Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-01-14

VERDICT FOR S32 900.

/ Iu the Circuit Court of the city of Rich
mond, Judge Beverly R. Wexford, the case
of the Kendall Bank Note Company, Of
New York, against the Board of Commits,
s;oners of the Sinking Fund of Virginia was
concluded on Saturday, the jury, after an
absence from the room OF twelve minutes,
bringing in verdict for plaintiffs for $50 600,
with interest, total with interest and cost
! Of about $50. 600.
j When the General Assembly passed the
/ Riddleberger bill it authorized the Sinking
Fund Commissions ers to have The bonds and
coupons therefore engraved and printed,
and arranged that the funding should com
mence on the 1st of July, 1882. Three COM
petitors appeared with offers to DO the work
the American BankNote Company and
the Kendall Bank Note Company and the
Western Engraving Company. The bid of
the last was not considered. The bid of The
Kendall Company was about $1,000 lower
than the other, and was accepted Second
Auditor Dyson and Treasurer Reveley vot
ing for it, and Auditor of Public Accounts
Allen voting for the American Company. A
reason urged against the Kendall Company
by Mr.. Allen was that Mr. Kendall had made
an improper approach to him for his vote.
Subsequently Mr. Kendall was arrested on
that charge, examined and honorably dis
charged.
The work to be done by the Kendall
Company was steel-plate printing Of! the
very best style, and on one of the designs of
bonds was apicture of General William Ma.
hone After the plates were made Malone
declared that he would not allow that use
oil his picture 10 be made. So the work was
stopped, that plate destroyed, and Riddle
berger's picture sent OIL 10 be substituted
for. Mahone's. This, the evidence showed,
threw back the work so that the bonds
could not possibly be furnished on July LIST
and that that would be the case the COM
pany informed the commissioners in ad-
vance. AS to who was responsible for this
delay formed one of the chief grounds of
contention on the trial. 1t was only over
Swallowed by the allegation of defendants
that it was understood by them and by the
Kendall Company that the bonds of the lat
ter would be received on the Stock Exchange
of New York. For failing to furnish evil
dence that their bonds would be so received
the Board some time in the summer OF 1882
met and gave notice that if such evidence
was not furnished within forty eight hours
the contract with the Kendall Company
would be recinded. And it was SO
hllGu uuu 1ecFCiCN
voting "Aye:" Mr.. Dyson voting No
and that after nearly all the bonds had
been printed and some of them delivered.
The contract was then awarded to the
American Bank-note Company. and they
prine the bonds which were finally issued.
Kendall's were never used.
All these and many other matters were
testified to, and Judge Wexford instructed
the jury-to which instructions the Attor-
ney- General excepted, and thereupon may
base an appea--and the case was argued
on Saturday for the plaintiffs by Edgar
Allan, Esq, and for the Commissioners of
the Sinking Fund (state of Virginia. by
Attorney General Blair, and then went to
the jury with the result above stated-a
verdict for the Kendall Bank-Note Company
of about $4,000 which includes costs of
printing, charges, &C., growing out OF the
performance of the contract.
1t is thought the matter will be investi-
gated by the Legislature.