The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-08
Statement Prepared by the Auditing
Committee of the War Depart
ment Given Out by Senate.
$12 FOR A "JIPIGAPA' HAT
COSTLY OUTFIT FOR A COACHMAN,
WHO WAS PAID s11O A MONTH.
Forty-Two Dollars for an EnameIed
Bath Tub and Large Amounts for
Gloves, Etc.-Neely's Trip.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 7.-Senator Platt,
of Connecticut, chairman of the Senate
committee on relations with Cuba, to-day
made public the statement prepared by the
auditing division of the War Department,
showing the expenditures made by Z. c.
Rathbone late director of the department
OF posts for Cuba The statement is in-
cluded in volume of 291 pages, and covers
the period from Jan. /. 1885, to April 30,
1s0c. There remarks. and the book
is a solid mass of figures. showing not only
the disbursements made by Rathbone, bur
giving the items disallowed upon re-exam-
ination. as well as those allowed.
The total disallowances for the sixteen
months we're $72631. The first disallow
ance was on account of an expenditure of
$3.50 for a duchess carriage, made on the
18th of February, 1889. After that time
there were frequent disbursements for the
director generals carriage service. March
20 he paid s9o2 for set of harness and
carriage 'auxiliaries;' April Z, sl2 for a jip-
igapa nat, and for another hat for his
coachman with rosette, and the same
date 1906 for harness, etc. Rent for the
coachman, stable, etc, seems to have been
regularly paid out of the public funds at
the rate of $ll0 per month. and in one or
two instances the hostlers salary was thus
supplied. All the coach furnishings were
provided in this way. In May, 1899, a uni
form costing $40. pair of boots costing
SIS and another hat costing 50 were bought
for the coachman. June a raincoat cost
ing s26 was supplied to that individual. The
coach was later supplied with rubber tires
at an expense to the public of $40. In
addition there were many miscellaneous
charges for stable rent and carriage and
car hire.
All of the payments made to c. f. w.
Nicely chief of the financial bureau of the
department., appear TO have been carefully
scrutinized and many OF them were disal-
lowed Most of the payments made TO him
apparently were made on account of Office
furnishings freight, drayage. moving. adj
vance in salaries, etc. There are two or
three items in his accounts Of from $40 10
$50 for the payment of laundry bills for the
director generals coachman. On Oct II.
1899. s5.123 was paid to Neely on account of
'loss on Spanish gold taken to the United
States" and this was disallowed, as were
several other minor charges in connection
with the transactions. Nicely made a trip
TO the United States, going far West
his old home I'm Indiana, under the direc-
tion, 1t is stated in the report. of the direc-
tor general, and many of his charges in
that connection were disallowed upon re-
examination, but not. OF course, until they
had been paid. He also made advances TO
Rathbone and to w. E. Wilmot on account
of trips 10 the United States which were
not sanctioned by the auditor. Some OF the
items in this connection amount TO as much
as 500.
In April. 1899, Mr.. Rathbone made a visit
To this country under the claim that IL
was made in obedience 10 the o;ders of the
postmaster general. but the auditor finds
'that the trip was not authorized and re-
fuses To sanction the entire expenditure.
which was an even $500. Similar action is
taken with reference TO the purchase of an
enameled bathtub for the Department OF
Posts. secured at a cost OF S42 Attorneys
and notaries were paid sllO for services I'm
connection with the leasing OF Mr.. Rath-
bone S residence. There were also charges
for plumbing and paper hanging at the
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