The National tribune., 1888-10-04


hands behind him and his head bent forward
to one side, as if deeply engaged in thought
If have no errand in hand at the time that
hurries me l halt him with greeting, for l
have known the man for many years. and adj
mire him, too.
Horace P. Tuttle, Pennsylvania. was for
meriy Paymaster in the Navy tentering as
an Assistant in February, 1869, and left the
service under grievous cloud; but believed
then, and always shall believe, that the offense
which brought him to grief came about through
no fault Of his own, and much less from any
dishonesty.
The whole matter came about from placing
an able and good man in position to perform
official duties for which he was utterly united.
He is one of those men vino arc born mathe
maticians, and is to-day, as he has been ever
since his college days, one of the best ones In
this country.
During the war, while he was somewhere in
the thiTties in age, he desired to enter the
Navy and applied for an appointment as Pro-
fessor Of Mathematics, with the view of being
ordered to the Naval Observatory here, where
he could apply his attention to his loved study
of astronomy.
There was no vacancy then, but influential
friends pushed his claims so hard that the
Navy Department authorities finally had him
appointed to the Pay Corps, under the idea
that a skilled mathematician must, of course,
d
mistake. The duties of an officer in the Navy
Pay Corps require a man to be possessed of the
very igheSt order of business qualifications.
He must have the skill of bank cashier in
accurate accounting and attention to the de-
tails of handling large and small amounts of
money, as well as being thoroughly versed in
the relative values Of foreign moneys and for
eign and domestic exchange; he must know
ali about the cloth and clothing business, as
well as the grocery and provision line, and
know as well how TO purchase those supplies
as to accurately issue and account for them.
Mr.. futile was a student; his knowledge
was of books not accounts, and he knew moth
ing whatever Of the little details of business;
he had none of the requirements, and was ut
terry out of place.
On a long cruise on a distant station his ae-
counts became dreadfuliy mixed up. lie was
not gambler, nor did he have other glaringly
bad habits that would account for a shortage;
but he Was short a number of thousands of
( dollars and finally general couTt-martial was
/ held here and he was dropped out OF the serY-
/ ice.
lie was never known to refuse to advance
money to any officer who applied to him. On
such occasions he would tear of bit of paper
probably from a newspaper corner and write
IN figures the amount advanced, saying that
he would remember it. At other times the
memorandum would be made on the margin Of
a newspaper or the back of an envelope. The
transaction would pass utterly from his mind
in five minutes, never 10 be remembered unless
his attention was called to it.
vas told that one time when his clerk was
struggling TO make up quarterly account, and
could get no help from futile TO explain about
missing funds. the former went to the waste
4 basket in Tuttles room and found there tiny
4 scraps that accounted for hundreds Of dollars.
That was his way; and l don't believe that
est. Tir.Nf1 Y -
I March, 1875, single officer in the Navy, or man
4 who had ever known him. believed that he had
ever benefited personally by single dollar
OF the sums entrusted to his hands.
Leaving the service, his talents led to his
4 joining one of the great suryeys-Dr. Hayden's.
( / think,-with which he remained until he was
employed as one of the computers in preparing
\ the Nautical almanac, and believe he is still
I there.
| fever there was man thoroughly saturated
with mathematics, it is be. II he sits down to
enjoy dinner with a friend, he fills up more
/ Jlme with problems than in feeding. When he
/ wants 20 rest himself in his room the book be
. takes up IS more apt TO be calculus or some
/ abstruse work on astronomy or plane survey
\ ing than any one better known to the reading
+ pahiic at large. 1t is life wasted through a
mistake.
n BOTH SERVICES
Commander Augustus G. Kellogg, of the
Navy, reported al the Norfolk Navy Yard last
Monday 10 command the slOOp-of-war Osspee,
/ which viii sail soon for a Winter cruise In the
/ West indies. Commander Kellogg graduated
I from the Naval Academy in 1863, and saw
some excellent service before the rebellion
ended. This reminds me that Commander
kellogg Las as one Of his officers Passed Assist
( ant Faymaster John w. Jordan who has been
I in the Navy since 1870, but was a veteran OF
( the war in the Sd Nd as a Lieutenant, and
2fterward served rs Lieutenant in the 9th u.
5. Inf until February, 1870, when he resigned
to go into the Navy.
AZ OLD VETERAN GONE.
Old Dave. cavalry horse who served "Mit
Sigel ia Missouri in 1862 died at Woodruff
III, Sept. -, aged 81 years. During the cam.
paign IN Missouri he was used up and condemn.
ed. and was sold to a farmer in Illinois, but
7 finally became the property of Capt. J. Il
Ridenour, and worked in brickyard at Wood
hull. For the last year he failed very
fast aud did no work. He had lost all hi,
teeth and had to BE fed upon ground feed. He
WIS Of an excitabe disposition to the last: the
firing Of a gun or the beat of drum would SCI
hira wild. He was buried respectfully and ha.
gone where good horses go.
VETERANS IN THE CITY.
C0mrade Andrew Grogan, who was a mem
Der Of the 9TH Conn. Gen. Alfred H Terry,
old regiment, is located at No 1903 S stree
northwest. He is in excellent health gener
ally, although he lost a leg in the fierce battl,
Of Sept. p, 1864, at Drewry's Bluff. on tn,
James River. where Gen. Joseph r. Hawleyi
Brigade, OF Terry's Division, Tenth Corps, helC
our left against dozen heavy assaults
Charles II. Leet Quartermaster. G. L. Willard
Post, No. "a. Troy, n. Y. ConlTade Leet is en-
gagged IN stove manufacture.
K. r. Richards, 18th n. Y. Independent bat
terry, Troy, \. i. Comrade Richards was taker
prisoner IL the action at the Petersburg Min,
and kept At Andersonyille and other prison,
until November, when he was released on tn,
sick exchange. he is now in the carriage bust
ness at Troy.
George Campbell, I69th n. Y, Troy. N. Y
Comrade Campbell is in the postoffice at Troy
having charge Of the entire work in the Office a
night.
The three above-named comrades have beer
10 Richmond and Petersburg on a visit 70 tn
old hattleGelds where their regiments fought
They were Hospitality entertained by the Con
federatc Veterans in Richmond.
W II. Hecker and wife, La Porte, Ind, Com
Tade Hecker was a member Of Co. @, 9th Ill
, Cav, aud BOW belongs to Hathaway Post, Nc
J ITO, Department Of Indiana. He has been en-
gagged in farming until recent years.
A. J. Birdsall, Co. K, I'd n Y. II. A. Com
radc Birdsal is now Superintendent of the Ma
tioDal Cemetery al Fredericksburg
GEN. sPIEoLAs EXCELLENT IDEA.
3 Gen. Spinola having been informed chat h
4 1 entitled Ia faa e