Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-05-10

The sunlit boats draw shoreward for the night;
The shadows deepen over sea and land;
Be still, my soul. thine hour shall also come;
Behold, one evening God shall lead thee home.
MARK TWAIN'S GREAT BEEF CON
TRACT.
In as few words as possible 1 wish to lay
before the nation what share, however
small, have had in this matter this mat
ter which has SO exercised the public mind
and so filled the newspapers of both CONT.
nents with distorted statements and ex
trayagant comments.
The origin of this distressful thing was
this, and I assert here that every fact in
the following resume can be amply proved
by the official records Of the General Gov
eminent.
John Wilson Mackenzie, of Rotterdam,
Chemung, county, New Jersey, deceased,
contracted with the General Government,
on or about the 10th day of October, 1861,
to furnish General Sherman the sum total
of thirty barrels Of beef. Very well. He
started after Sherman with the beef, but
when he got to Washington, Sherman had
gone to Manassas so he took the beef and
followed him there, but arrived too late;
he followed him to Nashville, and from
Nashville to Chattanooga, and from Chat
tanooga to Atlanta, but he never could
overtake him. At Atlanta he took fresh
start and followed him clear through his
march to the sea. He arrived too late
again by few days, but hearing that
Sherman was going out in the Quaker City
excursion to the Holy land, he took ship
ping for Beirut, calculating to head off the
other vessel When he arrived in Jerusa-
lem with his beef, he learned that Sher-
man had not sailed in the Quaker City, but
had gone to the Plains to fight the Indians.
He returned to America and started for
the Rocky Mountains. After eighteen
days of arduous travel on the Plains, and
when he had got within four miles of Sher-
mans headquarters, he was tomahawked
and scalped and the Indians got the beef.
They got all of it but one barrel. Sher-.
mans army captured that and 81 the bold
navigator partly fulfilled his contract
In his will which he had kept like jour
nal, he bequeathed the contract to his son
Bartholomew w. Bartholomew W. made
out the following bill and died:
The United States,
In acct. with John Wilson Mack
nnzio NJ dnopa sod
To thirty barrels of beef for Gen.
Sherman C0 s1O0 .......... ST., 900
To travelling expenses and transpor-
tat1On ......."....... .....1 IL, QUO
$4,000
Reed Pay't.
He died then but he left the contract
to WIN. J. Martin, who tried to collect it,
but died before he got through. He left it
to Barker J. Allen and he tried to collect
it also. He did not survive. Barker j.
Allen left it to Arson G.. Roger, who at
tempted to collect it, and got along as far
as the Ninth Auditors Office, when Death
the great Leveller, came all unsummoned,
and foreclosed on him also. He left the
bill to relative in Connecticut, Ven
geance Hopkins by name, who lasted four
weeks and two days, and made the best
time on record, coming within one of reach
ing the twelfth Auditor. In his will he
gave the contract bill to his uncle, by the
name of Obejoyful johnson. It was too
undermining for Joyful. His last words
were, "weep not for me, am willing to
60" And 80 he was, poor soul Seven
people inherited the contract after that
But they all died. So it came to my hand
at last. 1t fell to me through relative by
the name of Observation-Disclosures Hub
bard of Indiana. He had a grudge against
me for long time but in his last mo-
mehts he seat for me, and forgave me eve
rything, and weeping, gave me the beef
contract.
This ends the history of it up to the time
that I succeeded to the property. 1 will
now endeavor to set myself straight before
the nation in everything that concerns my
share in the matter. I took this beef con-
tract, and the bill of mileage and transpor-
tation, to the President of the United
States. He said:
"Well, Sir, what can I do for you p
I said:
'sSir: On or about the 10th day Of Oc-
tober, 1861, John Wilson Mackenzie, of
Rotterdam, Chemung county. New Jersey
deceased, contracted with the General Gov
eminent to furnish to General Sherman
the sum total Of thirty barrels of beef
He stopped me there and dismissed me
from his presence, kindly but firmly. The
next day called on the Secretary of the
State. He said:
"Well, sir ?''
said, 'Your Royal Highness On or
about the 10th day of October, 1861, John
Wilson Mackenzie, of Rotterdam, Che
mung county, New Jersey, deceased, con-
tracted With the General Government to
furnish to General Sherman the sum total
Of thirty barrels of beef.
'sThat will do sir-that will do: this Of
fee has nothing to do with contracts fer
beef.''
was bowed out. thought the matter
all over, and finally, the following day, l
visited the Secretary of the Navy, who
said, "Speak quickly, sir; do not keep me
waiting" I said:
''Your Royal Highness: On or about
the 10th day of October, 1851. John Will
son Mackenzie, of Rotterdam, Chemnng
county, New Jersey, deceased, contracted
with the General Government to furnish
to General Sherman the sum total OF thirty
barrels of BEEF
Well, it was as far as could get. lie
had nothing to do with beef-contracts Tor
General Sherman either. I began TO tnmk
it was a curious kind of government. 1t
looked somewhat as if they wanted TO get
out Of paying for the beef. The following