Arizona citizen., 1876-04-08
The TOmIinsona in Arizona.

H. - youngest of the family, stating tha 8 after the war John led rambling sor e of vagabond life in New Mexico 0 where he boasted that ne had killed a fourteen men; the account also speak: , of the seltishness and pride of his sister a the present unfortunate Mrs. Belknap , of her neglect os John, and that tht
 latter seldom spoke of this sister, ex . cept with bitterness.
 This account is partially tissue o mistakes or worse. A gentleman o our acquaintance was well acquainted with James A. and John TOmlinson . the only two members of the family [ ever in this part of the country. They ' came directly from the east, and nOt on any rowing commission, but to en 1, gage in the sutler business at Camp Mcdowell, and John was never in New Mexico and never killed fourteen , men there. The gentleman to whom
 we refer as our authority, was at Me. DOwell when the Tomlinsons came
 there, was there in the meantime, and when they left: he was connected more or less with the furnishing of supplies under contract at that military post, was quite intimate with John Tomlin. son, and from this authority we get the ! following:
 l John TOmlinson the youngest of the
 family and wild of disposition, was evidently the favorite of the family and especially of his sister, the present
 Mrs. Belknap. This sister favored
 John all through, and wanted the Me Dowell sutlership for him, but General Belknap would not accede to this as 7 John had been in the rebel army, and
 he gave the appointment, instead, to } James A, who had been in the federal
 army, it being understood, however, that
 John was to be partner in the matter Our authority has frequently been shown letters from Mrs. Belknap 70 John, showing the most sisterly alice.
 ton and anxious regard for his welfare,
 and the very opposite of selfishness or
 coldness and disregard The brothers, James A. and John, came to Mcdowell in June 1871, to take charge of the sutler business there. Previous to their coming the post was insignificant,
 there being but few troops there, never more than two companies. Their ar rival seemed to infuse new life and
 importance into the locality and to
 make Mcdowell quite a center for
 military operations. So much was this J the case that in a very snort time this
 post was enlivened by The presence or
 nine companies of troops and was the IconvergIng point of lines of pack trains, scouts, Indian sGldiers &c, who
 would take pains to always arrive there
 just in time to be paid of. Whether
 this latent life and fore in McDowell
 was brought out by the noted business
 capacity of James A. Temlinson, Is not known, but the place continued to gath
 CT to itself life and lure for eighteen months, when the Tominsons sold out ' all their rights to another firm, took their departure, and in two months time Mcdowell returned to its normal.
 state and again became two company and not over profitable post. It is mo- torious that while the 7omlinsons held the field they never had a decent or eX- tensive stock of goods in their store,
 but nevertheless, our authority states,
 of his own knowledge, that the books
 of the concern showed a profit of over ST, 900 for the last twelve months of the business.
 Besides the life, attendant upon theI presence of these brothers at Mcdowell,
 was the good fortune generally which seemed to accompany all their opera tions. Johnny" TOmlinson, as he was familIarly called, il casting his eyes over the goodly land conceived that there was something in the contract business to which his peculiar talents might be adapted. In 1S12 or 8, pro- posals were advertised for, and bIdsI were put in, to furnish grain to theI military posts in this Territory. John ny" made a bid to furnish grain at Mcdowell for three cents per pound 1 or whereabouts. The contact was final | ly awarded in bulk for furnishing grain to all the military posts at 624 cents or whereabouts, to me party. AtI some of the posts grain could be put in with profit at 3 cents at others 9I cents per pound would be needed tOl leave any margin. Bids had been put in accordingly and the natural cCnclu-I sion would be that the award of a gen eral contract at 624 certs per pound was made from striking an average and finding that that vas the lowest average bid for the posts in lump. By some means, either previous or sub seQuent to the award, Johnny" joined his forces with the party getting the contract at 63 cents or whereabouts, and grain was literally poured into thel posts where it could be put in with profit at 3 cents or whereabouts perl pound. So much was thIs the case atl Mcdowell, one of the 3 cent posts, that two cOmpanles of soldiers were moved out of thelr barracks, and temporarily
 quartered elsewhere, and the barracks filled with grain. In the meantime but little or no grain whatever was put in at posts where 9 cents per pound would be needed to leave the contract
 or a margin of profit. And now to show the remarkable good luck of
 Johnny" and hls partner, no sooner
 were the cent posts supplied with all the grain contracted for, than an order came from Washington declaring the
 contract unlawful and void, ordering
 payment at the contract price, (63{ or thereabouts,) for the grain already fur nished, but that farther fulfillment of
 the contract should immediately cease. And so "Johnny" and his partner,
 with their httle patent reversible con
 tract, supplied all the 3 cent posts at lea cents and were deprived of theI privilege of supplying the cent posts at any price, And that year the profits
 of the Tomlinson Brothers at Camp Mcdowell, notwithstanding the failureI of johnny" to get the local grain contract, and the firm having a noto-
 riously slim and poor stock of goods,
 were over S47, 900.
 We never knew any of these parties