Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1876-03-10
The Evidence In the Case of Ex-Secre-
tary Belknap.


aIn the summer of 1870, myself and wife
spent three weeks at Long Branch, and on
our return to New York Mrs. Belknap and
Cher sister, Mrs. Bowers (the latter the pres
ent wife of the Secretary, the former raving
died in 1870 by our invitation cGme for a
visit to our house. Mrs 5elknap was i'll
during this visit some three or four weeks,
and, | suppose, in consequence of our kind
ness to her, she felt under some obligations,
for she asked me one day in the course of q
conversation why did not apply for post
leadership on the frontier. / asked what
they were, and was told that many of them
were very lucrative officers or posi-
tiens in the, gift of the Secretary OF
War, and that if | wanted one she would
ask the Secretary for one. Upon my re-
plying that thought such offices belonged
to disabled soldiers, and besides that was
without political influence, she answered
that politicians got such places, ETC., etc. /
do n0s remember saying that il | had val
liable post of that kind would remember
her, but 1 do remember her saying some
thing like this: If can prevail upon the
Secretary of War to award you post, you
must be careful to say nothing to him about
presents, for man once offered him $4,000
for leadership of this kind, and he told him
that If he did not leave the office he would
kick him downstairs Remembering,
as I do, this story, presume the
antecedent statement to be correct. Mrs.
Belknap and Mrs. Bowers returned to Wash
ington, and few weeks thereafter Mrs Bel
KNAPP sent me word to come over. | did so.
She told me the post-tradership at Fort Sill
was vacant; that it was valuable post as
she understood, and that she had either
asked for it for me, or had prevailed upon
the Secretary of War to agree to give it to
me. At all events called upon the Secretary
of War, and as near as ! can remember made
application for this position--a regular print
ed form. The Secretary said he would appoint
me if l could bring the proper letters and
recommendations, and this said could do.
Either Mrs. Belknap or the Secretary told
me that the present trader at the post, John
S. Evans, was an applicant for reappoint-
ment, and that had better see him, he being
in the city, as it would not be fair to turn
him out of Office without some notice, as he
would lose largely on his buildings, mer-
chandise, ETC.. il the Office was taken from
him, and that it would be proper and just
for me to make some arrangement with him
for their purchase if wished to run the post
myself. / saw Evans, and found him
alarmed at the prospect of losing the place.
1 remember that he said firm of
Western post-traders who claimed a good
deal of influence with the Secretary of War
promised to have him appointed, but he
found, on coming to Washington, this firm to
be entirely without influence. Evans first
proposed partnership, which declined,
profits if would allow him to hold the posi-
ton and continue the business. We final
ly agreed upon $4,000 per year. Evans
and myself went on to New York together,
where the contract was made and exc
cuted, which is herewith submitted. During
our trip over, however, Mr. Evans saw some
thing in the army and Nary Journal which
led him to think that some of the troops
were to be removed from the fort, and that
he had offered too large sum, and, before
the contract was drawn, it was reduced by
agreement to $4,000, the same being pay
able quarterly in advance. When the re-
mittance came to me, say, probably in
November, 1870, sent one'half to
Mrs Belknap, either, 1 presume, by
certificate Of deposit or bank notes
by express. Being in Washington at a
funeral, some weeks after this, | had con-
versation with Mrs. Bowers to the following
purport, as far as / can now remember, but
must say that just here my memory is ex-
ceedingly indistinct, and judge in part per-
haps from what followed as to details of the
conversation. went upstairs in the nurs-
cry with Mrs. Bowers to see the baby. L
said to her: This child will have money
coming to it before a great WHILE She said
yes The mother gave the child to
me, and told me that The money COM
ing from you she must take and keep
for it, I said All right and it
seems to me said that perhaps the father
ought to be consulted. | say it seems so,
and yet can give no reason for it, for as
far as knew the father knew nothing of.
any money transactions between the mother
and myself. l have faint recollection of a
remark of Mrs. Bowers that if l sent the
money to the father that it belonged to her,
and that she would get it anyway. | GER
tainly had some understanding then or SUBJ
sequently with her or him, for when the
next payment came due and was paid sent
one-half thereof to the Secretary of War,
and have continued substantially from
that day forward to the present
time to do the same. About
should say, one and one-half to two years
after the commencement of these payments,
reduced the amount to $4,000 per annum.
The reason of this reduction was partly be-
cause of combined complaints on the part OF
Evans and his partner, and partly, so far as
I now remember, in consequence of an arti-
Gle in the newspapers about that time re-
f1ecting on the injustice done to soldiers at
this fort, caused by eXorbitant charges made
necessary on the part of the trader by reason
of the payment of this bonus. To the best
fmy knowledge and belief, the above is
true statement of all the facts in the case,
and as complete as / can remember the oc-
currences of so many years ago."
In reply to questions, the witness further
stated that subsequent to the death of the
former Mrs. Belknap, in 1870, the pay.
ments were sent according to the in
structions of the Secretary of War,
sometimes in bank-potes by express, some
times by certificates of deposit, and some
times he had paid the Secretary in
person, in New York. The payments
thus made would aggregate about $4,000.
The witness further stated that, in response
to the summons to appear before the COM
mittee, he had, on the 23d of February, been
at the Secretarys house and spent the night
there. He then detailed at length the efforts
made by himself, the Secretary of War and
Mrs Belknap to contrive some plan by
which full exposure would be avoided, his
own proposition being to leave the country,
which act, the Secretary said, would ruin him
(Belknap) To this the witness responded
that, if he went before the committee, it
would also ruin him, for he (witness) would
tell the truth. After returning to his home
in New York, witness received dispatch
from DR.. William Tomlinson, brother-in-law
of the Secretary, telling him not to leave the
country, as he had good news. Thinking
they only wished to fix up some new
story. witness continued his preparations
to leave. DR.. Tomlinson subsequently
called on the witness and suggested
that he should write a letter, which
witness did, endeavoring to exculpate the
Secretary. 1t was very short letter and
contained nothing untrue, but did not tell
the whole truth. Arrangements were after
wards made by which witness was not to
leave the country, and he was summoned to
Washington, with the results now made
public.
THE iron and steel workers Of Pitts
burgh and other sections have effected
Cooperative Trade Union, adopting at 2
recent conference a constitution and By
laws by which they will in future be gov