Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1858-06-11

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That takes in The testimony the shape Of loan
to Mrs. Richard Schell. Mr.. John G. Mather
was appointed by Secretary Floyd, gohmis-
sioner, at So per day md expenses, To surrey
and prepare for sale another Milit.ry Reserve
/ IN Minnesota, knoRn rs Fort Ripley. So he
was present at Fort Smelling before and after
! It's sale, uEder pay from the Treasury.
O. Fort Smelling was all this time occupied
as military post, ind still u.s. No military
/ authority bad recommended its abandonment
AaGompotent authority had even been asked
tasgise an opinion Oh that point. The Sccre-
taFg, who had meyer till last March bad auy
. connection with Military aifairs, and who was
merely authorized, not directed, to sell such
Reserves asswere no longer required, did not
deem It his auty to ask any one whether this
was er was not required. lie did not let the
public know that fort Smelling was to be sold.
Letters of distinguished Democrats among
them the Hon. Robert Smith, M &. elect from
Illinois, and the Hon. Paul Dillingham;, ex-M
Y. from Nermont-inqniring whether Fort
Smelling was or was not 70 be sold, and asking
fgg q chance to- buy part Of II if it we're, were
never answered. All was dark, silent, myste
rious as the grave
I On the 25th Of last May, Maj Eastman
OF the army, q special crony Of Steele's then
presumed 10 be surveying Fort Smelling as
aforesaid, aud Wni. King Haiskell, Of Abiug-
don, Virginia, an Intimate friend Of Secretary
Eleyd, were appointed Commissioners 70 sell
The Fort nelling Reservcif if and as they should
think proper. Twelve days thereafter, they
lad sold at Fort Smelling, over a thousand
niles from Washington, the whole Reserve, the
survey uneompleted, The area uoascortsinei, to
franklin Steele, for $50 900, Of which only
$4,000 was to be paid down, aud theroup0n
a free aud clear title TO be given; the remain
ing SG0e00 20 be satisfactorily secured mot
on the property and paid one and two years
thereafter. We challenge the production, from
the whole history Of oar country, of any sale
oi public property on tefus like these.
s. The sale vas made oStentibly 20 franklin
Steele alone, hut Messrs. Richard Schell, John
G. Mather aud Archibald Graham were pri-
vately his copartners 10 the purchase. Steele
Raid $40 goo, Ssllell and AIather so 600 of
She 81 IFs PIFaEehase money including $4,000 Of Au
aud is owner only Of onc-tweuty seventh Of the
purchase, and is to have $4,000 per annun as
manager of The property. Eastman and Heis-
! kell swear they did not know that any one but
Steele was interested in the purchase. Math-
| er and K. Schell cannot for will noil tell how
they learned that Fort Smelling was TO be sold,
but Mather links he learned it from the Ses-
sion Laws which did not appear TIL long af-
ter be was deep in the speculation, aud said
nothing relative to the sale Of Fort Smelling
when they did appear. IL fact, the amount
that Schel and Siather .'don't remember, .
scan't recollect,9 = @don't know" &C.. about
this whole business, is most blasting.
I 8. Messrs. Eastman and HeiskeH gave ne
q ~ bn 1oaef atanre N hifl
upon or purchase this property, or any part of
il. Heiskell, when pushed by the Committee
On this point, thought he had told the bar-ten-
der 1t his hotel that he was there to sell Fort
Smelling. As Eastman had been for some
weeks surveying the tract, he should at least
have ascertained the number o. acres, but II
does not appear that he did Before bis col
league had fairly found time to walk over the
tract, they had sold it for S90s0UO, onc-thlrd
cash, to the only person they had permitted tf
know that they were commissioned 10 sell. No
body In ST. Paul, in st. Anthony, IN Ninneap-
olis-all then on FIRE with land speculation
nor even the eminent Democrats who, Oh sus
pieion that Fort Smelling was TO be sold, ha(
written the Secretary OF war, praying Tor
chance to buy--were allowed to know anything
on the subject till the sale was consnlnmited
9 And it is as morally certain as that there vii
be frost next winter, that, had Messrs East
r man and Heiskell really wished to get goo'
: price for the Reserve, they might have hnisNe'
: surveying it into forty acre lois, gwen eaen
number, and solicited sealed bids for each
all of those lots, the highest bid for any one t
. take it if the cash were duly Forthcoming, AM
: could thus have obtained at least > S4Vu,e0'
: down, Instead of 100000. one-thlrd down, tn
: balance in one and two years Then the PEG
ple would have been fairly treated, and tn
Government not dishonored, contrary TO VIVA
). is now the case And when Eastman was ask
! ed by the Committee why they did not adver
: tse the property, lie made the ridiculous an
4 swer that hen Il would not haze been a pr
q Uate sale
: 10. We have said that he green Secretar
y never sought nor took the advice OF the prope
e military authorities as to the expedieney 9
&c practicabIity of abandoning Fort Smelling
s and it was only reserves no longer needed e
IF military purposes that he was authorized to SCI
) Adj. Gen. Thomos visited the northwest pos
% officially last summer, and on his return rePor
+ ed to Gen. Scott, bearing strong testlnon
against this unfortunate sale. Gen. Sco
: transmitted this Report to the Department,
= was his duty. Secretary Floyd indorsod thes
- on a most unfair and insulting commentar
e closing thus;
i aWhen this Department isrequired torepo
: ito subordnates under what circumstances /
p post at Fort Smelling was sold, or any 9th
= act was done, the duty shall be performed; b
d until then a sulilitary man. will probably u
Il derstand that superior in authority Is not
ID be called on for an explanation Of any ord'
al 81. B. FLOYD, Secretary Of War.
c. Now Adj Gen. Thomas had never requir
4, lin to report anything whateyer-had !