New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-02-07

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VIE, eeame Of fhemi A. Taken TO the office, and
they went with the rest
o. Smoked upi A. Smoked up
"a LITTLE MUS
Senator Cassery-Did you resign or were you re
moyedi A. We had o little muss ana was 'o'u '"''
nv services we're no longer required thce were 7e'ch
men discharged at that time ,,,, .
O. What was the cause assigned by COL "n'''ey a.
O. Do Won Rnowi A. There about 200 bottles OF
wine seized and the men took or bottles Lime bnt wa
not guilty; conid have gone to work next day out nv
little ga9ky thought could dSn 90 b ct sr
O. In what way have you done betterf a. 40 a. pr
vate detective working for anybody VINO nsapton that
caused Col Whitley to make the disturbanee have n
said the was not settled tnat me nn the case
had been settled ,- .,, ,o, oro yell
known IN Brooklyna A. Yes. Sir. have lived there 80
o. Well known among the merchants and manufaetur'
senator Pratt--Is Col Whitley an Inspector OF Gus
On when was this Secret Service Division organized
A. do not know, Sir; Col Wood, now III washington
o. How long has Col Whitley been Chlefi A. About
three years. -.,e. ~ r,snactor az
o. Does be perform any duties in that object A. he
he of a% Re St the poi
purpose to give him the power to make seizures
SEIZURES WITHOUT AUTHORITY
O. He used to exercise that power before he got the
annointmenti A. Yes Sir; but we had no right to do
SO we used 10 arrest without warrant, although we
had no right TO do so until after he was appointed In
spector OF Customs ,o..o, .. .,,o socret
seTyce Dyisioni a. Three male clerks and one female
clerk 9r had when lief. and several operatives anu
O. Who appoints the operativesi a. The operatives
are appointed by the solicitor of the Treasury ana the
How many ny OPERATIVES are there A. When went
there there Ave six operatives and four OF h'e
Was there any distinction between the duties OF the
operatives and the assistants A. Yes the assistants
had no power to make arrests seizures but me oper
atves were allowed do both; the assistants were EN-
ployed in collecting information &c. ., , r. ,ho
O. To whom did the chief make his report A. 10 'ne
O. He was not responsible at all 70 the Customhonse
authorities A. do not know whether he made report
O. We're any Of the goods seized by the Secret Service
Department sent to the sennreroom at the 0uS'on'
O. Describe the suite OF rooms that Col Whitley had
for the purpose carrying on his operations ana storing
the property seizod A. lie lad three rooms besides
private office at No 81 Beecker-s where ne now H. ono
O. All the property seized was brought 10 one Vi Vhe'e
rooms for the time being A. Yes sr p, mako sezurcs
before Col ~ ey appointed Inspector OF CUSTOMS,
that for more than ear after yohr M r YOU
were D D oa give any bond to the United States when
never took but OATH and that when enlisted In
the army. - -. +. ;oo ,,ri,,,
the wari A. Two years and four months.
col. wHITLEY's SEIZURE ROOM
O. When seizure made by you did you mmehl-
atey take property the stOrcOom OF the Chief OF
the Division A Invariably.
O Did Won make written report stating from whom
the seizure was made, under what circumstances, and
the amount of property with description Of III A. In
variably. :, II -. .,,o. 40
port A. do not know, Sir presume the reports are
all on file in Washington .xor., ,,o,,, into tbis
storeroOm. A. Yes Sir but never saw any thing gong
ont except that whisky which have spoken OIL ana tue
o can Won give rs an estimate of the number Of c
gar, that were seized and taken To that room a.
O. You do not mean say that Col whitley and the
men about the office, policemen &C. smoKeu tl9ni an
upi A. / mean to say that they smoked over nan Of
o. And this was encouraged BY the chief, A. Yes. Sir
q What precautions did he employ for the purpose OF
protecting This property after was brought to him! A.
lie put 1t III charge OF his chief clerk
q Did every around the office have free access TO
tSey would be locked mp but any the wanted
they could get them, and smoke aud give away what
O. We're the policemen likewise eratded with presents
w me, near by. used to come round frequently.
O. Did Il occur to you at the time that ms business
did care about these things; all they wanted
was to stop the frauds
q. That the Government did not care to realize any
@. Are you smokerl a. Yes Sir; used 10 smoke
q bid you use to share your cigars with your friends
q. That tho system Of morality that Col. whitley
preachedl 4. That what he practiced
O. Then oil the Government received from the
seizure upward Of $4,000 cigars was sis 25 Yes.
sir there been dollar paid in settlements.
but whether the Government received 1t or not do not
know. l.. . 80 ,.,.., "a col, g..
order ~o o &S Se 'S No. sT 6
which have spoken of would go into store rev where
ton OF the goods for evidence and my orders were 10
always take enough sometimes took loo or 1890 cigars
evidence, arrested the proprietor without warrant
aud took him before Commissioner, where sometimes
had a warrant made Out.
q, How many of the persons that you have arrested
have been prosecuted and punishedi A. do not know
O. We're not these prosecutions followed up, A. No,
SIR the papers would De nGed or there would
parties would lie in Jail four or five months and then get
out, don't know why.
found an indictment against any person arrestedf A
HOW SETTLEMENTS WERE MADE.
O. To whom was the money paid when settlements
were madel A. To the DstrictAttorney or some one in
his Office; Mr. Emerson generally made the settle
ments.
O. Can you give a case or two illustrating this prac
ticeI A. A Mr. Openheimer who was charged with
tied BY paying 500 In that ease we seized the
store and put a man in charge, served a warrant
sioner who held him; after he had settled the case
by paying $500 let him by order of the District At
torey the attachment upod his store was withdr awn
and lie went with his business the case never went
before The Grand Jury the summer OF 1870 seized
about cigars the store of Mr. Cymer and within
an hour and half after the warrant was served upon
MIN he was discharged having settled the case by pay
ing $3.50 my moiety, $l25, paid 10 me then and
there always got my moety when case was settled
o. How did you get your moiety when the property
was not soldi A. By settlement with the party from
whom the seizure made.
O. So he paid the money and lost the property besides
A. Sometimes he would lose his property but not 81
.-.---.--,
O. Did you know Of any property being restored
after il had been seized and taken 10 Col Whueys
rooms A. No, Sir that took for evidence never
knew the evidence 10 20 back 10 the owner, and no
smugged cigars ever went back.
O. How did you get your moiety for smugged goodsi