[Docket: Colonel Joseph Williams / No. 10— / [undecipherable] 1800] [Received from State Dep't. Nov. 24, 1894. R.P.O. 401310.] [Address: May 16 / Samuel Hodgdon Esq^r / Superintendent of Military [Stores] / Philadelphia] Springfield May 16^th 1800 Sir I have received two thousand Dollars in Bank Notes on acct. of the Armory, mentioned in your letter of the 30^th ultimo— yours of the 29^th has also come to hand. I am conscious of the rectitude of my duty, in exhibiting the complaints against M^r Ames, & I did hope if the charges were noticed, a fair & candid investigation would have taken place on the spot, & M^r Ames from every [undecipherable] ought to have urged it if he is confident of his own uprightness— a few days after he left this place for Philadelphia I was surprized to find, he had obtained partial Depositions & certificates calculated to exonorate him from the charges without a fair enquiry— Richards Deposition, which you must have received ere this, will shew the leger demain, he made use of to stifle or clear himself from that charge— I believe Richards testimony to be a statement of facts— as they comport with what he had repeatedly told me here— As to his Brother Oliver being made up twenty Dollars for each Month while going to School— M^r Ames told me he earned that money by his industry between schools— I believe it can be clearly proved, that one of the United States Apprentices was placed under his direction in that time— & Oliver received the benefit of his work— & that he himself did nothing of any consequence but go to School— It also can be proved that David Ryan, one of his fathers Apprentices was lame & went with Crutches & did no work— nearly the whole of the time in which his receipt was taken for thirty six Dollars for work done from June 1^st to Sep^t 1. 1798— His proposing to a Merchant to purchase of him the Clothing for the U.S. Apprentices— & that he might put on them a good profit— provided— he w^d let him have goods for himself & family at the first cost— this the Merchant is ready to give his testimony to— I am told & I believe it is a fact— that he stands credited in his private account on Col^d Smiths Books for a Quantity of Wood being an overplus due on the Rations, furnished the Artificers employed at this Post— it is obvious he is not intitled to wood from Rations— if the Artificers did not receive it how could he certify with propriety, that Col^d Smith had furnished the Armory with so much Wood, & receive the benefit of it himself. If no further enquiry is to be made into these charges— I wish for your permission— to call on the several [undecipherable] for their Testimonies— in support of the complaints— that I may be clear from any suspicion— of personal revenge & that the charges were not groundless & vexatious— I am Sir Most respectfully Your Obedient Servant Joseph Williams Sam^l Hodgdon Esq^r