The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-10
THE CUsTpM-HoUsE NTEsTI.
I f.4ga ID Irra CATION. bN 7aSaI M

New York, January O.-AIter the
commencement Of the sessions Of the
Senate Investigating Committee to-day
Senator Casserly made request that Col,
Arthur forward a list Of the appointments
and removals promised last week and not
sent. 's li.'H'l'iA a
Henry A. Garrison, carman, testified as
10 tue rates oil storage, showing tile exhor;
bltant prices charged by ,Leet 4 Stocking.
James Elliott, who for some time was
working with The U. s. weigher, testified.
II know that the British bark, Vista, was
unloaded at Pier No. 4S, East River, of
600 tons Of pig iron, did not
see one hundred casks OF soda
ash weighed as they came from
her hold, on the contrary English weights
were taken from the casks by NIessrs,
Baldwin, Nelson and Mott, who worked
for the United States Welgher, j. M.
Thompson, at No. 70, entered them in
the books, this Is q common occurrence.
The Custom House hatchet, rs it Is call.
ed, was a dollar a week paid by every
man in the working gang TO baldwin,
who handed II 10 the foreman, who in
turn shared It with somebody else, was
seized, heavy amount Of which lie I'm.
derstoOd was given to the Harbor Master,
TO send the ships TO the Pier on which
he was employed. The witness said
there are men In this department who
were sinecures. For instance, a man
named Moore got 800 for running for
sandwiches, while we who had TO work
hard could scarcely earn more than seven
or eight dollars week" Witness then
told how Weigher Thompson brought a
crowd armed with clubs to carry the
election in the Custom House interests in
the 81 Ward. When Mott was cheating
The Government by copying off the Eng.
lish weights, / said TO him, "You are do.
ing q nice job, amt you| "Oh,
what's the odds" said he" it's all1
in the family, and will wash
out" They took the weight Of
a whole ship (brig) load OF casks In the
same way. Several hundred tons were
thus run out in the same way, delrauding
the Government Of revenue You see,
these casks Of stuff when weighed by the
United States always weighed sixty
pounds more than by English weights.
He said, therefore, that the Governments
lost that much revenue. All these men.
Thompson and the rest, had their names
on the custom house payroll.
Various parties corrobOrated the testi.
mony OF the witness as to taking English
weights. ~ 'g
Mark Patrick testified to Doyl?, City
Weigher, having always favored the mer-
chant sixteen pounds out OF every sixty
four, thus delrauding the government |
0ne.quarLer. The office on Thompson
Pier was filled by sinecurists playing
cards. .-..-... .........
James Reilly testified as 10 the frauds
by Thompson also; that all the dock
hands were required To attend the pri.
mary meetings, although not belonging
to that district.
At this point partial list of the en-
ployees was forwarded from the Custom
House, but the residence OF the persons
named was not given. NJ
Hon. Noah Davis was examined on the
OF Mr.. Lewis, Of the Post, that
part Of it which referred 10 the existence
OF proofs ol the Custom House frauds In
the appraisers department. In the Dis.
trict Attorneys Office there were fifty or
sixty cases Of alleged fraud on the part OF
the Custom House officials pending for
trial during my term Of Office While
there is in this city large. number Of
highly honorable merchants, there is q
very large class oil dishonest merchants TO
whom most OF the corruption existing
among the subordinate officers OF the Gus.
tom House Is elargeable.