The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-03-08
SELLING A PoST-TRADERSHIP.

READ IN THE HOUSE YESTERDAY AFTER
NOON BY lis CHAIRMAN.
WASHINGTON, March 2-Mr. Clymer,
aftor submit Ing the unanimous report Of
the committee to the House to-day, read
the following testimony and accom-
psniments:
Tuesday, Feb. %, 1876.
The committee met at 1870 A. NJ. Pres
emit MessIs. Clymer, Blackburn and Rob
bins. Caleb 2. Marsh, one OF the wit
nesses ordered to be subpenasd by the
committee being present, was duly sworn
according to law. He was questioned by
the chairmaS. Whers do you reside? 1 re-
side at No. 80 West Fifty seventh street,
New York. Have resided in New York
about eight years. Q-WeTe you
pointment as post-trader at Fort Sill,
Indian territory, in tie iSll of 1870, by the
secretary OF war? If so under what cir
cumstsnces wss the appointment returned
to you? State also IL you were commits
stoned by the secretary as such post-trader,
or, il nor, who was 50 comm ssiOned, ana
If any OF Ger person was 50 commissioned
give bis name and the reason why he was
commissioned. If any agreement was
made between you and the appointee state
1t, or produce il, if in writing, and was such
agreement MADE with the knowledge of
the secret iry of war, and state the circum-
stances connected with the making of that
agreement, aud all the transactions in de-
tail Hereunder, fully and particularly, as
If you were specially Intercepted in re-
gard to the several traI sactions and so
fully as to save the necessity OF repeated
interrogstions.
STATEMENT OF MARSH:
In reply to your question, 1 would state
Of
wife spent some weeks at Long Branch
and on our return to New York, Mrs.
Belknsp and Mrs. Bowers, by our invita-
ton, came for a visit to our house. Mrs.
Belknsp was i'll during this visit some
three or four weeks, and, / suppose, in
consequence of our kindness to her felt
under some obligations, tor she asked me
one day in the course OF conversation,
why did not apply for pest trader
ship on the frontier. L asked what they
were, and was told that many of them
were very lucrative offices or
positions, the gifts of the secretary of war
and that, if / wanted one, she would ask
the secretary Tor one. Upon my replying
that thought such offices belonged to
disabled soldiers, and besides was with
out political influence, she answered thtt
the politicians got places, etc. i do not
remember saying that If had valuable
position of that kind, that L would re-
member her, but do remember her saying
something like this: IL / can prevail
upon the seer etary of war to award you a
post, you must be careful to say nothing
to hlm about presents, for a man once
offered him $4,000 for a leadership of this
kind, aud he told him that IL he did not
leave the Office he would kick him down
stairs. Remembering as do this story,
presume the antecedent statement to be
correct. Mrs. Belknap and Mrs. Bowers
returned to Washington and lew weeks
word to come over. did so.
She then told me that the post
leadership az Fort sill was vacant,
that IL was a valuable post, as she ande r
stood, 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, i called upon the secretary of war,
and, as near as 1 can remember, made ap-
plication for this position on 3 regular
printed form. The secretary said that he
would appoint me II l could bring the
proper
LETTERS AND RECOMMENDATIONS,
and this said could do. Either Mrs.
Belknsp or the secretary told me that the
present trader at the post, John s. Evans,
was an applicant for resppointment, 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 be
would lose rkely on his buildings, mer-
chandise, etc., If the office was
taken from him, and that it would be
proper and just for me to make
some arrangement with him for their pur-
chase, IL wished to run the post myself.
I saw Evans, and found him alarmed at
the pre- spect of losing the place. lremem-
Der that he said that firm OF Western
post traders, who claimed 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 q partnership, which
i declined, and then q bonus of a certain
por sion OF the profits ii would allow him
to hold the position and continue the bus
iness. We finally agreed upon $4,000 per
year. Evans ana myself went on TO New
York together, where the contract was
made and executed, which is herewith sab
United. paper marked Az. During our trip
over, however, Mr.. Evans saw somthine
In the Army and Navy Journal which led
him to think that some of the troops were
to be removed from the fort, and he had
offered too large a sum and, before the
contract was drawn, 1t was reduced by
agreement 10 sl2 900, the same being psys-
bic quarterly in advance. When the first
remittance came TO me, say probably in
November, 1870, sent one halt thereof TO
Mrs. Belknap, either, presume, by certi-
hcate Of deposit or bank notes by express.
Being In Washington at funeral, some
weeks after this, 1 had a
Conversation WITH MRS. BOWERS
to the following purport, as far as 1 can
now remember. But mus say that just
here my memory Is exceedingly indistinct,
and judge in particular parts from what
follows as to details. From the converss-
tion went up stairs in the nursery with
Mrs. Bowers 10 see the baby, and said to
her, "the child will have money coming 70
IL before q great while.Y 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." / said, "all
right" and it seems to me that said that
perhaps the father ought to be consulted.