The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-05-01

to the firm of Nicola Davidson, OF New York
City. Among the items Which the correspond
emit discovered, he enumerates the following
Article. Real value. Price charged.
clock 100 90 S4S5 10
! Chandelier. 900 90 5000 90
20 mlrrors...-...teach $50 90 S5 o.
/ crimson curtaln..... I..... l,SoV w
cOrnice............ .... quo W
40 srittuons. $3.50. soo w
The estimated real value in the case of the
article of which the real value Is omitted from
the above table, is considerably less tMN one.
third Of the ''price charged" Tor them IN the
same table. The correspondent also says that
Stuart sntphen. tmeaning Stuart & S%ntphea)
oil Brooklyn. have. furnished carpets
enough at 81 so a yard to fit out every private
house in 8 Columbia" He then goes on to de-
scribe surdry diversions ofthe negro leglsla.
tors, and winds mp BY saying that the whole
bill 1or reiurnish:ng the Statenouse is S92-
500.
Believing that Messrs. Stuart, Sutphen & Co.
could and would be eager to throw some lighl
on this transaction, c representative Of the
Eagle proceeded to their store this afternoon
to see and learn what they had TO ommSni
cate on their own account. To this end, refer
ence was had to Mr.. Hardenburgh, OF the firm,
a well known gentleman of Brooklyn, and an
honored member of the board OF education.
The following Interview will be read with in
terest:
INTERVIEW WITH STUART, sUTPHEN & co.
Eagle. I have called. Mr.. Hardenburgh, to
fsf II you were willing to make any state
ments in reference 20 the Sun statement OF the
Dennis, Of Columbia, for articles contributed
by your firm and others to the refurnishing OF
the Statehouse OF South Carolina.
Mr.. Hardenburgh. Certainly, sir; but what
is the Sun article? Let me see.
Here Mr.. Hardenburgh took out OF his
pocket a Sun, OF Saturday. 1t had nothing IN
it in reference to the matter, but the Eagle
representative read to him the letter OF IA.
p" in the Sun of to-day, whereupon Mr.. aar-
denburgh, speaking to that letter, said:
In the first place, the Sun says the total OF
the bill is s92, 500. Now, the bill of this firm is
SOL s4 60, all told; the bills of Nicol Il David
SON are two, one for less than S2l 900, the
other ior about $4,000 odd. The whole of the
bills actually charged by us THAT is. by both
firms is less than $50. 900. How s92, 500 can
be said TO be charged, I do not understand.
Eagle. Could there be such q thing as stuart
reasonable amounts you mention, and then
for the legislative Off :ers to charge the State
s92. 500, paying you the face OF your bills and
pocketing the remainder
Mr.. B%ardenburgh. OF that l leave you TO
Judge. The way OF 1t, so far as We are con-
cerned, is this Last summer was on duty IN
the store. Mt. Stuart was among the Thous1-
and Islands. Nj. Sutphen was also away; l
wish YOU to know that those gentlemen had
nothing TO do personally with these negotia-
tions. OF course they Stand by my ACTON.
but it was not their personal action. MT. Den
his came to me and showed me an order from
Franklin j. Moses, speaker Of the South Caro-
lima Assembly, and also signed by the Lieu
tenant. Governor, SAYING that there had been
Sl25. 900 appropriated for reiurnishing the cap
!tol. He 1ontcd me toGuoD him a commission
on the order ii he lcoald get RS me 700. he
wasShairmsn ofthe commlttee on relurnisniag.
I did not take at first to the Idea OF commlsslon
1t was not our usual way. l asked MIN IL we
would be paid in cash Or in State bonds. He
said in cash, and all we would have TO 90
would be 10 send in our bill when the Woik
was done. After that we talked again about
commissions, and finally II was P M as a "a, u sas
al rate OF ten per cent. or less. the WORK was
to be done by the lst OF November. l attended
to little else but arranging the articles and get
tine them shipped. They we're in anu ready
on lime. I did not get the money as l expect
ed, and 1spent two mouths OF this winter, from
January to March 3. IN Columbia, trying 10
get nv payment What bills went In l do not
Know. Fur fear OF being mls-iGentiled with
such a thing as lobbying, never went into the
capitol but twice all winter, and once was 10
see the candelier lighted up. The most l dld
was to make Jut my firm bill, S2l.2 9 60, andlo
send it TO tie Governor and TO MI. Dennis. l
was told a!terward that the bill appropriatinS
money for nv bill, for Nice! & Davidson and for
other bills hal passed. ] came home with the
following check:
IL THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
COLUMBIA, s. G., February :, 1871. y
To the Treasurer Of The State Of South Caroline:
Pay to J. B. Dennis. or order, twenty-ons
thousand two hundred and ninely.four 69-lO0
dollars, for expenses Of relurnisning and re-
ftiinr The Statehousc. +. J. MOSES,
Attest: A. O. Jones, CLERK. Speaker.
put this check IN the hands OF Henry Clews
g. Co., New York, Tor collection, and you see
il is endorsed J. B. Dennis, Stuart " Sulpnen,
Henry Clews & Co., and Hardy solomon. me
latter is president oil the State Bank OF south
that no funds 50 designed had been appro-
uriatel by the State or were in The State
treasury. 1t seems the Governor had vetoed
the bill for appropriations after its passage.
In that bill the payment OF my account anu OF
Nich16; & Davidson had been provided ior.
Eagle. So you have not yet been paid
Mr.. Hardenburgh. No, sir; not a cent; not
my expenses; not the money advanced 10
get the things out of freight. Thu sum owing
on the bill is s2l, 29i 60. II is g fair bill; a oil!
which any one is ut liberty 10 examine our
books to see is fair and just. In regard 10 the
$92. 500 ! know nothing; that is nearly TWICE
our bill and Nicol & DG"ids0n's put together,
as I have told you.
Mr.. uardenburgh also said that the carpets
he furnished We're the exact quantity which
Mr.. Dennis ordered; and tho curtain back Of
the speakers chair was furnished in accord
ance with the directions OF Mr.. Dennis and
the speaker himself, who were mp North last
summer, and who lett directions with Mr.. Har-
denbur.h what kind OF curtain was needed.
ue went over the curtain item By item-thirty
yards OF silk fringe at 50 50 . yard; u full piece
OF brUcateile at nearly Sl2 u yard III geld; tas-
sells a: SIG SO a pair. &c, all paid for by Mr..
Hardenturgll in the New YORK market. Ine
bureh paid cash for the goods he furnished,
cash ior their shipping ana freight, casa TOR
putting them up, and is now denied even me
paymenS o: the Dill, which is just, AMI the Dill
Itself seems to have been doubled BY the legs
lative committee, not for his benefit, but lor
their own.
OF TIE WORTHLESS.
From the South Carolina papers we learn
tina. John B. Dennis lives in Columbia; is elect
ed a member OF the Legislature from Charles
ton, having boarded at the Mills House a week,
in order to be able to say that he represents
the district.
Its only fair to Dennis to say that Mr.. Har-
denburgh fouud him all square in his dealings