The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-01-29


There was a small attendance ut the soldiers
Monument meeting last Saturday IIcn;y
Mayo, Esq was made President, and Mr.. F. NJ
Sapp, Secretary
. The only business considered was the state
mcnts made 10y Messrs. Morril and Gibson, eff.
GERS OF the Association, to the effect that large
number OF the subscriptions to the fund for
erecting the monument were fraudulent, (curious
We can't even erect monument to the dead
without a steaD. that many bona tidG notes can
not be collected and that, therefore, there is yet
a considerable sum due the contractors wiz
| S2,907.S7) which, in honor TO the brave and self
sacrificed dead, ought to be paid. The original
contract was let at figure which left but little
margin for profits, and the non payment of the
above sum has placed Messrs. McInhil & Co. in
rather Strengthened circumstances besides, as
they have, by the terms of the contract, no re-
course in the law the people Of the county are
the more bound in honor to pay this deficit.
The meeting, after asking the county press to
publish the following statement of Messrs Nor
ril and Gibson, adjourned to meet again on Sat.
urday, February 9TH, at the Court House.
L,sALLE COUNTY SOLDIERS MONUMENT
In compliance with u resolution of the la
Sale County Soldiers Monument meeting, held
Mt the Court House on the I'D inst, the under
signed the remaining members of the La Sale
County Soldiers Monument Association, take
this method To properly present to the people Of
La Sale county the financial condition Of said
Association. The facts are that the original
committee employed one Houghton to collect
money and take subscriptions for building said
monument, allowing him ten per cent on the
total amount SO raised lloughton represented
to the committee that he had raised the amount
of Sl3,Il. 50, and handed TO the Treasurer notes
and subscriptions, Sc., to that amount The
committee then felt justified in letting the CON
tract for an amount not exceeding twelve thou.
eand dollars, and so advertised for bidders ac-
cordng to plans then submitted. Mcssrs. Mcln-
hill n Co, being the lowest and best bidders got
the contract at $ll,500 They donated 800 to
the fund. II was agreed that said Mclnhill Il
Co. should take the notes and subscriptions,
make the collections, and were allowed Il per
cent. for the expense OF collecting. They soon
commenced the work aud the collection, but
they then discovered that large amount of
subscription in the shape of notes was alleged
to be fraudulent, believed To have been gotten
up by Honghton for the express purpose OF
getting his ten per cent. ON the amount so rails.
ed. Very responsible parties came forward and
made affidavit that they had never given note
for the purpose represented, or authorized any
one to do SO for them. In this manner about
81 800 Of the amount returned by Houghton
were lost. This, together with the very consid
cradle amount Of subscriptions positively uncol.
Iected together with the amount Of expense in
the collection, has made a large deficit between
the amount collected and the contract price
Of the monument
} The following statement in ngurcs can be re-.
lied on as being correct:
] Total amount subscribed. Sl3jil Nj
collected. ............... 9S>i II
Il
$500, 81
D Total amount collected .............. $a.SS4 NJ
Deduct cash on which there is no
per cent. Tor collecting ............. COO on
$o2si -
Deduct expense Of collecting this
amount at 10 per Ccn,............. sl,392 -
Add cash on which there was no per
! CENT. ............... COO o0
$500 Il
oonlraCt price,. sll $40 M
hiclhhlls suosCI puo"' ................ 100 w
- Gil 400 M
: lo'al amount paul h'ihh"I Co... S,ig1 L.
Balance due Mclnhill Il Co............s ego, :
JouN MORRILL,,
W. l.. Gibson