continued during the whole time that
this mail was carried daily, so also did
that oil Lewis, but neither of them ever
heard Of the extra allowance. Harbach.
alter stating that he was interested in that
contract during the year 1882. and that
James Reside and Samuel X. Slaymaker
conducted the business and received the
pay from the department, in answer TO the
Inquiry as to how much they accounted
ior with the company; says, "1'he sum
(wasl 1900 dollars, from Mount Pleasant
TO Washington. | did not understand
that 4" there was any allowance for the
mail from Bedford TO Mount Pleasant: if
there were any it was included in the
$500 dollars" and Lewis testifes that he
never knew any thing Of an extra allow
ance on that contract
Thus Vt appears that this sum Of 1873.
dollars 66 cents, expended under the name
oil an extra on this route, was not receiy
ed by the company who rendered the ex
ira service during the short time that such
extra service was rendered, but il was re-
celved and retained by James Reside, un-
der what compact and for what reason
your committee are not informed.
Some of the witnesses testify that the
mail continued to be carried daily from
Bedford TO Mornt Pleasant until some
Tune IN the fall of 1888. This is no doubt
the case, but it was not as part Of the line
from Bedford TO Washington, nor under
the same contract. The contract on the
route from Philadelphia to Pittsburg re.
CURED that there should be carried two
daily mails; one Of which was to be car.