Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-01-09
THE SURvEYORsHIP.
The Struggle Growing Moro and
More Bitter.
Capt. Gilchrist After Col. SteHing's Scalp
That New furniture and How Z. was -
0btalned-Peterson IN the Ring
Golf in Demand.
A RESUME OF THE SITUATION.

Special Correspondence Of the ReoiSer.
WASHINGTON, January 7.-Surveyor OF
Port Gilchrist is here looking as wise as
q boa-constrictor and as harmless as cross
Poll-parrot. i would not be surprised il
he sneezed before he got through and
gnawed some of the paint of the new fur.
niture, or the first floor Of the Custom
House. He has some figures in his inside
vest pocket which are suggestive, to say the
least. 1t seems that, as custodian Of the
Custom House at Wheeling, he looks after
the estimates and audits the bills OF the
institution, and when the postmaster, some
time since, made requisition for new fur
niture, he prepared the estimate OF articles
and prices. Vixen the bills came in, Mr..
Gilchrist says they not only exceeded the
amount of the estimate, but the furniture,
as shown by Mendel & Co.'S books, did not
conform TO the list of articles shown on the
estimate allowed; and il appeared that the
postmaster had purchased not only ar
ticles of greater value than those
mentioned in the estimate, but ar.
ticles not mentioned or included In
the original list at all. Mr.. Gilchrist fur
ther states and produces Col. Sterling, let
ters to prove it, that the postmaster first
claimed that the excess in Mendcfs bill
over the amount of the estimate, was q
dersonal matter and properly chargeable
to Col Sterling, but subsequently made
request Of the Custodian that he collect the
excess from the Government and pay 1t
over to him.
Gilchrist adds that Sterling never would
furnish him furniture account, showing
that he had received the furniture men.
toned in the estimate, and says that .. j..
Crawford, who was deputed as an expert TO
assist in making up later estimate, inti-
mated to him that he was solicited by Ster-
ling TO swell such later estimate for the
purpose of leaving margin for
similar performances. Under these
circumstances, Gilchrist thinks he could
not conscientiously approve the purchases,
and that this is the occasion OF the warfare
that is being made on him by the first foor
of the Custom-house building. As for the
Peterson opposition, he says that grows
out of an old row he had with Walker Pc
terson over some lines run by the latter on
the Island, which cut into Sam Hildreth'S
potato patch and affections TO such an eK'
tent that Hildreth went to work and beat
HAosaes HAsss5h ahe Sr ig nEsasc sans
With these few preliminary. observation,
GilchrlSt states tnat, Wnlle Nc ooeo no'
know that the game is worth the candle
he does not propose to be run out for do
ing his simple duty, and he proposes "a
stay with the opposition until Hades con-
geals.
II Fred. Miller will back up the surveyor
with few more latin larded communica
tions, the fight will go bravely on. Some
thing of the same feeling which comes over
the struck eagle, transtixed with shaft
from his own pinions, must come over the
postmaster as he reads the classic prose OF
Frederick, for the latter makes no bones OF
admitting that he learned his latin from
studying Sterlings latin dispatch TO Gen.
Garfield last fall.
There is n vigorous yell for Gen. Gof all
along the Republican line here. About the
last act OF Postmaster James OIL.
cial life was TO put out the
old postmaster at Hinton and put
in man named Prince, a son OF Uncle Bill
Prince, of Raleigh county, who Is wheel
horse OF Democracy and semi-occasioDal
member OF the West Virginia Legislature.
Dick Burke, who is in state OF Milesian
frenzy over the situation, says young Prince
is q worse Democrat than the old man, and
that IL Goff don't come down here and look
after things, this country will be In worse
condition than Ireland. Lam.