St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-07-23
Moses Public Trust.


Down in one of the committee rooms
of the Capitol the other day picked up
an old report of the Senate which con
tanned the history of remarkable bust
ness transaction between the government
of the United States and an honest though
illiterate citizen. 1t illustrates what a
hard bargain Uncle Sam drives, and how
merciless he is when he gets fellow in
his clutches, as we'll as the amount of red
tape which is required to tie up a small
matter of executive business.
During Mr.. Cleveland's first term as
President Mr.. Villas, as Postmaster-G Cen
eral advertised for proposals for carryng
the United States mails three times a
week over route 2S,630, from Knob
Lick, by way of Libertyvile, to Coff-
man, Mo-, and back thirty miles each
round trip. When the bids were opened
the highest of twenty-five proposals was
5000 a year. The lowest was 81 year,
and came from Moses Pendergrass, who
got the contract. On the 1st Of July
1887, Moses qualified, with his neigh
bors, Messrs. Presnel and Black as sure
ties on his bond, and commenced to carry
the mail. On the LIST of October follow
ing, being the end of the first quarter,
Moses had made seventy-eight round
trips of thirty miles each, riding alto
gether 2 $40 miles over country roads i'll
all kinds Of weather, delivering letters
and newspapers to the people of Liberty
vile and Coffman with great punctuality,
amiability and cheeriuness. If he had
travelled the same distance in straight
line he would have gone nearly one-tenth
of the way around the world or from
New York to the Isthmus OF Panama or
from New York to Liverpool, and had
be gone north from Knob Lick and kept
on going he would have reached the north
pole.
Moses Pendergrass was astounded
when he received check for 81. 43 from
Uncle Sam for this service, the 81 being
payment in full under the regular con.
tract and the 43 cents being for extras at
the same rate. Moses went to the post
master at Knob Lick for an explanation.
The postmaster was naturally "beiud-
died" and wrote letter to the depart
ment as follows:
Third Assistant Postmaster-General,
Washington, d. c.
SIR: Moses Pendergrass' bid on route
2S,630 was $500 year, and he only
gets 81 tor the first quarter. There is
certainly some great mistake some
where. Any one knows that the mail
could not be carried fifteen miles and
back six times week for 81 year. |
made out the papers for Mr.. Pendergrass
and $500 was his bid. Yours truly,
A. A. RUDY,
Postmaster, Knob Lick.
The Third Assistant Postmaster-Ge Gen.
eral respectfully submitted the letter to
the Second Assistant Postmaster-General.
The Second Assistant Postmaster Cen
eral respectfully referred it to the super.
intendent of the star route service.
He respectfully referred it to the con.
tract division. who ordered clerk to
look it up, and that clerk, upon examin.
ing the original papers, notified Rudy
that "the amount of the proposal of Mr..
Moses Pendergrass for route 2S,630, on
file in this office, is very plainly written
81 per annum. The same amount appears
in the contract and the bond bearing his
signature. Therefore there can be no
mistake, and the rate at which Mr.. Pen
dergrass was paid for the quarter ended
Sept. 80 is the most that can be paid for
the service"
Whereupon there was a good deal of
writing back and forth between Wash
ington and Knob Lick, and it was devel-
oped that Mr.. Pendergrass, not being
able to read or write, had asked Post.
master Rudy to make out the proposal
for him at the rate of $500 year. By
some strange fit of heterography Mr..
Rudy wrote -four dollars" instead of
-four hundred dollars" both in the pro-
posal blank and aiterward in the con-
tract and the bond. There was no evil
dence OF bad faith on his part, but never
theless by his inexplicable carelessness he
made his friend, Moses Pendergrass, mis-
cradle Tor many years.
When Moses learned the facts he sen,
an honest and candid letter to the Post
master. General which is full OF Patio,
and homely dignity. He said that h,
was not responsible for the mistake, 70,
Postmaster Rudy admitted that hi
instructions were perfectly clear. 81 hav
got to quit the contract" he said. :"
am poor man and have a family t.
support and how can do it on 81 yea
and hire team, besides giving my owl
time TO the business II youcan do some
thing to get me out Of this scrape, tn
favor will never be forgotten. hav
now carried the mail for nine months, AM
the government proposes to pay me on
So. You know it is not right nor homes
tor the government to take advantage c
the mistake and compel poor man t
accept en- l,t,1a ,,,n,a,, &C. On ,,,,,oL On.