New-York tribune., 1871-09-22
MURPHY'S CONTRACTS.


ouartermastef- General, City Of New-York, on the
th Of Aagash ic6s fos 20 ooo hAes lwas tne lowest
ssiS s SkesS M vine NuspSy L aTisxsid and shssshal
B. Nichols received each . contract for o9eo9 hasss
sler contracts bsins gwen Sept ises NY Sid We
Nchoa ,Okie Msryky pst IN no Did at all; Mr. Murphy
told mo could NOT make the hats for the price.
Scssy on the contract but could by taking It keep
nylnsn employed; that they had been employed on
Government work for come time, and they might a.
wen Be ft on III ss hpny TasSs tSd 70 bring
sampo 10 his office, and took down. think, ten or
twelve cases he called the Inspector. who said 1e
st the office, but were not quite ss fine; the Colonel
said "We must have them up to the sample-up 70
the standard !" went home and made up some, t aaa
week; the Colonel said 'Do you think these are 9P
20 the standard said Yes and he ssid ssbt or tan
send the hats along" think the nrss s,sas II Of
those made according TO the last samples only hye
ten IN all were rejected; ct one time We s nuS
short Of and aupSy sSms saS hats ne and
TO make them; gave to Mr., Murphy the figuring, t G
mixtures etc. just as though w soms mste te {s {fSem
Sui Ms1vsy Msayss S told ms that hs and
eman-I think Mr. sheathar.naah peen @ GNE M tng
Tiasos's % s %ifs; siso heard scmethi.g about Co..
& Ssss ss sss iss. ssG g. H. e; ..sas % ' esss sIss %
eortracts II he scdnted them: he got contracts for
sS ssss and sssS ssssSrd s's ssu 0 s s S: xsss sse s.
me in the manufacture of hats for the Government,
and have no objection to giving them, and win do
the m the MIXTURE 81 81 fs 1 nor Sas 1S
S oony, rS csrroted een as raw
forty ounces No. extra; fifteen ounces short
Subscribed and sworn to before me. this 9TH day Of
N D,ll IN, ,oudf forG utv Of
"vERY POOR QUALITY"
Leander Williams, q native Of the United States
aged sc years, residing at Orange. New-Jersey, ana
by occupation ahat manufacturer, being duly swom5
deposes aud says: I have been during the past 10
years, and am now, engaged in the hat manufactur-
ing business have made about 80 600 uniform hats
fs %t dgg et the
contractors: Sheathar & Nichols, and Murphy q
GrswSld The quality Of the material Of a tine ea1s MS
by me, was inferior, with the exception OF those
furnished by Sheathar & Nichols; the workmen in
Of the material and Iconsider the material furnished
to be in the main of rey poor quality in my opinion
IS practical hat do not S;.0d consider ,G
be worth more than $40 per dozen as whole, while
some are 50 poor as not to be worth the labor OK.
on which Murphy & Griswold furnished these hats,
but made them up for them about July; 1864,
Sworn to, &c, E. I. KOCH, Notary Public.
BURR's UNSIGNED AFFIDAVIT.
Tho following is tho highly important affidavit men
toned above In Col 0cotts card, as sworn to before
him during the Of the investigation by Henry A.
Burr manufacturer and Patentee OF process for
making felt hats by machinery. AS above explained,
after swearing to this Mr.. Burr failed to return
and afnx hs signature to the document when
written out from the stenographo notes, under
what influences the circumstances alone can In
dicate. The affidavit following this one Is from
the foreman of his establishment who aso' doubtless
under the influences failed In like manner 10 re-
turn and a6x his signature 10 It, One OF tnese gentry
appeared on stand in the investigation
before the Commission where his testimony materially
eonficted with that given here his judgment being
ouiokened and his memory refreshed by what influences
the above again indicate Aside from
the fact witnesses first to the statements
In the adsvits given and did not contradict these
statements until opportunity for plying them with pow
erfu arguments interested parties had been aHordeo
the peculiar and quite remarkable crcumstantallty OF
these adavis in itself the best evidence that the men
were swearing the truth in what they described 1t
will be secn that the afdavs not only give perfectly
futeigble description Of the felt hat manufacture but
also conclusiyely establish the fact that the hats fur
nished by Mr.. Thomas Murphy were deliberate and
~illful case of the most shameful shoddy:
State Of Neg- York, CITY and CoIny Of Ne,c, York g.
81 years, residing at No. q st. Marks place, New
Yoik, by occupation a manufacturer Of hat bodies
Col b. III. Vinton, Deputy Quartermaster-G General,
CITY of New-York, and went to Col. Vinton's office
to obtain information respecting the contract OF OF
Aug O. 1862, for army hats, and for the purpose OF
putting in bids thereon, but which contract was
awarded to Sheathsr e. Nichols, at 81 81 per hat f;
the man there, Who in reply to the question
whether those were the kind OF hats they wanted,
eaid they were he then saw Col. Vinton, who gave
% Of WScS tie hats Were to be
composed the quantity Of such ingredients, and the
manner in which the hats should be made he then
ofal nd Oof COZ
precisely in accordance With the specifications, and
found il was better hat than the one shown he
bid by, whether the specification OF the sample hat
and yey sSrugtEy an V;n On Sir
he @ Se to @ S1ns
been requested by various responsible hat-makers-
some of the most responsible and respectable In the
% and hid for the hats and if successful in obtain
fne the contract to find the fur and form the hats
and allow them to make them, parceling the hats
ss the times were very dull to keep their hands oc
cupied, without themselves making any profit he
Conversation sNs 3 % With him he Went and told Col VIM
n .annot %ts stop am going dinner Vent to Col
beng eng" able to get an audience with that officer,
and finally gave the matter up entirely, not put
ting in one bid after this; on the above
which was as low as the hat could be made accord
ing to the specification, buying 800 600 worth Of fur
for cash when he put In hle last DID ne waited TILL
almost the last moment before he put it in, telling
Col Vinton again that there was q discrepancy
between the sample aud the specification, and ask
Ing him whether bids were to be put in according to
the sample OF the specification, and receiving again
the same answer as former occasion, " Specitca-
tion. Sir" when the bids were declared Oft there
vas one about 81 4S, that bid being put in, he
thinks, by man by the name of Sabey, whom de.
poDent would not trust to take lot OF hats ont OF
KS establishment to make without his (Sabey's)
paying for the forms he thinks there was another
small contract given out on which he bid the con-
tract not being awarded to him, and the hatters
h., he hat for