The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-02-07
The Custom House Inquiry.

NEW YORK, Feb. Cat the Custom
House investigation to-day, ex.Weigher
Perkins testified rs TO the labors Of the
weighers, showing that they had very
little to do. Witness stated that lie had
paid his political assessment Of 9 per cent:
some Of II went for the New Hampshire
election; paid it on constructive COM
pulsion.
Other testimony was offered showing
the payment of sums tn the inspectors tor
the usual purposes. 1H. '
A. G. Beatty, late detective, testified
that Col. Whitley, who is Inspector Of
Customs, With duties as head Of the Sc.
secrt service, after seizing $19,O 600 worth Of
diamonds, which were smuggled,, paid
the duties on them, and sold them to his
men. Beatty himself purchased eight
small ones for $35, and witness has them
now.
The case which came before Com.
missioner Osborne is still undecided,
but the records OF the court show
up the whole case. When cigars were
seized by Whitley the police and resor.
tiers were allowed To help themselves,
some reporters supplying themselves
twice Il day. In one instance 10000
cigars were seized and taken TO Whitely's
Office alll never heard of afterwards.
Two casks Of Scotch whisky, smuggled
by the purser Of the Inman steamer, were
seized and carried TO Whitely's office,
suddenly disappeared and the smuggler
was never prosecuted. Whitley sends
large quantities Of seized cigars 10 tho
Treasury Department at Washington to
Bantield and his clerks. A short time
ago Beatty was sent TO the depot by
Whitley TO COB trunk containing coun-
terfeit on the Shoe and Leather Bank;
Whitley went to that bank with
Beatty; Whitley telling the cashier
that Beatty had been three
months working up the case, spending his
own money, Which the government would
not rnfund The next day the newspa-
pers contained bogus story of terrible
fight, in which Beatty win represented as
shootingA man'to get the trunk. Some
time after the bank gave Beatty 0 Eun,
dred dollars. Beatty was two hours get
ting the trunk. Another case of the seiz-
ute Of smuggled cigars, was settled by
paying Whitley $500, and the cikars used
In Whitely's office. Whitley Is now an
inspector in the Custom House, and a
secret detective %
Mr.. Beatty stated that the detectives
had been in the habit d arresting people
without authority, and took them before
the Commissioner and got the authority
there. The settlement Of the case was
made at the District Attorneys office. BE
mentioned the case Of 0ppenheimer: He
was arrested and taken 10 the CommiS-
sioner for smuggling cigars. The Com
missioner held him and he paid $500 In
the District Attorneys office and went
about his business. The attachment on
his store was raised and there never was
an indictment. This was in 1870 I;
there were some forty thousand cigars
seized in this case; they were taken to
Col. Whitely's Office and never knew
what became Of them. 'N W
William L. Flagg, an attorney, testified
that the books and papers Of 81. 9. Cooper,
Broadway, were Seized on an affidavit
charging him with undervalueing his in
voice, and Col. Howe stated that invoices
to the amount Of $4,000 were liable to
conflscation. - 'H".