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


man connected wish bin. That BENZ lie ease
finally agreed To make them Tor the same
sun Thereup0n one Of the parties held out a
hsif dollar ~ NE w the palm OF has band. 1ifb
a nod. which supposed 60 mean ] ~as 10 give
half dollar on elch saddle Bot ! never paid
It, Governor Morton came at me pretty rough
one day after he heard of this and got me IN
rather tight place The man who ir-t spoke
10 me about 10 Was Frank Murphy. he held out
the half doIiar TO me He told me aftersar,is,
howe,er, that he did not want IL, and | never
paid anything IL pretty hard any
way to take the job at so 10. but
| thought man at Evansville could
make them for that / could. After this /
believe met Vajen in Cincinnati think he
vas trying to get them made there. told him
he could not get il done. After the contract was
made. and was in Cincinnati buying stock. my
IMPRESSION is that Vajen spoke to me about the
hsif dollar upon making the articles. l only
agreed TO make six hundred at that time shen
the centrsct wss made There we're two hun
dred more to let. and Vajen was in Cincinnati
trying TO get them made | saw him and told
him that had commenced the job and that
would take the other two hundred. This was
few days after Frank Murphy made the halt dol
lar Suegestion. / suppose Vajen understood all
about il. That was my settled conviction.
tod him that could make the whole number
and he said I should make them. | think il
then he remarked that he thought that they
ought to have sax bits on a saddle-about seventy
FIVE cents. 4 do not know whether il was at this
time or not that he spoke about the fifty cents.
My impression that Vajen understood the
proposition of Murphy perfectly, and he thought
il should be seventy five cents, instead OF fifty
We never paid anything and never
intend TO. NJ understanding was that |
was to pay Frank Murphy half a dol
lar on each saddle From the conversation
| had with Vsien, | have no doubt he thought
that there some understanding between me
and Frank Murphy. MY understanding was that
Vaen had nothing to do with letting that con
tract. In fact, told Vsjen, perhaps not him, but
Murphy, that would pay him for his trouble If
got the contract. The conversation with Vajen
amounted to this-that instead of fifty cents. it
ought TO be seventy-fve. | suggested that my
understanding with Murphy was, that should
pay only fifty cents. Previous TO that had told
Murphy-and i do not know but told Vajen,
but do not recollect-that We were doing moth
ing here; that the work was all going 60 Cncin-
natl: that We made better work than was made
there; and that If this contract was TO be let by
Wood for the United States, there was no harm
in getting Us the contract if they could. | did
not say anything about the price but said that VI
would do it as low as anybody. My understand
ing was, fifty cents To apply To the whole lot
both the six hundred and the two hundred. If
there is any blame To attach to any One perhaps
little attaches To myself. tor told Frank Muir
ply If he would get me the contract would pay
him for his trouble Do not know that said
this TO Vajen. Frank Murphy was in the Office
with Vajen. Governor Morton got word of this
and he came TO me aud wanted to know whether
this thing he had heard was So and gave him
statement of facts just / have to you. that
had told these men il they got us the contract
would pay them for their trouble. This is what
/ meant by saying Governor Morton got me in
a tight place
Morton seemed to be little disturbed abou: IT,
He said had got to tell, or he would have the
matter investigated. | told him OF course
would tell him everything knew about it; that
if told him anything | would tell him the truth
And did That is all there is OF that a
When Virgins and got together | told him
what was expected: that they expected fifty cents
on each saddle. Virgins said he did noG like to
paw il. Ii they had been the men who let the
contract. | should have thought they ought not
to have it; but as they were outside operators as
tar as this contract was concerned, did not feel
so. But hare not paid ii. Ii was sand that the
Evansville men had agreed to pay their Fl ftv
cents. Frank Murphy told me that Virgins
told me after he got the contract that he never
intended TO pay il, and ire nerer haze Yes Wig
gins was disposed to adopt sharp practice. / can
not account for the fact that so large a portion
of the work went TO Cincinnati but erery man has
has CONNECTIONS.
JOHN REYNOLDS. sOn-inlaw and partner of
JAMES SuLsRovE, and saddler by trade, being
duly sworn thus responded:
do not know that have had any converse
ton with any officer of the State or National
Government, in reference TO the subject of com
missions brokerage for giving or obtain
ing contracts for furnishing Government
supplies since the breaking out of our
present difficulties. Sulgrove generally made
all the bargains. | have had some talk
with the parties after the bargains were made
We made lot of el4 saddles. and there was
some bargain about them between Sulsrove and
Frank Murphy. He not the man that gave
out the job. Wood gave out the lob. The job
was obtained through Murphy and Najen. There
was contract, some way another. to- allow
them fifty cents on each saddle, for obtaining the
contract. talked with Frank Murphy about it,
He came into store aiterward aud was talking
about the fifty cents. He said there was some
such talk that. but thar he did want the
money, aud would not take it, and would have
nothing To do With il. ! spoke to Vaien on the
subject He spoke once about getting the money
and sending it to Frank Murphy, after the job
all done This was two or three months
afierward. Frank Murphy was out in Middle
town Naien said Frank WAS in the butchering
Ouclhess anu Wdnteu some money, anu ne wanted
to Get that and send il to him He said it was
the money Tor obtaining the saddle contract
This was after the conversation with Frank
Murphy. Did not tell him what Frank had said
about it, because / going to see the latter
again aud see what he said about il. told Vajen
we had no money to spare ut the time Vaien
came TO our store and wanted me To let
him have il, or hand il to one of his
men. (Hilderbrand) so that he could send il out.
Vajen did not want il paid to himself. but wanted
it directed to Frank Murphy, and handed to iii
derbrand. to be sent TO Middletown. He said the
money wanted for fifty cents each of those
saddles. | think Najen and Murphy acted TO
gether. 1t through Frank Murphy the con-
tract was got. | remember Governor Morton
coming to our store and having conversation
with SulgTove That visit was after Frank Muir.
ply told me he would not take the fifty cents |
cannot tell how it happened he came in and said
he would not take the fifty cents. unless il was
that he had heard some rurnors around He spoke
10 me about there being "A rumor of the tranSac-
ton around town. IL WAS some time IN January
that had the conversation with Naien about civ
ing the money 70 his cierS. The contract IS
let in September)
ANDREW J. HINEsLEY, saddle and harness
maker, of this city, gave the following testimony
in reference 10 the letting OF contracts:
made an effort to get a contract for harness
BY the advertisement the contract was to be let
y the third of the month: and when put nv
bid on the record. ajen told me the contract had