The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-04-01
IN A RED-TAPE TANGLE.
now MOSES PENDERGRAsS cor MS
MATL-CARRTfNG CONTRACT,
And Through = Clerical Error 08iy Receiv.
ed -Four Dollars n Year for his Ser
vices TO Uncle Sam.
Here is the queer story from the usual

rooms 1t tells how Moses FENDER
Grass. OF Knob Lick. Mo-. has been tied
pn for seven years along with the Gov
eminent OF the United States in tangie
~ official red tape. and II is worth read
,ne even for those who never have been
in Knob Lick. and never have heard Of
Moses.
Sir. Pendcrgrass is respectable citizen
vho can neither read nor write. Nhen
We call him respectable. we mean what
we say. for his moral qualities have come
OFT strong I'm the trouble in which he
fnds himself. through 10 fault Of his
own. Back in Mir. Clcveland's first term,
when Villas was Postmaster-Gcnerai. the
Department advertised for proposals for
carrying the mails three times week
over star route $3.50. that Is TO say
from Knob Lick by way Of LberiyviAe'
and AVIAN to COnman and back. thirty
miles each round trip; and six times
week 10 Ilberiyvile and back, i"elNe
miles the round trip. FOR tnl5 Sci W.
,scre were opened &C washington l"
ty-fve bids. ranging from 500 q year Wy
HIGHEST down % s. year. me lowest.
The s. bid was Moses Icnieibia7a - anu
le. therefore. got the contract
ON July l. 1851. Moses began TO carry
.ro malls havin.. duly qualified and put
iu MS bond. with his ncishbors. PresneH
Ind Elanks. as sureties thereon Beng
unable 10 read or write, Moses was oDlS-
"a 20 depend upon Postmaster Rudy OF
Knob Lick, who was also a justice OF
the peace, for instance in the formah-
lies and technicalities OF the business.
The Postmaster prepared the papers ana
Moses signed by making his marx. BE
fore he began the service the Department
ordered the increase Of trips all the way
10 Conman from three 10 six times d
week. with additional pay pro rata, 10
fhs contractor. SO when the first quarter
ended on September %. Moses had mace
eaventy-eieht round trips of thirty mile
each riding altogether 23iO miles over
Iron Mountain country roads in all sorts
of weather. and delivering the mails al
llbertyville, Avon, and Cofman with IL
deity. punctuality. and great cheerful
r.ss Of manner. If ne had travelled the
same distance in a continuous journey
south. he would have gone about as FAR
rs 10 Bluenelds on the Mosquito Coast
ia Nicaragua: If north. he would have
reached the Magnetic Pole. and gone two
or three hundred miles beyond it.
Moses Pendergrass was astounded
when for this arduous service TO the
government he received at the end Of the
frs, quarter a warrant or Treasury check
far one dollar and forty-three cents, all
Of the increased compensation included.
Tlcn. after a good deal of official cor
resp0ulence between Washington and
Knob Lick. il was discovered that al
though Moses pendcrgrass had intended
fold Postmaster Rudy. who drew the
papers for him. and although Rudy and
the b0ndsmen had understood that the
hid was 500. 10y incomprehensible care
las-ness or iu some strange fit of heterog-
rarhv. Mr. Rudy had written -four IN
stead Of -four hundred" both in the
proposal blank and afterward in the
blank contract and blank bond. There
o. 10 suspicion Of bad faith on Rudy's
part. heals merely responsible for an
aet 0f necilceace which has made seven
wears Of trouble for Moses. When the re-
mittance Of SLAB was received. the Knob
Lick Postmaster promptly sent TO the
Department the following communica-
tan.
"Thlrl Assistant Postmaster-G General:
Moses Pendergrass's bid on route 2S,-
go was 500 per year There is certainly
come great mistake somewhere. Any
one knows that the mail could not De
carried fifteen miles and back six times
week for 81 per year. l made the pa
Ders Tor Mr. Pendergrass, and 500 was
DIS bid.
"a. a. RUDY.
POSTMASTER. Knob Lick"
The Third Assistant Postmaster-Gene-
-al respectfully referred the matter TO
the Second Assistant Postmaster-General
and after the necessary number of revo-
luu0ns Of the wheels. the circumlocu-
lion machine ground out q notice 10 Ru-
as that "thc amount OF the proposal on
file in this office is very plainly written
four dollars per annum: and. therefore
the rate az which Mr.. Pendergrass has
been paid for service for the quarter
ended September 30 is the most that ne
can be- paid for the service" Another
communication addressed % PondeTerass
stated succincry what Moses had TO e,,-
pect I'm the future from the United States
Government.
Regular quarterly pay per the con-
tract .................... .....-..........N %
More per quarter under order No.
%.l5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. fj
Total quarterly compensation. .......N %
II was az this juncure that Moses
moral qualities came out ilustrious. he
fclt that money was not the only c0nsid-
GRAFTON. He was. in his humble way, the
custodian of public trust. He owed
certain duties. not only 20 Knob Lick and
20 his bOndsmen, and 20 the people of
IAbertvville, Avon. and cOnman who de-
pended ON him and his mule for the
prompt receipt of their letters and news
papers. but also to American ideas Of
good citizenship and loyalty 10 the con-
shtuted authorities. All who know the
circumstances testify that Moses conduct
at crisis so important % himself, was
very honorable. dlsintorested, and patri-
otto. Greater men than ne. in greater
emergencies. have manifested less iidelI-
~ 20 the public interests Actuated by
such a spirit. and comforted. no doubt,
hy the belief that so obvious and simple
an error as was involved in the matter OF
bis annual pay could be rectned without
much delay by government as great
and powerful as that Of the United states
of America Moses determined that TO
accommodate the Department and MS
friends ln Libcrtyvnie. Avon. and Cox
man. he would continue 20 carry the mail
bags al the annual rate OF S5.72. extra
compensation included until the tanGle
could be straightened out at Washington;
even though the pay was hardly enough
10 keep properly shod the off hind foot
o. one Of his mail mules And he actual
ly performed the service at that ridicu-
lous rate Of pa, until April 10. 1883.
Bat the tangie was not straightened
out al Washington The red tape got
snaricd around Moses worse and worse