The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-03-16
SECRETARY BELKNAP.
The Evidence Upon which He VIII Re
Fmpeached.

SECRETARY BELkNAPs
The Evidence Upon which He VIII Re
EmPeached.
In his evidence before the house in
vestigating committee, on the 29th, Ca
leb p. Marsh made the following state
ment:
In the summer of 1870, myself and
wife spent three weeks at Long Branch,
and on our return to New York Mis-.
Belknap and Cher sister, Mrs. Bowers
(the latter the present wife of the secre-
tary, the former having died in 1870 by
our invitation came for a visit to our
house. Mrs. Belknap was i'll during this
visit some three or four weeks, and, l
suppose, in consequence of our kindness
to her, she felt under some obligations,
for she asked me one day in the course of
a conversation why did not apply for a
t-tradership on the frontier. l asked
what they were, and was told that many
of them were very lucrative offices or pO-
sitiOns in the gift of the secretary of war,
and that if l wanted one she would ask
the secretary for one. Upon my reply
ing that / thought such offices belonged
to disabled soldiers, and besides that !
was without political influence, she an
swered that politicians got such places,
etc, etc. l do not remember saying that
if had valuable post of that kind l
would remember her, but l do remember
her saying something 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 a man
once offered him $4,000 for a leadership
of this kind, and he told him that if he
did not leave the office he would kick
1. -
do, this story, I presume the anteCedent
statement to be correct. Mrs. Belknap
and Mrs. Bowers returned to Washing
ton, and a few weeks thereafter Mrs. Bel
knaD sent me word to come over. / did
So She told me the pOst-tradership at
Fort Sill was vacant; and that 1t 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 printed form.
The secretary said he would appoint me
if. I could. bring the proper letters and
recommendations, and this | said | could
do. Either Mrs. Belknap or the secre-
tarv told me that the present trader at
the post, John :. Evans, was an appli-
cant for reappOintment, and that ! had
better see him, he being in the city, as
it would not he fair to turn him out Of
office without some notice, as he would
lose largely on his buildings, nerchan-
disc, etc, if the Office was taken from
him, and that it would be proper and
lust for me to make some arrangement
with him for their purchase if l wished
to run the post myself. | saw Evans,
L 81
ofIosing the place. / remember that he said
firm of western post-traders who claimed
n good deal of influence with the seCre-
tarv of war promised to have him ap-
pointed, but he found, on coming to Wash
ington, this firm to be entirely without
influence. Evans first proposed a part
neIship, which ] declined, and then a
bonus of a certain portion Of the profits
if would allow him to hold the position
and continue the business. We finally
agreed upon $4,000 per year Evans
and myself went on to New York to-
gether, where the contract was made and
executed, which is herewith submitted.
During our trip over, however, Mr.. Evans
saw something in the Army and Navy
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 a sum, and. before the contract
was drawn, it was reduced by ageemeHt
to $4,000, the same being payable quar-
terlv in advance. When the remittance
came to me, say, probably in November,
1870, / sent One-half to Mrs. Belknap,
either, I presume, by certificate of de-
posit or bank notes by express. Being
| in Washington at A funeral, some weeks
after this. had a conversation with Mrs.
u g. r.
as / can now remember, but must sa V
that lust here my memory is exceedingly
indistinct, and / judge in part perhaps
from what followed as to details of the
conversation. / went up stairs in the
nursery with Mrs. Bowers to see the
baby ] said 10 her: 'This child viii
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 coming 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 80, and yet ! can give no reason
for it. for a. far as / knew the father knew
nothing of any money transactions be
tween the mother and myself I have
a faint recollection of a remark Of Mrs
Bowers, that if / sent the money TO the
father it belonged to her, and that
she would get 1t anyway. | certainly
had some understanding then OF subse-
quently 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 10 $4,000 per an
mum. The reason Of this reduction was
partly because Of combined complaints
| on the part Of Evans and his partner, and
| partly, 50 far as ] now remember, IN con-
| sequence Of an article IN the newspapers
/ about that time rejecting on the injus-
| tice done 10 soldiers at this fort, caused