Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-22
INDIANAPOLIS, IND, MONDAY,

} W S. T. Morton. at 50 50 apece-made accord
ing to sample, which he himself furnished me
Had difficulty in getting the goods Inspected al
the State Quartermaster's Department in Indian
apolis / went there with nv boxes, and when
the boxes were examined, it was found that some
of the straps were cut too short-those took
buck was asked who authorized me TO make
those articles? | said, "Mr Morton" They
said. I'VE don't want them. replied, I'm take
them back pretty quick" Mr.. Morton came to
me and said. :. \ OC put me in a he'll of scrape;
they have bound me for 81 900 for the fulfill
ment of the contract, and now We have got to
pay the Inspector" / told him that would not
DO such thing; they might put me in jail. He
said. then. Supposed go3' replied, it was all
right, he might gO it was his place to go. being the
proper person, inasmuch as he ordered .he goods.
Away he went and saw Inspector; next morning
| went around to see the Inspector, and. to my
surprise, was treIted like a gentleman by him;
Mr.. Morton came around in an hour or two, and
said: 1--WE got it all right now; we got the boxes
through Since then tie gentleman having
charge Of the inspection has treated me very
kindly; then tried to get some money; the un
derstanding was, was to be paid cash for the
boxes on delivery; they amounted 10 1900;
Morton said 'he had no money! but SAID sit
would take but few days. you had better stay
on my farm for few days" NEEDED the money,
and Therefore insisted on getting IL; he then sug
| gested to let me have the money saving: "Sup
pose furnish you the money, it may take about
six months before you could get money!" he then
proposed to pay the money. provided | would
make deduction of IL 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 paid the Inspector two
days after the inspection; he paid me then re-
ceived 81 .050 90, being $3.50 less thar | was ell
titled to, including the $3.50 paid by Mr.. Morton
to She Inspector. Morton did not and could not
deny that the boxes we're made according to
sample; suffered the shave Of I2 per cent. be-
cause wanted the money and could not get it
in any other way; he proposed to pay the $3.50
himself to the Inspector in the first place, and
that should get out OF town quickly pos
sible | understood the boxes were turned out
to the Government at 50 80 to 50 IS
JAMES E. MOONEY of this city, thus testified
as to his knowledge of the foregoing transac-
/ ton:
Weatherby & Co of Cincinnati. we're sub
! contractors under W S. I. Morton for making
accoutremeuts Morton's contract price was
! 50 % set. He received the whole amount.
W. s. Il Morton has compromised with me Tor
the amount deducted by him from Weaherby &
Sons contract The account was assigned to
me by them, and they have an interest init. w.
/ S I Morton told my attorney, Thomas A.
Hendricks, that he paid eUery cent Of pratt get
them to pass inspection
Mr. MOONEY, in his testimony, gives the fol-
lowing information as to the manner contracts
were let by the State Quartermaster:
We made an effort to get the contract which
Governor Morton's brother w S T. Morton
got, but We were deceived by the officers. hey
lied 10 US as to the time when the contracts we're
to be let. Quartermtster General Vaien was the
] Il
goods to be manufactured. This was in Nav: in
the commencement OF our traiisaefions soon at
ter the war broke out. General Morris vas act
ing as QuartermasteF General, and he adver
tised for ) 900 sets OF accouterments. ] saw him
u few days after, and he said that he had advices
that the General Government would furnish those
goods. and that he would not contract Tor them
A few days aiterward ! had information that
they would be furnished here, as origi-
hally contemplated. In the meantime the
Quartermaster's office had changed hands
We inquired of Vdjen and he told US the ac-
contermen,s were TO be made, and he gave US Il
regulation pattern TO base bid upon. He told
US that they would advertise for proposals, which
they never 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
addresse a note to GoseTnOr Norton requesting
that he should see TO il, that Indiana mechanics
should have an opportunity to Did In few
days we heard that the contract was going to
Weirtherby 4 Son. OF Cincinnati. went 10
Cincinnati and Richmond, Indiana where one
thousand had been given out 70 Wiggius Co.
| went 10 Richmond TO see what kind of goods
they were making. We found that they were
very different from the article which they gave TO
us to base our bid upop, though they never gave
us opportunity to make bid The goods
ma, at Cincinnati were very inferior. The ac-
cOuterments made by Weatherby K Son, and
Virgins Co., were accepted AM used.
| In October last learned that the Quartermaster
needed 5000 shoulder straps for cartridge boxes.
proposed to furnish upper-eather straps for forty
cents and bridle leather straps for fifty cents. The
I Quartermasier told me he teegraphed that morn
ing and short time before, to Moore & Co. of Gin
cinnati, ordering 5000 upper leather straps at
sirfy cents; the same strap had proposed to fur
nish for forty cents proposed to him to coun
;ermand the order He said the party might have
purchased the material, and he did not like to
countermand the order He did not advertise
/ for proposals TO furnish the articles. / got the
information from labOrers in the establishment,
who told me | could get the contract ii ! would
do it upon joint account. and divide the profits
with them. i made proposition to fur
nish knapsack straps as early May or June.
/ The sample the Quartermaster gave me to base
| the bid upon was sewed. The sample the con-
/ tract was awarded on was riveted and at that the
contract was awarded at only One-quarter of a
cent less than had proposed for sewed straps. /
would make five cents strap difference between
sewed and riveted straps Tho sewed is the reg
ulation strap, and much the best. There was no
reason given for not awarding the contract ac-
cording to the sample strap submitted. The
contract was awarded to John Fishback, of this
city.
| JAMES SULGRovE, an old citizen a saddler for
thirty years, testified as follows:
Fishback and myself had contract with the
State for $500 infantry accouterments, for
SO I2 a set. Contracts were subsequently let
for the same article at 50 so a set. | bid for the
latter, but had no show for il. There were two
contracts, one at 50 80 and one at So %.
The SO 50 contract was filed here, and the
50 25 contract went TO A. Moore, Cincinnati,
who made more than one half OF the equipments
that came TO this place made sample and
put in IA bid at SO so. | thought could make
them no less and make them according to the
sample They would not let me have the con-
tract. The contract for those made was SO Is,
hut got only SO II. Virgins made one thou
sand.
After enumerating alarge amount of contracts
he had with both the State and General Govern
ment. Mr. SuLGRovE. in response to the ques-
ton. Estate whether either yourself, OF any per
son associated with you in your business opera
tions. has paid. as a bonus. or by way Of com
mission, to any officer of the State Government
or OF the General Government. or TO any person
connected with them. directly or Indirectly. any
sums of money whatever, either in the making of
contracts or in the adjustment Of contracssf" re-
pled as follows:
| have not paid the first dollar to any man.
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