The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-11
More Cases of Star Chamber Seiz-
ures Of Books and Papers by
60 Treasury Agents. M
How a Deputy Collector Set About
Running a Man.
ssM PALMER on CUSTOM HOUSE POLITICS
Protest Against Custom House Manipulation
Of tho Committee.

yHOteBI hSaluAt CuStODi uVueo m""'P"'"ssv"
Of tho Committee
me Custom House committee resumed the'f In
vessiraton at the Aston House yesterday morning.
A number OF additional instances OF the shameiui
abuses OF liberty perpetrated by custom HOUSE oi-
ncials were brought Out
Yhe following was the evidence taRen:-
Francis Passoa sworn--In the early part OF 1871
che books OF our firm vera seized on a charge OF
sntering false weights OF wool; subsequently Mr..
zane, the special agent who investigated the
seizure made charge OF mistake In entering teas;
Wo were also charged with brlbing Custom House
officials; on The wool question Mr.. Jane SAID the
whole CARGO worth $4,000, would be forfeited;
M Jane said that unless we were very
sure OF our ground we had better take
some other course; understood that that meant q
compromise; had three nterviews "A We're not Of.
fenslye IN their demeanor when making the seiz
pre; at the last interview Mr.. Jane said, III you 60
20 the District Attorneys and pay $500 you Will get
your books back again. we refused to pay this, but
rot our books back all right
g, You paid no money then al any timer A. Only
for Inc carriage Of the books; some OF our books
were kept three months and others i've months;
whenever we wanted TO refer to them we mad to 20
20 The Custom House, they were kept in Mr. James
room. .o t...
O. Was there any need for the books to have been
Kept ave mOnlhsa A. 1t would not have taken
competent person more than one hour to have seen
al there was In the books bearing upon this sub
5ecti the cause Of the wool dispute was adscrep-
ency between the weights Of the welghers and our
weights; when the last ofrer OF $500 was made
said we might perhaps, pay that, II he freed us
trOm the imputation OF fraud, but that ne declined
% 90; the Custom House weigher who passed the
wool never weighed the wool at all, but est.
mated IT,
Ezra Wheeler, having been sworn, testified that
his books had been seized In the latter part OF 1862
n consequence OF an alleged mistake in the weights
81 shipment Of teas and sugar. The difficulty was
adjusted however, In four or I'VE days. and his
books were returned 10 HIM.
John d. TORY sworn-Am Q Custom House onlcer,
em CLERK In the Impost once OF the Auditor once;
~as Inspector OF Election at the Twenty first Assem-
bly, District Republican Association; Ihad converse
tiOn with Mr. Grant, but did not tell him that there
were fraudulent votes OF that election, nor that
had used my power to sign to refuse to sign the
credentials OF election TO force the Custom House
authorities to promote me believe that there we're
Irregularities In the election; turned away one
man for attempting to Illegally vote; 1t was claimed
tnas number OF illegal votes were cast, and that
she election was Illegal.
John 8 Boocher sworn-Am an Importer Of teas
md wines at Ss Front street, some goods Of mine
were seized In the fall OF either 1858 or 1895; we
made compromise with the government by paying
$4,000; the goods seized was sherry wines we set.
Ned the case. not because we thought that there
had, In fact been an differentiation the invoice,
but because orr r'isness sunered terribly by the
>,-s w cur books; dc not know thai tnere was
ere a lTsuii about it; never vas summoned TO
'ssraall llAS4WN 90 noI know who ne money
(56n b., Mackenzie sWcrn--An IN me. ten bust
Enough TSfq Ssse a a snse % gs goS Ssss
neDt woisaer 90 no. neneve weigh the goods
,ed Dgfl8 city e,gNef who then gives the
tine United states Weigher wpo never
~ himself; think mat ID tpe general prac-
tng had cargo Of teas, % had great
20 lrmg them, owing 70 tho trouble we
nr mem welgnsdJ ! have never paid
sSo 'sr 9 ss gs t a9ns %9 a "r a bs
nos get along unless ' paid the
went the next morning and
t es. the deputy Collector sDDut the
10 Issued a snort order about It, and
tfave never had any trouble fifteen
too1se OF wnCl 7 was then aember
serrry clerfs, u has Away cen the
Is thai wau goods enierec quickly
Use pad weigbers, though / never
err; don't tDink myself that United
= as ers are even present when te City
suss sni sno SsV naS sl5 EH % s so %
NllN 70 be "a Tlded up among tne CLERKS, should
sr5 asposs hone With trot. ana work over night
20 tRst sho business nay be run through
lore lore ,us committee S.s 'n Soon w SIasr e
s..ss several other merchants, and l warned him
mai should tell the committee what no mad him
ELI told me; he had told me that wnen he was
grand Juror he examined case against the govern.
and nanS n sxa hesS 6S Eos ne aa
enc hundred and twenty thousand dollars and that
s.nere were the en-. clearest evidences Of
tne agents Of the government for less
than flty Thousand dollars; there not SUFFICIENT
clerks now TO enter goods, and the commerce OF
the port has suffered from this cause; would sug.
Eest that there should be more clerks and fewer
Pouticians. ana that there should be more ample
Onice room; there. are objections of a very
stating their grievances; merchants very nat
w object to having the brand OF an iniormer
.cilltate the TRANSACTION OF their Custom House
tess; i, do not mean 70 charge that the present
there are not en- ugh OF them.
race Clarke ssorn-I am general com.
6 Soa ara paPs5s o %s or
the iith Of ysnuary, $50; Thompson was
10 customer, when two men came In and one
III >hem desired to see my government book; he
Ms we'd me tnat lie was deputy collector aud took
oes sc, Q, "a premises ,np warrant was s IS
s through Sas an oer nam ne
gbS hRd been In my employ, and was Tnompson's
hf erin law that compromise could be effected
meiif, and found out tnat he had previously been
caught Sealing roll OF SILK; the offer OF compro
mss was ma ie 20 my brother; 1 refused IL, saying
lhatI was not one OF that class OF merchants; con-
tested the case 40 the United states Court ana the
-as"il was that the Court decided In my favor; the
eiseu wcic worth SIS, 900, and 1t cost me
90 % try ana get them back; after the
- N the Court My got back 81 600 from
o.. ~ CruHient, the goods had been sold Thomp-
tts5 word rhfrJg = Iothef urn that he would
lne n L dld nOf consent 10 the compromise;
! \ lfpgcn was diaE ed by General Grant in con-
@el<e II sQiac coz ,lu Transactions III regard to
IA Oh Central abroad scrlp; the men who
~ RI goods were more or less Intoxicated and
ffnfnoon man. private articles disappeared
~ ON .: abe al st charge against me was that |
a .ecunet without a license but finally they |
n 10 and I'm hnr 4 hn nardl