A PROBLEM WITH THE UNDERTAKER’S BILL

When General Grant’s obsequies were written by history, the public moved on and the country continued with its business. When Undertaker Steven Merritt completed his work, he submitted his bill to the Federal Government and was promptly paid in full. However, Undertaker Ebenezer Holmes, who was never requested by the Grant family, attempted to collect his sum of $500 ($15,598 in ’21) from the administrator of the Grant estate but he was not paid. He then tried to collect from Merritt who could in no way verify the accuracy of the fee. After Holmes discussed the matter with his lawyer, he was advised to seek payment of services from New York State Senator James Arkell, who apparently had requested Holmes to embalm the president; it was Dr. Douglas, who diagnosed Grant with throat cancer and was at his bedside when Grant died, requested Undertaker Holmes. When Holmes sent a letter detailing his inability to collect his fee to the New York Sun (a critic of President Grant), the newspaper took the opportunity to ratchet up libelous accounts of the Grant family refusing to pay the bill and directed its attacks on Julia Grant. As it turns out, undertaker Daniel Harrigan, who worked with Merritt, wrote to the Sun informing them that Senator Arkell had not requested the services of Holmes. The Sun, now aware of the problems with Holmes account, buried the letter from Harrigan and pressed their attack by paying Holmes as a way to get at the Grant family. Col. Frederik Grant wrote to the Sun about the pain caused to the family while reminding them of the account given by Harrigan. The Grant family then enclosed a $500 check hoping it would bring an end to the story. The newspaper’s editor, Paul Dana, returned the money. Col. Grant reissued the check, this time stating that Julia Grant directed the money to be held when the $500 fee was again submitted. Again, Dana refused the check.

The game played by the Sun was beginning to wear thin. By this point, both Col. Grant and Merritt were willing to pay Holmes his fee. Furthermore, the federal Government advised Merritt that Holmes would be paid in full according to the work he performed, which, based on the evidence of his work or lack of, in no way came close to the $500 fee; Mr. Purrington, a New York City attorney, contacted Merritt in an attempt to determine the best course of action regarding payment of Holmes' bill. In their correspondence, Merritt provided his account of the embalming, having been in command of the body from the date of death to internment, a span of 17 days. On Sunday, December 13th, 1885, Col. Grant sent Holmes bill to Merritt, wanting him to settle the matter if the bill was correct. After conferring with Holmes, Merritt submitted the bill to Quartermaster General Perry for payment. Merritt than wrote to Col. Grant letting him know he would take care of the fee and not to worry about it. However, Merritt felt Col. Grant would have paid the fee had he (Merritt) approved it. But the Sun did not contact Merritt in light of this information.

In the end, it turned out that Holmes lied about his services, and the Sun acted on this information, despite conflicting accounts, to go after the Grant family in their period of mourning. Apparently, when Merritt arrived at the McGregor home, Holmes was dismissed for being drunk. Also, according to Merritt, Holmes should have given him the bill for work, if any, done on the body that, if done by another undertaker, should have totaled $25.00. In the end the Sunwas duped and the Grant family suffered an unnecessary headache.