The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-01-17
THE CUSTOM-IIOUSE INNvSTI,
CATION.
Administration Republicans Alnrm-
ed nj the Developments.

minislraiiUn Republicans are getting
alarmed nj the Custom House revelations
and think their continuance will t0 great
harm unless the sessions are removed
from this city 10 Washington, The cvi.
drnCc ELECTED goes tn show that the
Custom House should he rcorganiAcA
that the carriage business ww u great
fraud upon the mercantile community.
IrOther- im- Law Dent Directs the
Letting Of the General Order HuSi-
ness.
New YORK, January lG AT the Gus
tom House investigation this morning an
affidavit was received from Appraiser
Reed in dispr0ol 0I the charge that the
case belonging To II. B. Clallin ~ Co. was
not robbed in the department
A letter received from John Jacob
Robinson stating that Tor having fear.
lcssly testified before PattCrson's invcsti.
eating committee, Il year ago, he heard
he was TO bC removed from his Inspector
ship. lie also learned that he was re.
ported for receiving bribG Ot fifteen dol.
lars, whereas the fifteen dollars was for
extra services.
1t was decided To hold the night scS.
sionS hereafter ut the Fifth Avenue Hotel
II. L. Chilin testified He had no fault
to find with the seizure business; had no
personal knowledge OF the case Of his
goods that were opened; believed the
former general order system should be
restored.
+ +. Mudgctt frequently heard during
his ten years service Of officers receiving
gratuitics; merchants stated 10 him they
paid the inspectors for sending goods
quickly 10 the general stores. Mudgett
said he had cOunselled Grinnell 10 resist
the disgraceiul system Of permitting ad-
vcnturcrs from Washington tOget all the
"plums." Grinncll said he should. About
that time Dent, hrothcrinlAw OF the
President, waited upon Grinncll with
Instructions to give the general order and
carriage business to Il certain party; that
party consisted OF General Porter, Lcct,
Lindsay and others.
Gen. Porter afterwards came on to
Grinncl and gave orders TO send the goods
to BiXby's store, Bixby having arranged
with Porter & Co. Bixby told witness he
paid Lcct'tlvc thousand year; Leet was
then on Grants staff, and remained at
Washington after the arrangement; at the
end Of the year LCct II Co got the Gen
cral Order business; subsequently Gen.
Porter told witness in Washington that
neither himself, BabCOck or LCct had any.
thing 10 do with anything in the New
York Custom House, and explained LCct's
attempt TO get the business by means Of
the Presidents letter.
Gen. Casscrly--And all this time, how
long had Col. lIcct been receiving $500.
600 u year ont Of the General Ortler husi.
ness
Answer Something about year.
Witness said I.ect \ Go. must I've max.
ing $li00O0 to $200OO0 year clear
profit ont Of the General Order business
The officers connected with compromising
cases also make ont that the employees
paid political assessments, and still con.
tinucd the payments, mostly through tear
Of removal
Henry {. Lake testified that he was
wcighcr under Grinncl, but was removed
by Murphy that wurkmcn and worthless
clerks were detailed 10 assist, though the
service rendered by their rmpl0ymcnt
was unnecessary. lie said he had paid
assessments on three occasions, amount.
ing 10 one hundred and ten dollars; his
removal was male because he was not a
COnklinG man
Mr. Shaw, u merchant, said he Consid.
cred il very unlikely that the Secretary
ol the Treasury could hear Of merchants
brihing Inspectors; he never paid black
mail himself, and considered II merchant
who offers hrihc just rs guilty as the ofIl-
Ger who takes it.
Christopher Pullman, cabinet maker,
was next examined AS 10 whether he
knew OF primary election in the
Eighteenth District in the fall Of 1874.
lie was one Of the candidates for presi.
dent Of the association; was
u Custom House clerk and refused
tickets from parties known TO bc
his (pullman'S friends. Ii isa notorious
fact that the custom house offices are
used throughout the city for political pur.
poses, and clerks hold their Office by their
fidelity 10 the power that appoints them.
5. Grant, II clerk in the appraisers
rc.nonI"", " " ,5r eII' ISn "roS oSi"'"r anu cor
tr;rNG "r lis " rmS,om @ 'TS, N1rs says ,,,uoo o.
told him Of having been offered promo.
ton for signing in the returns Of the pri.
T,a Ian,;,,,. n, I,' "''o 'lT"I'''E !"
snrctors onj ihot hr ,inolIw siTr"T H.,
returns In December hr s,s" I"lI t%r
witness that thr rrtnrns wrrr r" lr"u,m-
lcnl, and Tint ,he pressure on him T." ] si%n
them, was made bv Arthur Murthv onj
Howe ''
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