The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1882-12-08
THE GARFIELD BILLS.
DR.. Bliss Greatly Disappointed by the
Award.

WASHINGTON, Dec 4-The claims allowed
Professional services, Bliss $1,000, Agnew
and Hamilton 5000 each, Reyburn and
Boynton 50, 600 each, Edison So, 900. The bills
for services and supplies were all settled, as
were also bills for extra services for govern
ment employees, steward Crump being allowed
but $500; private secretary Pruden, 5000, etc.
The total appropriation to pay claims against
the estate was $57,500, of which $35,5o0 was
specially appropriated for physicians, etc.
The amount is $1,000 less than the amount
appropriated, and the allowances for outside
claims are about $11 900 less than the amount
available making q total balance of about
$4,000 out of the entire appropriation.
Dr. Bliss said to reporter that, while he
could not speak of his associates, he could
say distinctly for himself that he should not
accept the $780, He would take what his
services were worth, or he would go unpaid.
The action of the board of audit was simply
an insult The attempt to deprive him Of
compensation that he was entitled to was
fraud Calling to his clerk to bring his fee
book, he showed the accounts, which testified
to his earning over 81 800 last month. He
said he earned about the same the
month before the president waa shot Dur
ing the congressional session his income was
$500 to $1,000 month. His attendance
upon ii president compelled him to
give up his own practice entirely not only
during the presidents life but for months
afterward During his attendance upon the
1oI,%h n rad fr0ro
and this, together with his great me- tai and
physical fatigue, made it impossible for him
to do any business before the first of last Jan
uary, and for three months after that he
could only do part of his usual work. Be-
sides, considerable part Of his practice was
necessarily lost to HIM. A lawyer can some
times turn his cases over to another lawyer, or
he can get them postponed to the next term
postpone his cases SO. It was not till last
spring or summer that he regained his health
and business, both of which were entirely lost
to him for six months, and partially lost to
him for some time after that His attendance
on the president had actually cost him, first
and last, including 81, 900 of extraordinary ex-
penditures, $4,000, so that it was a mere
affront to offer him $4,000 Furthermore, the
board awarded DR.. Boynton and Mrs. Edison
almost as much as the physicians in care Of
the case. What was particularly CALLING to the
uOCbOI Was uuhb lAo DObIo nave
assumed to cut down the appropriation far be-
low what congress had fixed upon, though
that was totally inadequate Congress set
aside $35,500 for the doctors. This was
wholly insufficient, but if the board of audit
had made an equitable division of the whole
of that sum DR.. Bliss thought that all the
doctors would have taken the money and
said nothing But the board had allowed
the doctors who attended as such only
$20500 and that was unbearable He did
not believe that any of the doctors
would take their awards; they would have re-
course to the estate. The correspondent
asked if in presenting their claims to the
board of audit the doctors had not obligated
themselves not to seek payment from the es-
tate, but the doctor replied in the negative
They had obligated themselves not to ask any,
thing of the estate if they got a reasonable
compensation from congress, but if they did
not get their actual expenses it was absurd TO
pretend that they could not present their bills
to the executors.