The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-01-27
THE FEN1AN FIGHT.
Report by eeneraI sweeney.

PURCHABE OF ARMS AND AMMUNITION.
TO the tissue of falsehoods uttered by B. D.
Kilian, with reference to the transactions men
A ned on page 3 of his report, I, as Secretary Of
" #, can make no better reply than TO submit to
tie Fenian Brotherhood the entire corresoon-
d rce between my Adjutant-Ge General and Messrs.
jerks and Mitchell, OF Philadelphia
BRIDEsBURG ARMoRY, PHILADELPHIA, Novem-
Der l. 1866. COLD. el q. G. Tevis--Dear Sir:-Wo
will take fifty thousand dollars in currency. for the
seventy-6ve hundred rifled muskets on haud at our
almorY, delivered in this city, with bayonets IN
Government regulation cases, each holdinR twenty
mutkets This offer to be bmoinG on us Tor two
weeks. Yours truly, ALFRED JENKs SON.
NEw YORK, November 49, 1o65 b d. Kil;an,
ESQ, Secretary OF the Treasury, Il. B.-Slr-l have
the honor Ly direction Ot the sUci ctary OF War F.
B.,to present the lnclosed report, accompanied by
his II oo1sement, for your action. Among number
OF OF ers ma de TO furi Ish thai Of Messrs Jenke
& Mitchell Is by far the most advantageous fhe
than any o hers presented, tho difference being
about III the aggregate $4,000 General Sweeney IS
desirogs of securing lot OF 1900 Immediately. Ihe
Spr'ngfed nfed musket is NOT TO be obtaned at any
OF th, United sta es arsenas, ordcrs having been
issued TO exc ude tnat description of muskee from
ali public sales shall nave the honor OF calling on
you for swer tomorrow morning, at8 a. NJ
Very respectfully, your obedienG servant. mt
b igadier.General and Adjuant-General f. B.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT, F. B.. NEW YORK, No.
yemOer II, 1866 he Secretary OF the Treasury
know the the receipt OF az bI @ T0@ m 9e H SSSr
for Immediate use in conformity with the resolution
Of the Senate appropnating $4,000 for the War De-
The Secretary of the Treasury begs to say, in
reply that the appropriation by the Senate authorizes
him 10 place S50,0O0, as sooa as received TO the
CT dit OF The War Depat tment books but that
tn disburs ment OF that sum or smaller sums, must
be maue vouchers certified 10 by the Secretary of
and approved as i'll other cases upon war ants
uron the treasury. rhe secret service is the only
one on which the Secretary OF War can draw with
out fl rg vouchers in the ireasuly Department, and
for tue manifest that such service precudes
the ohcy" OF vouchers ..
To st cure uniformity in accounts and the proper
maua cement of this dep artIue both tO demand
and supply, it is essential tnat all disbursements
should come under the supervision OF the secretary
OF the Treasury. who will respect the approval of
the Secretary OF war ana otnet hea q OI uepart-
ments. To hat end ali payments to third parties
will be made by warrants on the Treasurer, TO be
presented by tie parties IN inter- Ct at the Treasury
department This relieves officers of bureau
from the disbursement of funds, and
enables them to occupy th'lr, whole time
with duties more cOgna,e TO their respective
stations. The Paymaster is of course, excep-
ton, tor the benefit troops il ths fed In reler-
eGce 10 the requ ston Tor $1,000, the Secretary
pegs to assure the Secretary of War that he will
forthwith take measures to act on he reference and
of;he 18Th. To this end, Messrs. - will be re-
ouested to forward their proposal terms of payment
Wi assume the form of contract and bo paid on
account by this department on application OF Messrs.
by the Secretary Of War should the Secretary re-
ouife sums for current expenditure, he will please
ut ach vouchers to the inclosed forms and certify
to the amounts when payments will be Immediately
made very uuy, D. DoEAN GILLIAN, r,
General Thomas w. Sweeney, Secretary of Mill
tary Affairs.
General Tevis notified Mcssrs. jerks and
Mitchell that their terms were accepted, but
according TO the further correspondence, which
we are obliged to omit owing to our crowded
space the arms were not purchased on account
of the delay and the action of Mr.. Killian.
General Sweeney closes AS folio ws:-
1t is only necessary to add here that Messrs.
jerks and Mitchell did not accept Mr.. b. ID.
Kilhan's terms, either from doubts OF his per-
sonal ability to fulfil them, or from the fact
that the Fenian Brotherhood not being a char
tered association, warrants on its treasury pos
sess market value.
That B. D. Killian does not "now hold the
refusal of the same = = at the price agreed
upon" and that the owners have not very
kindly consented 10 allow the Brotherhood the
amount forfeited, owing to their feeling of
uncertainty in the capacity of General s., with
his present associations to pay for the articles"
Iefer you to the following contract:-
NEW YORK. November 80, 1866 Tins agreement
made the Goth of November, 1866, witnesseth that
Of Philadelphia, seyenty.dv hundred Sprin zneld
rifed muskets now boxed and stored in the armory
of Alfred jerks & Son, at Bridesburg, for the sum
OF fifty thousand dollars, on the following terms and
conditions viz -
signing this agreement, payment hereof Is hereby
acknowledged, and the balance in cash within sixty
-saii payment of one thousand dollars to be for
t sted to Alfred jerks & Son If the agreement is
not tully carried OUT Dy Y. y leYs.
ALFRED JENKs & Son.
c. @. TEvIs.
witnessed by William NJ. White.
B. d. Killian if paid British agent, could not
have chosen better plan to invite the interfe-
renee of the United States GogeTnmentthan this
very negotiation. England is protessedly a
friendly power, and this open purchase of arms by
an ASSOCIATION whose aVoWed purpose is to attack
her as soon as possible might have compelled
the prohibition bv the authorities of any such
sales. | had endeavored to avoid any such
danger. 1t was the act of either traitor or an
imbecle to do otherwise
b. d. Killian has misappled the term mill
tary adventurers, If he refers to the officers of
my department. They are, without exception,
educated gentlemen, whose social position is
unequivocal, and whose military reputation has
been earned in the field They are unwilling to
become tools, but this character in the past is a
guarantee for their future, aud cannot be in
iured by anything Which can be coined oy b. ID.
Killian, for the purpose OF destroying the conf.
dence OF the Brotherhood in their a6illty and
integrity.
b. D. Killian's cowardly and mysterious in
situations about "subOrdnaes who expected 8
handsome commission on the sales," are of 8
piece with his other ISLANDERS and are too con
temptible to need Teiutatlon.
In my simplicity, had imagined that nearly
twenty years experience as an othcer mad quail
fed me TO Judge OF the requirements OF an army
about to take. the field better than even the
talented ex-editor, exland broker, eX-frend o
Thomas DARCY McGee, B. Doran Killian, coul(
possibly do, and had also supposed that, as i
were b. u. Killian's vouchers for moneys pai'
me by him.
/ imagined that /, too, needed vouchers u
proye 10 the Brotherhood-for to them, and no