The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-01-17
GRANTS OLD ACCOUNTS.
SOME IS1ER EsTIyG PAPERS FOUND
AT FORT AL WALL4.
His Carver o.. ReGinent.l ouarternsster
riNy Years Aso-The Robbery or . Bag
OF P.btte Meney-Oueers' Eequisition..

ME Career as BeGfuent.l 0-unrtermast-r
rtty Years Aso-The Ressevy OF . BAG
OF Pebble Msney-Omeers Eeauisitio.-.
Almost at the southeast corner OF the great
State Of Washington. and at the western base
! OF the beautiful Blue Mountains. whose sides
present ever new and attractive shades OF blue.
and gold. and green. and pink. and purple:
whose peaks. towering 5000 feet toward the
sky. appear through the clear air not an hours
walk away. lies one OF the handsomest and most
productive valleys on the continent The
scores Of small crystal streams. fringed with
timber. which have cut their sinuous ways
through vast layers Of decompo.ed bssalt to the
mighty Columbia, from their everlasting foun-
tains In the Businesses Of the Blue Mountains,
give the Indian name walla walla many
waters to this prolific region.
About forty years ago. in the midst OF this
charming region. on G long. narrow strip OF
ground rising about twenty feet above the
streams which flow on either side. were erected
extensive wooden building. arranged On the
sides and ends Of a large paralielocram form
ing the quarters and barracks Of the troops
stationed at Fort walia walla to protect the
whites from the Indians. who had made 1t very
dangerous for settlers TO try to occupy any Of
the half million OF acres. since they murdered
DR.. Marcus Whitman. tho missionary, and .
dozen others. at the Mission four miles below
the present fort, In November. ls47.
To this frontier post the writer was sent In
July. 1884. to perform the duties Of quarter
master and commissary. Shortly after enter.
ing upon the discharge OF his duties. while
making a careful inspection Of the buildings.
lie found. In q closet in n warehouse. a grain
sack partly filled with old. worn. torn. mice
es,en papers. which proved to be the re
talued papers" OF some army ofacer who had
left them at Fort waila walla. After carefully
examining them and finding ttey were al! Of
very ancient date aud OF no probable value to
their original owners, whose accounts must
have been settled years before. ] laid aside n
few Of the cleanesi papers rs additions to my
autograph collection. and had the rest burned.
Recently. while packing up Mt Walla waIla.
preparatory TO an extended stay In the East.
these all but forgotten papers were found,
and deemed worthy Of preservation In print.
Amid these old papers 80 found ard pre-
served are some which tell part of the story Of
the career OF Gen. Grant while An Officer Of
the Fourth Infantry, L. 5. A. None OF them
has been published. The f-st. In order OF time.
Is = Monthly Summary Statement" made by
Secoud Lieut.. L. :. Grant o. the Fourth In
fantry while acting Assistant Quartertna.,er
at Monterey. Mexico. The statement 10 hand
made" throughout. that 10 to say. II is a "regu-
lAtion blank" carefully ruled out and filled in
with black ink. not n drop OF red Ink being
used. II IL ruled on n sheet Of what was once
white glazed letter paper OF medium quality.
The entire work may have been done by Grant:
tho signature was undoubtedly written by
him. 1t is the same wrlggle which twenty years
later became familiar TO the civilized world as
the autos raph Of our great military chieirain
and magnanimous conqueror. On this old doc
ument the signature and onicial designations
occupy three lines; on the first line IS written
"USGrant.' as though one word: on the next
line is written I'D 1t. 4th Infy:' on the
next line are the letters a. A. q. NJ"
BY this old document, which Is dated Mon
terey. Mexico, sept. 30. 1919" it appears that
the :" Balance per last State was 81 20. s7L:
that the Amour Of Purchase within the
month" summed up SIC. so. leaving the Bal
ance due the United States" sll7.37l4. Lieut.
Grant c~ertifes, The balance due the United
States 10 now in my possession"
Those who have read Grants Memoirs will
remember his description OF the hardship.
experienced while crossing the Isthmus with
tho Fourth Infantry In 1889. during the chol-
era outbreak. After stating that - contract
had been entered into with the steamship CON-
pany in New York for the transportat"n of the
regiment TO California. including the Iahmus
transit" Grant tells how the regiment was
taken in boats up the Chagre. River to Cor.
further. The doctor, ACCOMPANIED the men.
and ! was left alone with the Sick AMI the -ol.
diers who had faniiIe.." Finlne that the
man who had agreed to turnn-h mule. was an
inpeeun'ons American. ana after waiting
spon-ihili,y. "di.tni,,ed u" runtrae,or. aud
male a new contract with n native At more than
double the original rriue."
In the small Jul'-r,lun Of autographs saved
by me from the medley in the gam sack Is the
original OF the new contract with n native"
Its written n one Sid" Of n piece Of rough.
surfaced paper. bearing tre wsIrr marx Al
Mas,o.' 1t IS about the size Of hal; n sheet Of
printed the seal OF the "i:cpublicA lie la NLevA
Granada" tear ng the moito "LihertaA | OR.
den Liberty and Orderl. Below this. and on
the left edge Of the lap.r. is printed the follow.
Ing: Se.lo !. Vale dos reeles. Alto econ6mico
cincuen,a I uno a ,rrin,a, / unode Aeo-ro de mil
ochocientos c'ncurrta dos" which IL roughly
transia' ed to mean. " the ~con,rae, l. written m
properly STAN ped paper: the stamp Is OF tn.
value Of. twenty-five cents. and the paper Is Of
the kind provided for the economic. or h,cal,
~. 1852. Of The republic Of New Granada
following words and figures:
memorandum ot contract made this day. the 2i.t
day o. Jul, isa. between Jo, y, ssrsvta o, The
r.. fS Sart ap Inrs AZ, I; ' df h. s .sFcsa pslg and R. .
! jose Ma Sara.iI ,hs mrs, part a.re- 70 deliver a.
FOURTH kss'men,oi tie unitet STATE. Infantry, 10;
s s.ra i"r ' ssn s's IS 'ssn 81 '9S u Sie T Fssi m..n. .s =, I sss
pot'n, on 70 con'i,t O. riding mules. packing mu1e-.
JGS Grant lrsysTCap,ain and R; c. NJ. Fourth
SHu's,aH!sif peasa :'S q he p C.ss sst.; End 81, , sSa r is1
snla TOT eacn Tim, NIUE; and 50 for c:ci li,,er AMI
said part OF Fourth Reg rcnt until full payment
snail b. made OF, delivery Of the freight and arri'a al
OF the saddle mules and litters, ami shall II he under
stood that the freight Is TO he paid for zach part o;
the baggage Of the time IL will 10 delivered, ami in
case ofdrfault on the part ot tHe second part 10 nav
all damages, iossfs. 6c.. there attaining 10 the hrst
part,
In witnss whereof we rave hercunto anix ed our
hands AMI seals the day and date Ghorr written.
|. 5. GRANT,
Hrevet captain ana H. Y. NJ, Fourth Infantry.
JusE Ma SARAyIA.
Witness, II. woiFF.
Ore OF the peculiar provisions Of this old con.
tract is thar which allows the contractor 10
retain said part OF the Fourth Regiment until
fun payment" OF his bill l. mad; that IL to say,
the contract gave n native OF Nueva Granada
the power TO hold y part 81 the United states
Army as security for the payment of mis- bill.
Another peculiarly Is that the payments are
not To- lie made in the money of the country,
silver, but 10 American gold. Not only is this