The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-29
POST-TRADERSHIPS.
More Interesting Testimony BE.
fore ClyMer's Committee.

WASHINGTON, March 2S.-The committee on
expenditures in the War Department today ex
amined Alexander T. Gray. clerk in the At
torney Generals Office. He testified that B.
Gordon Daniels called upon him and said that
he wanted to get the trading post at Fort STAN
ton, that Mr.. Bliss was to go into partner
ship with him, ard that in case of their APP
pointment they would give him Gray $1,000.
Gray went to Senator Carpenter and recon-
mended Daniels to be good business man,
&C., and told him he was constituent OF Car
penter's. Senator Carpenter recommended
him. Daniels obtained the appointment, but
never paid him the $1,000
L.. r 1. Jacobs, Jr, U. S. A, was examined
as to the conduct of trading posts He had
been stationed eight and half years in Indian
territory, Kansas and Dakota, He knew OF
the payment of money by Evans to Marsh for
the Fort Sill post. The officers of the post
recommended Evans for Fort Sill, but no at
tention was paid to it. Witness said Orville
Grant went out there in the fall of 1874, and it
was generally understood that Grant held the
franchises for Standing Rock, Forts Stevenson,
Bufort, Peck, Kearney and Barthold. Wit
ness further said that it was generally under
stood out there that all posts were paid for and
for sale.
First Lieut.. Ralet G. Carter of the 4th Cava-
~. testified that Gen. Reynolds sent to Gen.
Mckenzie about $4,000 or 10000 bushels of
corn bought from Adams & Wicks, contractors
at San Antonio, but Gen. Mckenzie, who was
COmuduoCL OH tuC poct3 iCAuoCu w lOOCif0 ~ Ou
the ground that it was not fit for use and too
high in price. Gen. Reynolds ordered him
again to take it when Gen. Mckenzie again
refused and had an inspection of the grain. 1t
was found to be weevil eaten and musty, and
therefore unfit for ISSUE After Gen. McKen-
zie's second protest Gen. Reynolds made
peremptory order and the former was obliged
to take the grain. Gen. Mckenzie represented
that Adams & Wicks were bad men, that they
had got corner in corn and were monopozing
the contracts of the department, and that other
contractors offered to furnish good corn for Is
or 20 cents bushel less. The result was that
Reynolds preferred charges to Gen. Halleck
against Mckenzie of wiful and obstinate DISC
bedience of orders. But he was never tried.
Witness said the damaged corn laid around the
post for long time and was finally wasted
because the horses would not eat it.
j. f. Barrow testified that he was appointed
post-trader at Fort Union, New Mexico, in
1868, through the influence of w. D. N. Bar
nard, brother-in-law of Gen. j. C. Dent. After
trying other parties he went to Barnard and
promised to give him one.third of the profits of
the post. Barnard wrote long letter to Gen.
Grant, who was then general OF the army, tell-
ing him of the proposition made and detailing
the conversation had between witness and Bar.
nard. Witness saw the letter. He enclosed
an application for the appointment and got it
direct from Gen. Grant through Gen, Smith.
After witness had put up buildings, accumu-
lated large stock and had gone to st. Louis
TO Duy gO0uS ne was summary ana uneXpect-
eddy dismissed from his post-tradership. Bar
nard was appointed in his place, took charge
of the buildings and goods without authority
and commenced a career of profligate manage
ment Barnard bet two wagon loads of coffee
and sugar belonging to the witness that Gen.
Grant would carry the state of New York by
20 900 majority and lost them. Witness was
placed in very unpleasant position because he
owed large amount of money, and said that
he was required to make an arrangement with
his creditors. He went with Dent to Fort I'm
ion and found Barnard in charge Witness
made an agreement at Fort Union to sell out to
Dent. Witness and Dent then went to st.
Louis where Dent backed out of his bargain.
Mr. Wooley, post'trader at Fort Russell,
Wyoming testified that he got the appoint
ment on Recommendation of ex-senator Thayer
of Nebraska. He got Thayer to come to WASH
ington and explain away certain charges
against him and paid him about $1,000 for his
services. Thayer was the senator who propos-
ed the amendment to the bill OF 1870 which
gave the appointment of post traders to the
Secretary of War. He denied ever having
srid that he and other posttraders paid Thayer
for years for having got that amendment
passed. He sent $500 or $500 for the last
Presidential election. He first came to wash
ington in 1870, but Belknap would not appoint
him. until he came again in February, 1871.
After some dickeriEg he made new bargain
| with Dent to sell to him for $37, 600, which in
cluded two lots in st, Louis at S10, 000. VIII