The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-03-28
PRICE TWO CENTS
THE HEADSTONE CONTRACT
NOW BELKNAP's FRIEND BRIDans
SECURED THE JOB.
The other Bidders Either Frisbtersl =
Bought On'-The Contract TO be Annuitsk
and all Further Payment. TO be steppcx.

The other Bidders Either Frishtcrsl .
Bought On-The Contract TO be Annuftsx
and all Further Payments to be steppcA.
WASHINGTON, March N.-The House Com.
mittes on Military Affairs awaits the return e
Quartcrmaster- General Meiee, who is expected
here the latter part Of the week, when the Ia
vestigation into the headstone contract will bs
closed, and the committee will report a joina
resolution aunulllng the contract and protectins
the unexpended appropriation. There are sey-
eral responsible lrms who are ready to furnish
the remainder Of tho stones, about 10000. at .
price that will save 100000 over the existing
contract. There several witnesses yet TO be
examined. whose testimony will show that thers
was an understanding between Delknap ana
Bridges that tho latter should have the contract.
1t appears that Mr. Charles s. Jones and Mr.,
Morgan, who have been mentioned os straw bid
ders, were In fact the responsible bidders. Their
guarantees were men Of national reputation foe
integrity and urobitv, and their several fortunes
aggregated over $4,000 coo. 1t was impossibis
for Secretary Belknap to disregard their bids.
and the only thing he could do was to maks
their task as onerous as possible. The historv
Of this part o. the transaction shows the deep
damnation Of Belknap's conduct
MIR. Jones made bid at $3.50 each for the en-.
tire lot-slabs Tor the graves VI the known and
blocks for the unknown dead. II was evident
that there would bo no profit, at least only q
nominal profit on the slabs at that price, but the
blocks would enable the contractor having this
entire job to make fair profit out Of n. When
the bids were onened end IL was found that hs
was the lowest bidder he W - told that he would
be s~indled out oft by Belknap,and that he bad
better employ an attorney and pay him $1,000
for his services. That attorney was to be ons
ana Gen. y. 4. BabcOck were interested in
other bids, aud Mr.. Jones did not believe Il
would be any use to spend money while such
opened on Sept. o. 1873 and nearly teu
weeks afterword Mr.. Jones received lettos
Informing him that he had been awarded one-
third the contract for slabs, amounting to
about nifty thousand dollars, and asking II he
was ready tsprocced with the task. IIc was
also waited upon by a stool-pigeon Of Iiel-
knap'o and TOLD that that was all ho would get,
was ready to pay him $1,000 cash TO assign n
TO another party. Mr. Jones at first refused 70
accept. Then he reconsidered this determns.
1t was now evident that It was Belknap's pur-
Pose to dispossess tho lowest bidders aINl make
VINO offered the si5OOO did not fuini hIs
PROMISE and Jones, assigned his third 70
Morgan,, whose Did wass only one cent
a,stone hsher than that Of Jones. This Ravs
Morgan two-ihrds Of the contract. and he nro-
ceeded to fulh II, having set IN stones Ia the
Cnalmette Cemetery, New Orleans, OF tue best
quality OF marble. lie was SURPRISED to hcal
That the Inspector had rejected the entire lot.
II now became evident that MIR. Morgan ksd
better sell out to Bri Jges, md his two-thirda
was accordingly assigned to the Kcokuk tailor
Following this the Inspector accepted ever
stone In the Chalmctte Cemetery which had been
previously rejected. Then Slge, who had tns
contract for the blocks, sold out TO Bridges foi
$20,01 and accepted the position OF superintend.
ent Of the work. Sheldon & Slosson of the Yer
mont quar1ics at Rutland agreed to furnish thu
stone and capital, receiving from Bridges nine
per cent. per annum Tor the money 80 invested.
In the examination of Bridges enough was clio
tied 10 warrant the Chairman Of the COMMITTEES
In asking the House to pass bill stopping pay
ment FOR any more stones furnished. Tho Ro4
publican members II the Military COMMITTEES
seem to be more ready and jealous TO end the
fraud than the Democratic members. The new
Secretary OF War will give the subject his imme-
Giate attention, ana the return of Gen. MeieI
will en- ble the Secretary to th.t the countrI
Is not further imposed upon