Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-16

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wash sw ~aes. Repsrs sa sovernmcnt
csasvacss &c The - patstettc. Csns
tractors % ssAsana>>saass the .. sucy
Gees.
The report deselope some strange tsansac
tons In reference to a contract for three thousand
cartridge boxss which fell into the hands OF the
Hon. W 8. T. MosroS. brother Of Governor
MoRros. . gentleman who Is known to possess
great business energy and shrewdness. We viii
eonosncs The vensilation Of this transaction By
the testimony Of Jxxp WrkrHERBy. in Of the
frm Of wEArHxnsr 4 Sos, harness makers.
doing business in Cincinnati. Ohio:
Imade about three thousand cartridge boxes for
W T. Morton. at 81 50 apiece-made accord
ing "a ssmpls. which he himself furnished me.
Had dificulty in getting the goods Inspected at
the State Qoartermasters Department IN Indian
apolis. / went there with my boxes. and when
the boxes we're examined. it was found that some
of the straps we're cut too short-those took
back. ~as askei ~bo authorized me TO make
those articlesf I said. "Mr.. Morton" They
said. ave don't want them. l replied. IL II take
them back pretty quick Mr.. Morton came 20
me and said. "Yoe put me IN hell Of scrape;
they have bound me for 81 900 for the fulfill
pay the Inspector" i told him that would not
do such thing: they might put me in jail. He
said. then, Supposed GOT" | replied. il was all
right he might CO. il his place to 60 being the
proper person. inasmuch as he ordered .ne goods
Away be went and saw Inspector; next morning
1 went around TO see the Inspector, and. TO my
surprise. 1 wss trested like gentleman By him;
Mr. Morton came around in an hour or two. and
said: I'VE got il all right now; we got the boxes
fhrou he I'm hay
charge Of the inspection has treated me very
kindly: then tried % get some money; the
derstanding was, was 10 be paid cash for the
boxes on delivery: thes amounted 10 81 500;
Morton said 'he had no money but SAID sit
would take but few days; you had better stay
on my farm for a few days" needed the money,
and therefore insisted getting t; he then sug
gestel TO let me have the money, saving: "Sup
pose furnish the money. il may take about
six Isonihs before you could get money" he then
proposed 60 pay the money, provided would
make deduction of l2 per cent; | accepted the
proposition, needing the money very badly;
think he paid the Inspector $3.50; he told me so
himself; he told me he pain the Inspector two
days after the Inspections: he paid me then;
ceived 81 $50 90. being $3.50 less than was en-.
titled 60, including the $3.50 paid by DIR. Morton
TO he Inspector. Morton did not and could not
deny that the boxes were made according to
sample: suffered the shave of IL per cent. be
cause wanted the money and could not get it
In any other wsy: he proposed to pay the $l50
himself to the Inspector IN the first place. and
that should get out of town rs quickly pos
sible. understood the boxes were turned out
to the Government at 50 90 to 81 10.
JAxks Z MOONEY, of this city, thus testified
as to his knowledge of the foregoing transac-
ton:
Weatherby 4 Co.. of Cincinnati. were sub
contractors under w. s. L. Morton for making
accoutrements. Mortons contract price was
- % set. he received the whole amount
w. ) L. Norton has compromised with for
the amount deducted by him from Weatherby 4
Sons contract- The account assigned to
me by them. aud they have an interest in it, w.
s. L. Morton told my attorney, Thomas A.
Hendricks. that he paid erery cent Of profit 10 get
them 10 pass inspections
Mr.. MooSEr. in his testimony. gives the fol-
lowing Information as TO the manner contracts
were let oy the State Quartermaster: -a
We nude an effort to get the contract which
Governor Mortons brother, W. ). L. Morton,
got. but We were deceived by the officers. I hey
lied to u as the time when the contracts were
to he let Qusrtermaster General Najen the
officer. He deceived Us also tn the quality of
goods IN be manufactured This in May; in
the commencement of our transactions, soon al
ing as Quartermaster General, and he adver-
tised for 1000 sets OF accouterments. ] saw him
"A few days after, and ne said that he had advices
that the General Government would furnish those
goods and that he would not contract for them
A few days afterward | bad information that
they would be furnished here, as origi
bally contemplated. In the meantime the
Qusrtermasters Office had changed hands
We inquired OF Vyeu and he told Us the ac-
coutermeats were 10 be made. and he gave
regulation pattern To base bid upon. He told
that they would advertise for proposals, which
they did. We watched the papers and
were anxious to make bid for the goods. We
wanted the goods made here We got an init
nation that they were going to Cincinnati. and
addressed a note to Governor Morton, requesting
that he should to it. thar Indiana mechanics
should have opportunity To bid. la few
days We heard that the contract was going 10
Weutl,erby & Son. OF Cincinnati. | went to
Cincinnal aud Richmond. Indiana, where one
thousand hid been given out to Virgins & Co.
l went To Richmond To see what kind of goods
they were making. We found that they we're
very different from the article which they gave to
Us to base our bid upon. though they never gave
opportunity make a bid The goods
ma at Cincinnati were very inferior. The ac-
couterments made by Weatherby < Son. and
Virgins & Co, were accepted ami used.
In October last learned that the Quarternaster
neesfed 5oO0 shoulder straps for cartridge boxes.
proposed to furnish upper-eather straps for forty
cents, anu bride leather straps for fifty cents The
Quarter told me he telegraphed that morn
ing and short time before, To Moore Co, of Gin
cinnati. ordering 5000 upper leather straps at
sixfy cents; the same strap had proposed TO fur
nish tor forty cents. proposed to him to coun-
teru.snd the order. He said the party ight have
purchased the material, and he did like to
countermand the order. He did not advertise
for proposals to furnish the articles. got TIE
information from laborers in the establishment.
who told me could get the contract il | would
do !; upon joint account. and divide the profits
with them. | made proposition 10 fur
nish knspsack straps early as May on June
The sample The Quartermaster gave me TO base
the bid upon was sewed The sample the con
tract awarded on veted and at that the
CONTRACTS awarded at only one-quarter of a
cent less than had proposed for sewed straps
would make i've cents strap difference between
sewei and rveted straps. The sewed i the reg
uiation strap. and much the best There MAS 10
reason given for not awarding the contract ac-
cordng To the sample strap submitted. The
contract was awarded to John Fishback. Of this
city.
JAMES SrIeRovE, an old citizen. saddler for
thirty years. testified as follows:
Fishback and myself had contract with the
State for 3.eOo infantry accouterments, Tor
50 u set Contracts were subsequently let
for the same article At - 50 set bid for the