, 1876-03-18
SECRETARY BELKHRP'S CRIME,
Caleb II. Marsh. TeS,,mopv.

4 -l-
! Clymer in the House:
TUESDAY, February y, 1876.
The committee met present, MesSrs. Clymer,
| Blackburn and Robbins. Caleb P. Marsh. one Of
| the witness ordered subIpnasd by the committee.
| being present, was duly sworn according, TO law.
Question By the Chairiaan-Wege You or not ar-
pointed tenlered appointment as post trader At
Fort Sill, Indian Territory "a the laH OF $50 by the
Secretary VI War II 30 under " AZ circumstances
was sad appointment seourri 10 yOu stare also II
you were cunfnsl ned by the Secretary as such post
IiaueI, OF u hut' who was 10 cuUus- lOnyt ana II
any other person than yourself was so -I,red
give hIs name and the Why lie WAS eOmmls-
| stoned. II any agreement made between you
and the appoiHte=, state ~ produce II II WIT
/ Ins; and WIS suth agreement made with the knOwl-
| e!se OF the Secretary Of War STATE the circum-
stances connected with the max B OF that agreement
and all Transactions IN detail hereunder, rs fully
and particularly II you specially ln;eTrc.-t.ed
III regard 10 tie several trlu-Iv tons ana 80 fully as
/ 70 save th- neceSsI-y OF repeated n-uTCTatO.Ies-
Marsh In reIly 10 your questions, would state
That IN 1870 myself and wife spent SOME weeks n
1 Long Branch, and on our return TO New YORK. MTs
! belkHap and Mrs. Bowers, ly OUT invitation came
tor visit 10 our house MIs. Be.kuap wis III dur
Ing the visit, OF three four weeks AMI sup
pose II ounseqLrn o! Gu kindness 10 her she trlt
under some obligations, Tor she asked me one Ga, IN
the cOurS= OF conversation, why did not apply tIE
| pISt tadeishlp on the frontier dSkeI what they
/ were, and WIS told that many Of them We're very
lucrative 9th IS, that Il Wlutrl e would ask
| the Secretary iOr one. Upon my replying that /
thought That such ,ihees belonged 70 disabled sol
ditrs, and beSlies that Was without political IN
! huence, she answered that pOiItculuS not such
| places, etc. do not remember saying, II / had
valuable post OF this KIND NuUlu remeM! gr her
think she sid something Ike tins: Ii can pre-
viIl ON the Secretary of War 10 award You q post,
! yOu must be careful 20 say nothing 10 Inn u5uU1
/ presents, fuT man once offered Inn ten thousand
dul!rTs ICr tIaisISAlp Oi tins kind. and hc tod
hIm Eat If he GI not leave the Office he would kick
hIn down stairs Remembering do, this SIOry,
| presume the Hute1deut statement 20 De correct.
| Mrs B-lkEap and Mrs Bowers returned 70 Wash
ugton, ami q few weeks thereafter Mrs. Helkn4p
sent me word 10 come over dill sc. She then told
me that the post leadership at Fort SIli was vacant
that II valuable post, Sic uudrTstoOd. and
she lad either asked tor 1t Ior me prevailed upon
the SacIetI Iy OF War o. agree % give Il 20 me At
| all events 1 called uyOn tue Secretary Of Nar and
made application for tins position, on a regular
printed iUIm- The Secretary saia he would appoint
| me II l could bring proper letters and recOmmen-
cat.Ous, and tlns ! saId l could 90. Either Mrs.
Eelkuap or the Secretary % NE that tie present
tT,.,eT at tie post, john : Evans WAS applicant
Tor prominent, and That l Lad better see Inn,
he se!I n TIE city, It would not ie far 90 turn
EIm out ui Office VII ont some notice, ~ Ae would
lose argel his bull Inys m,rciaHj.Sa, ETC.. n tho
Otfir aiken nom linn L would De- Voper
/ auI g for me 10 make N arrangement with Inn
tr tL,lr puT sA.se, 4 l wished 10 4uu the post
myself
saw Evans, and found Inn alarmed at the pros
pect of losing ls place. / remember that be sIl
ttit firm Jf estern post traders, who claimed 20
have gUui deal uf influence viii. tie Secretary OF
Var, g.. Ia 81 10 have hIiu rs-apPOHtud, but he
found csu.Iug 10 .siI. - that this hlIn
w.,AguI u fUruce. LyauS first pIUp0sel partner
ship, VIII b drc ed anl then bonus Of certain
parts uI Ihr profits ii ! would low INN 10 continue
tie position All crrfiEUe IN the bu-Ine--. ~
hnI.Iy az atd upon SI,,Nu per year. Evans anu
inysct Went on &" New Ao.k 'os th"r, wee e con
N III f. Hyt
Evans .w something IN the -iTmV GI'd AHry J"ET-
'" NHc. led hun 10 think that some oi tur troops
wore to b- smgvri ilom tie fort, g.,d ttt lee had
uH'lr! lu' aisr ,uHi dh. ue.o!t iHe "'i'l'l'- "N
'i't"t II w'0 reduced 10y 'c'erlntnt To >I-'"I inc
S1:lr being payable quarter! III "-N"i't. men
the ts7t rv"It'"nr- came 10 ne, say pIC.hil III
Nu'emucr, 1870, sen c.-lli thereof 20 M lie--
kurp, either presume 10y crIt-hgtr "l "'i'"!'. "I
Ink notes. ty ,Nu-rsS hr.i- ia "asIli,-'.L' .t 4
iuuag suile "ty"" after ms h'l COW lit'I
with Mrs Ho|Si> 10 Ihe lo-""-A- pun P'+-- "'h,
"P 7t'',9 N''h ,,-lS' 80 : ~ =. T
20 "e'I ALls 'i.''.' VIZ ". NJ . - -.
Io'e d H'e't ".'i.e' sI' - a. 80
s1.e We, - o. y" -" VI -. 80 +
'oLl'A- Al IL s''' 7!a ms, ''" ... ~ go '
s-''' Al l'r--'' 'l-'. ., ''.'' o..
Ie'A'is 'llg -'-i-.i "'---t 80 - - '- =, - -
'-i' 80 an ' - a. -, - - .-,,-
4-i - / A-ir"' 'l.l i-'I.li t " - - -.
mon .-'iS'' .'' h, -, - ~ .l. -. a..
--a'1 NJ =, - 90 4. .F.-f.-..s.., d,
ho"eis' IT, y ! t NJ T.. i.-- !. ~ - -. -
br-uuSel 20 A-!r anu sue Ny"'- 5'' L. "-.s -
ii--s "a '--1 - - -. -. -.
4---A-'S' "'1N -, u u - 'l'' ,r -r f ~
-A. ~. '-''' 80 v-.. - -. 81. 80
I ti-A nv eo-i--'-'-'-- s' > - -
WJIa 70 ne IIt>tul l4iA- "a "' ''s SAINT
should ~. one 'l'4 4 al ~ - - -
comInenn u!eht q lAtse i's i.. "a, t.'.,-' - -
amount 10 Sb"'o per "l4hul 1 G- y. - ~
- - L.; ,,,r,T-- md r.,-- Ir Sd, t..rsf,
part cI h'aI' anu Nl9 P'Ilil., ''.t iL ~ ~ 80 -
i now Trinrulngi III ,uiiS-l" ~. VI al ~ - "a
papers 'uC1t l''. tI-e - -,
eoI- lo S'.tl '., IL IL - - - = - -5.- I,,, ys
| charges ii'.1ir 'ie''->>-' : oi- 'i' " =
| son q TIE PAYNE %. ms '','''' ,, -- ,
| To the hest ul my Ai'' 1.g-- .1'. y, - 5 | 90
! Is Urn, s1iI'ilgh' % al Al. ~ 80 80 - -, = -,
( as complete H. II Ie1--'', M -. ~ -: =,
| many years ago Inc money W. SEN .-5 -
| Instructions OF the Secretary "i ar ~
haak notes by Ad'tiis ~ an an ~ ,''a Cl =" -
| or more Oa-tslnis ~ uel'4A - ~ ,..--
Ni'l1ilI lsiLN i VI ! u - "; - / IN ~,T
haze lstli MN III Ne" ~ n "a - 80 80,
| Can you Sta-e tle sum n 'Ie .r5ls7'OS =
csiyed by You unlrr uie u"uli"-s WI" M 'I' -,,
| what portion iLs!so. "Li Ii - -.- = -
war, Iuc'"t.hS 'he Hlst an -. - T. '''''-'
! you have stated were hoS p'IA ., nm nm .
Au>weT.-Ihe MS Ity4'sL II 20 me y! !, t,',-'IS
| made II the ia-L OF 4o.u' AZ '-1 @ az va =. " -
pIIi n thai TAit luI Aloui d ll4i dLt q nan "a
ye4rs, and sInes then at the rae II SIo'o -
Wou. a-Ie-gi auout stVu'"- "i4tH mn! =
express / would send hin ilr Ie'eipt ~ ~
which he would either return mar AeI ". ~. VI
otherwise acknowledge the receipt Vi tlc e'ltis.
When sent by express, ai'tl atIoslIel -e 'Cits
PERSONALITY and took IA receipt t0r 1t. showed hun
the teleEraphIc subpoena ana asAe. MN "ias - :.
meant. lie siId he suppose a. 49,, ~, - .c.,,,,s
| the Committee what knew about our udil9ttli'A7
together. sad did not lkg 20 a. - =, ~
thought my tes. .imohy Nuutl os u -
would imple'te AIn, OF e''y ma ''olo -. -. -,
he thought not, anu Ahfl'eA lAS ~ "i'O' ''io NO'
mittee ID
During that evening my conVersatol "as en-
with his wife, he being present Iart oi the time anu
understanding me =eHs's5 .7''' " - - .-. ,i+.I,
| she suggested that eoHln ii'AS . ga, - -
uouli satisfy the Committee and eNculpate 'e 80
re,ary She wanted me 10 20 before the Commit. e
ana represent that She a1d hai had business ISM. N .
IRONS together for many years, add that AL ms
| -l,rsv ma sent 10 the Secretary money she
il,I nom time 70 time deposited with me as ana
+ banker and that she had instructed me TO s7n- !.
70 the Secretary Of Var t9ii her tt SI.s5'ii .,
,,Il not boll water before the committee, anl that
c1nIf not make IL At the sane time l was 50