Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-05-05

that day forth different man was proprietor
of the Jarvis MILL and there was brighter
light in Mrs Jarvis eyes, for, at least she had
something of her own, nor has she regretted
that she "applied for wages"
A@istellameuns &eadimg.
THE STORY OF A POST ROUTE.
lLetter to the New York TlmesJ
WASHINGTON, April ola case that Illus
trates the boldness of the fraud systemati-
cally practiced during the last four years in
the management of the star postal routes is
furnished by the route known as No. O,lO4,
and running from Mineral Park, Arizona, to
Phoebe, Nevada, distance of 232 miles.
This route was let on July l, 1878, to Minter,
Peck & Co., at $4,000 per annum for a weekly
service. In August or September, 1873, the
route was sub let by the contractors to Isaac
Jennings, of St. Thomas, Lincoln county,
Nevada, at $4,000 per annum, or $1,000
more than the contract price. Soon after re-
ceivng the sub-contract Jennings was request
ed to get up petition for tri.weekly service,
but refused to do so on the ground that the
proposed increase was wholly unnecessary.
Notwithstanding his refusal, however, to make
a movement to secure increased service, he
was surprised to receive from Washington a
sub.contract calling for tr-weekly trips, and
raising the pay to $4,000 per annum. This
is explained by the fact that in April 1879,
the original contractors, through their intiu.
ence with the postof1ice department, secured
an increase to tr weekly service, and had the
pay raised to S22,300 per annum. Thus it
will be noticed that Jennings, who was per-
forming this service, received Of this increase
only $4,000, leaving $1,000 to be divided
among the principals.
In July, 1879, or about three months after
the first increase was made, the service was
still further increased without any soliclta-
ton from Jennings, and without his knowl-
edge, to seven trips per week, and the yearly
paw was raised at the same time to S52,OOO.
When this last increase was made, Jennings
was ordered to put on daily service, at the
rate of $4,000 per annum, thus leaving
$4,000 per annum to be divided among the
principals. Before the route was increased
to daily service the contract was transferred
from Minter, Peck & Co., to j. W. Dorsey.
When the change was made Jennings was not
informed of the fact that the department., in
addition to directing increased trips, had
also expedited the service.
About three months after the transfer to
Dorsey, Jennings was informed by M. e..
Riedell that the schedule time had been short
ened to sixty hours. Redell was the clerk
and agent of Dorsey, and in order the more
effectually to carry out the fraudulent pur-
poses of the Ring, Dorsey made contract
with Riedell at the full contract price named
above and filed this agreement at the depart
ment After making the nominal contract
with Riedell, Dorsey made an actual contract
with Jennings for both tri weekly and daily
service, specifying that he should be paid
$4,000 for the tri.weekly and $4,000 for
the daily SERVICE which was $1,000 per an
mum below the sum fixed by the department
for the tr.weekly service, and $4,000 below
that fixed for the daily service. Jennings
acted in perfect good faith, and was ignorant
of the transactions between Dorsey and his
clerk.
The agreement made between Dorsey and
Jennings was forwarded by the latter to Rep
resentative Daggett, of Nevada, with the re.
quest that it be filed with the postofhce de-.
partment Mr.. Daggett, Immediately upon
receipt of the agreement, left it with j. l..
French, chief clerk Of the contract office, re-
questing him to place it on file. For the SER
vice of the first quarter under the tri-weekly
contract Jennings received his full pay &C.
cording to the terms of the contract At the
expiration of the next quarter, however, ne
not only failed to receive the pay due, but
he received notice from the department that
fines had been imposed for failure to perform
service, and that instead Of the government
owing him $1,000 he was debtor to the Gov
ernment by reason of the fines imposed, ill the
sum of 500. These fines, it seems, were I'M
posed because of Jennings failure to perform
the service on the expedited schedule, of which
he had no notice until informed by Ried-
ell as above explained. Not comprehending
this method of doing business, and by the
large pecuniary loss which threatened him,
Jennings at once proceeded to Washington.
Before leaving the West he obtained num-
Der of signatures to a protest against the
frequency of the expedition of the service
ordered by the department. There was no
necessity. whatever for the increase, as the
route was through the wilderness, and the
number of letters carried over it at any time
did not average three per week.
Arriving at Washington, Riedell ascer
tanned that Jennings intended to file this
protest with the department, and, in order to
prevent such damaging testimony being made
part of the public records, he gave Jenning:
$500 not to place the protest on file. In
the meantime, however, Riedell received
from the Government full pay, less the penal
ties, all of which were charged to Jennings
For the two following quarters Jennings was
paid only $3.50, his principal claiming thai
the balance was consumed by fines. Jen
nings having been thus exhausted, the route
was sold by the owners to Salisbury, Gilmore
g. Co. Jennings remained in Washington
with the expectation that he would obtalr
Justice from the postal authorities, not sup
posing, Of course that the very persons from
whom he expected protection and redres
were parties to the practices by which he hao
been defrauded He had no rig hts whateve
which the postoffice officials were bound to re
spect, for the reason that he was unknown tt
them, his agreement never having been placed
on the files of the department. The contrac
between Jennings and Riedell, which Mr.. Dag
gett left with Chief Clerk French, was no