Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-17
WASHINGTON.
The CustomhOuse Investigation.
TOm Murphy ON the stand.

New York Customhouse Investigating Com
mittee met this morning. Ex-Collector
Murphy testified that he did not now hold
any public Office; was Collector from July,
1876, to last December. Being interroga-
ted on the general order business, he said
be had been in Office but a month
or two when be closed Mason &
Co.'s store, and sent the goods to Leet &
Stockings store. He closed the store of
Mason & Co. because report was brought
to him that goods were on the market be-
ing sold at very low price, and that they
were traced TO that store. It was found,
after removing and checking the goods,
that over 200 bales were on the custom
house books that were not in the store.
Mason then disappeared, and had not been
In New York since to his knowl-
edge. The goods were removed
after consultation with the customhouse
officers. There had been no consultation
with the President or Babcock or Porter on
the subject, none outside Of the Custom
| House. None of the parties above named
ever used any influence with him. Last
fall be was in Porter and Babcock's rooms,
and afterwards saw the President and Sec
rotary Boutwell, come in from a room lead
! ing to the hall. The President said to him,
"Murphy, there is so much noise and scam
dal about the young man Leet in connec-
ton with the general order business on
account Of his having been connected
with me during the war, that
/ have come TO the conclusion
that young man had better leave" To this
Murphy replied, that the warfare on Leet
/ originated with Steamship Co. for the pur-
! pose of getting the business themselves. In
| his opinion Leet & Stocking conducted the
! business well and he did not feel like giving
way to the Steamship Co. There was no
order from anybody in orout of Washington
that made it obligatory on the Collector to
/ continue the storage to Leet & Stocking
/ Witness felt that he could do what he
! pleased on the subject.
| On being Intercepted on the subject Of re-
movals owing to the course of certain repre-
| sentatives on the General Republican Com
mittee, he said bis impression was that
owing to articles in newspapers to the effect
that these gentlemen were active at the
! dictation of Tammany were removed. Or
! ders came from the Secretary of the Treas
/ ury to the Collector and Appraiser and as
/ be heard, to the Postmaster that if any
members of the General Committee had
acted as the newspapers described, they
! should be removed. If be himself did not
receive such letter it was because it was
not thought necessary to send him one.
The Secretary Of the Treasury made in
| quiry of him whether certain parties had
| been under the influence of Tammany.
| Witnesses answer was by letter. He gave
/ the names of those who were known to be
! corrupt. The Secretary so pleased him
/
! be mentioned the matter to the President.
! Witness never had but one idea on the
! subject of the Governor Of the State of
| New York, and that was favorable to
! Horace Greeley, but if he had his steps to
retrace, it would not be his advice again.
/ He thought Greeley's nomination would be
/ for the best interest of the Republican
party. What Townley said about witness
having spoken to the President about Cor
rigan was absurd, entirely untrue, made
out of the whole cloth.
Money was collected in the Collectors
Office for political purposes from subOrdi-
mates. The amount collected in his office
was from $1,000 to $4,000. and from all
other offices the aggregate was
sI36,OOO.
No one was removed for not contributing
He learned that the city government of New
York made political purposes. He knew that
a months pay had frequently been taken
from subOrdinates. Had been told so by
those whose pay had been stopped. Had
been sued to recover assessments. The
suit had been brought to trial, but the
/ Judge dismissed the case without allowing
it to go to the jury.
Hei stakeholder in bonded warehouse
on the Atlantic dock, but none of the gen.
eral order goods were assigned to them.
He would" not advise any reduction of the
custom forces in New York. It should
rather be increased. There were not doors
enough in the public stores for the goods
Witness said Senator COnkling never ap
piled to him to appoint anybody in the
Custom House.
On being asked what result he struggled
to obtain in the State Republican COnven
ton he replied he did all he could to have
Horace Greeley nominated Governor r.
Thought pretty much all those from the
CustOmhouse acted with him. In 1871 ht
did all he could to keep officers away from
the Convention. He did not recolleCt
promising any offices to delegate!
for attending conventions Of 70 and II
nor did he remove anyone nor did he EN-
plOy money to affect those conventions. OI
a former occasion, however,
He Did Use Money.
There was a club called the Gridley Club
in which a man named Bennett was prom
inent member. This man controlled The
majority Of the club, who were working
men. On application he gave 5000 with tn
promise gilmore. This investment Ofmon
ey was to aid a rival Of Gridley to defea
him in his own organization.
1t was the intention of the witness to ar
range the charges Of the general order bust
ness through the Chamber of Commerce
He had been in office but few days wheI
a man named Col. Cornwell, lobby agen
at Washington, threatened him with a
kinds of things in the strongest language
be did not restore the general order bust
ness to the foreign steamship companies
As a general thing there is failure to traC
packages lost after they are landed,
Owing 20 the position of the seat Occu
pied by Murphy, and the loWness of hi
voice, his testimony was not at all time
audible. Without concluding his examine
ton, the committee adjourned till Monday