The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-10-17

plement of ammunition, if so much, in
his judgment, were deemed necessary.
The resolution passed the House and
Senate and was approved by the Gov
ernor. Some time afterwards he wrote
to Governor Winchester, asking him if it
was not customary to allow parties who
were influential in making purchases of
arms, &C., commission. The Governor
replied that if the arms were purchased
direct from the mandatory, and not
from a jobber, that he would allow him,
as there would then be no middleman,
the same amount or the same commission
that it was usual to allow to jobbers, and
in such case the State would be no loser,
as they would get the arms for the same
price they would have to pay the jobbers
if purchased from them. Soon after this
witness went to Washington, where he
was joined by General Moses, who was
then the Adjutant General of the State.
They proceeded together to New Haven,
Connecticut, the Adjutant General hav-
ing with him the order from Gov
ernor Scott to purchase, in accord.
ance with the joint resolution of the
Legislature to purchase one thousand
/ Winchester rifles, with the usual compile
ment of ammunition, instead of two
thousand, he deeming the former num-
Der enough for the present. The pur-
chase was made of one thousand rifles
and one hundred thousand metallic cart
ridges for same. The arms and ammuni-
tion were shipped to Columbia, and the
payment was arranged for same with the
Financial Agent in New York, II. H.
Kimpton. The arrangement was made
by Governor Scott and General Moses in
person. The price of the rifles was thirty
three dollars each; bayonets for each gun
were purchased at cost of three dollars
each. The cartridges cost twenty dollars
per thousand or $4,000, making an aggre-
gate amount of $4,000, out of which an
allowance was made to witness of, he
thinks, one dollar and half on each gun
and FIVE per cent. on each bayonet, and
the same amount on the ammunition an
aggregate of $l,675. He is not quite
certain about the amount of commissions,
but thinks he is correct about it. The
commissions he received, and divided
them with General Moses, the Adjutant
General of the State. He saws that be
fully believes, and in fact knows, that any
amount in excess of the above, except it
be few dollars for boxing, carting and
freight, charged by the Financial Agent
of the State on the above purchase, is
fraud and swindle. AS to the Reming-
ton, the Roberts arms purchase, he knows
nothing, beyond the fact that there was
such purchase, further than what was
ascertained by him as Chairman of the
Joint Special Investigating Committee
appointed under concurrent resolution of
the General Assembly ut the session Of
1S70-71, which will be found in their re-
port. Reports and Resolutions of Gen
eral Assembly, 1S7l-72. Says he saw
the guns as they arrived, and attend to
the carting of them from the depot in
this city, they having been consigned to
Colonel Edie, the cormandant of the
United States troops in this city. Says
that Major Wilhelm, the Post Adjutant
at the time, was paid by the Governor,
he thinks, $3.50 for his services and the
use of the United States mules aud
wagons to haul the guns. He further
says that he thinks there was no written
contract made in the Winchester pur-
chase, but all was done by word of mouth.
He says further that the guns known as
the Remington-Roberts purchase were
originally Springfield rifles, and given to
the State by the then Secretary of War,
General Rawlings. There were ten thou
sand of them. Five thousand were al
tered to the pattern known as the Rem
ington, and five thousand of them were
altered to the pattern known as the Rob-
erts gun. Cannot tell what the expense
of altering was without referring to the
report heretofore mentioned, but believes
that the guns, before the alteration was
made, were a much more serviceable arm
than after the alteration and great outlay
was made. Says he was connected with
the Adjutant Generals Office of the State
from the time just after the Winchester
purchase and until some time after the
Remington-Roberts purchases. He says
that these arms were scattered throughout
the State and distributed to the State
militia by order of and under the direc-
tion of the Commander-in-Ch A full
report of the issue of arms and ammuni-
tion can be found in Reports and Reso-
lutions to the General Assembly, session
of 1S70-71. JOHN B. DENNIS.
John B. Hubbard, being recalled, says:
As Chief Constanble, l was ordered by
Governor Scott to appoint certain deputy
cOnstabes on my force as captains over
the State Guards or militia stationed and
under full pay in several counties in the
State. Captain Mann was in charge at
Abbeville and J. Ward Hayward at
Edgefeld. / think Captain Jackson was
in command portion of the time. They
were all Northern men and brought here
by Governor Scott. | was ordered to
assist the militia organization every way
possible. The object was to have an ac-
tive and efficient corps of organizers in
the field. / knew that the militia was
organized and armed for political pur-
poses. II was understood that by arming
the colored militia and keeping some Of
the most influential officers under pay
that full vote would be brought out for
the Republicans and the Democracy or
many of the weak. kneed Democrats in
timidated. At the time the militia was
organized, there was, comparatively
speaking, but little lawlcssness. The
militia being organized and armed caused
an increase of crime and hloodshed in
most of the counties in proportion to
their numbers and the number of arms
and amount of ammunition furnished
them. JOHN B. HUBBARD.
Surveyors Report.