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

Tho bid Of Lindsay s. Sha-
Ter, for the same time, s.
carrying the mail, in the
same manner, daily,
would have amounted TO 1900
That of Joseph Bayd 10 1000
On the first Of April, 1884.
after the mail ceased to be
carried daily, and became
tri-weekly, the account Of
Reside is credited thus:
Hagerstown TO McConnels-
town, 10
Three times a week in four
horse post coaches, per
quarter. los
And on the LIST Of July it is
credited, IT'S
being, for 6 months, $3.50
Or at the rate Of 500 year, for Fri.
weekly mail, in four horse post coaches
Lindsay and Shatier bio to carry it in like
manner at $500; Joseph Boyd at $500
and Thomas II, Boyd at $50 dollars.
The Postmaster General, in his letter
above set forth. says that "The contract
was made with James Reside TO carry
the mail from Hagerstown, Maryland, by
WEIGH run and Mercersburg, to McCon -.
nelsburg, daily, in four horse post coach
es land 1t appears by statements on file,
that it is carried by Greencastle. increas
Ing the distance five miles each way, ma
king ten miles additional travel each day]
at 400 dollars per annum from LIST OF
January 1882, to 3ist December 1852
10 the clause enclosed by brackets, your
committee would now call the attention of
the Senate.
The mail was in fact carried by Green
castle, as stated in the parenthesis, but it
% there so stated as TO convey the idea
that that is SO much additional service
rendered by the contractor to the depart
ment. Such, however, is by no means
the case; we find no order Of the depart
ment directing such change Of route, and
no service was in fact rendered by il; no
mail was carried by the contractor to
Greencastle. His stages were sent that
way for his own convenience merely. and
IN performing this circuit Of five miles he
lett the post route, and the post offices at
WEIGH run without mail, except as it
svas supplied by the postmaster, who went
TO Mercersburg occasionally for the share
Of the mail. On this subject your commit
tee examined John Watson, the Postmast-
er at Greencastle, (see Doc co., who sta
ted that, "there was a stage said TO be a
mail stage, which came round by Green
castle, commencing in January, 1882,
and ran Tor some time, say a year, and
continues yet to run; see it gong thr'o."
lie adds that there was a mail in Februa
~, 1882, brought by this stage; and quit
some time IN the same year. In running
through Greencastle the stage would not
pass the Welsh run post Office but come
into Mercersburg.
And Elliot Il. Lane, (See Doc. SO }
who says for some time before | ceased
to act as postmaster at Mercersburg, the
postmaster at Welsh run, or his deputy.
used 10 come about once a week for his
mail and take it from my Office. | under
stood the reason why this was done, was
mat the stage ran around by Greencastle
and did not come past the Welsh run post
oihce'-Sometimes in the winter it was
not sale for the mail TO come by the di.
rect road from Hagerstown, owing 10 ice
ana high water in the Conogocheage
Thus it will be seen that if the stages
do run round by Greencas,le. thew do il.
not in pursuance of their contract. and moi
for the benefit Of the department. bnt 81
the contractor himself (See Due. 65C
But IN truth the mail on this route has.
sinee about the LIST of December, 1883
been carried on horseback, and not in four
horse post coaches. Lane festifes that he