Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-04-16

for the period Where docs Special Agent Brown
get the S2I.N,0 he credits Smith with having saved to
the Treasury:
OLYMPIA Sept. 10th, 1862.
! Dear Sir: Owing to the the extraordi-
nary management of the United States Ma
riuc Hospital at Port Townsend, by Victor
Smith. Esq, Collector of Customs of Puget
Sound District, allow me to state the facts
connected Herewith. june 1861, made tho
arq,,aiu. 'hce of Mr.. Smith, while ON orr
passage from New York to San Francisco.
Being on my return to California with my
| wife. and out of business, was DESTROYS of
forming an engagement.
Mr.. Smith stated to me that the Treasury
Department was dissatisfied with the Marine
Hospital at Port Townsend, wished to cmtail
its expenses, and soon to raise it from third
to a second or first-class Hospital. In order
| to asc' ain the exact cost of Keeping Hospital
patients. with this view, he proposed to mo
to proceed to Port Townsend, take from him
Il contract in the usual form to provide for the
sick aud disabled s-a,ncn OF Puget Sound
District, with the following verbal agreement
between ourselves.
That | should net as general superintendent
of the Hospital; purchase supplies; act as
steward, and my wifi, as ma;ron; that lie
would meet tho bills at maturity. SO that |
need not employ any capital. and that | could
have the place or one as good during the I'd
ministration. AS Il compensation for these
services he was to furnish provisions for my
self and wife from the Hospital stores, the
llst OF our rooms, and pay one thousand gol-
lars per annlln, IN cash
- \ ~,
to be disposed Of Il, i,llnws Ga" hundred
dollars were to he given to \. !. Davis, rs a
Newspaper fand. per month. The remaining
profits We're to be ,loaa;vd to the Government
for wa" expenses.
Accordingly exrcutcl Il contract with the
proper securities, on The l2h If Sept. 1861,
to furni n relief to the sick and disabled sea.
men of Puget Sound District. No 1903, a copy
of which is on file in the Office Of tie Treas
ury Department.
As proceeded to fill the contract. Mr..
Smith paid me miscellaneous from time to time,
and also some bills certified by mo to be cor
rect. He also Interested himself in hiring
surgeon of the Hospital. Daring last winter
h" purchased stores, probably t. the amount
of six hundred dollars. (>G0O,OO) sometimes
with very bad Judgment. The cost of these
were charged to me.
About the first Of March he brought me
four hundred dollars 100 0O) which he had
charged to me, and requested ne to remit it
to 4. j. Davis.
About this time he requested me to draw
draf, on the Hospital fund not yet received, in
favor of l.. Is. Hastings and with it borrow
the money for his, Smiths, private use. This
declined to do
On tho 10Th Of April, 1862, we settled for
the quarter ending Dec. 3l,t and April 3O;h.
which showed Il profit of sixteen hundred and
thirty two dollars and seventy five cents ST.
G32 - above the four hundred aforesaid.
This profit l left with Mr.. Smith and took
his recrip: rs donation to the war fund sub
tect to the draft of the Secretary OF the Treas
ury. to whom copy Of this receipt has been
transmitted
Abou. this time have reason to think
that Mr.. Smith in his report to the Secretary
of the Treasury, stated that he had conducted
the Hospital as if it had been one cf the first
class, paying the contractor eighteen hundred
dollars per annum, and the matron six hum
drcd. AS this rcpor. is on file in the Office
Of tue Secretary OF the Treasury, refer you
to it for its contents.
From time to time, Mr.. Smith purchased
supplies from the Hospital stores, for his fam
lily. to the amount Of about ono hundred and
twenty dolla,s (Sl20 O0) for which he has
failed to pa: up to this date.
About the first of May, he requested me to
lc, him take five hundred and fifty dollars
of Hospital funds to purchase medicines, ETC..
in New York. for the Hospital. After much
importantly, reluctantly rcceipcd TO him
for the amount as payment on my contract,
anu took his receipt to account tor it mt the
close of the quartar ending june 3oth. 1862.
have re .eivcd no account of this except an
invoice fabout seventy dollars worth of goods
shipped to me by an expensive route, inclnd-
ing eighteen dollars worth of medicines and
ten boxes of washing soap, which is not worth
the trrgh. had to pay on it.
At the expiration Of my contract, june 30.h,
1869. no provision had been made by Mr.
Smith to meet bills for Hospital expenses.
From the fist had nessessariy incurred
these expenses on my own credit, as parties
very properly refused TO furnish supplies on
the account of Mr.. Smith, the Marine Hos
pital, or the United States. These parties de-
mandcd payment of me. and knowing was
both legally and justly bound, wishing to
avoid cost, mortgaged my real estate and
borrowed the money to pay the most pressing
bills paying interest at tho rate OF two per
cent. per month. The wages Of the Hospital
cook and nurse, and bill of medicines in all
about five hundred dollars remains unpaid.
Mr. Smith has charged me with four hun
bred dollars as money paid to Owen Thomas,
NJ. d., Surgeon of the Hospital, whicl, sum