New-York tribune., 1872-01-17

CUsroMHoUsE BRIBERY.
O. DO yon know whether any charges i"' - "
cartinc have been made are made ny N"s'o"'"o "ouo
oeic,aI m ,r.ons acting for the Custom-house, which
b,ro,s ,r, not authorized by law! ~ nave heafd OF
0rs ~ C.toms or entry clerks receiving fees frem
merchans ior passing entries. aud 5r con
iinually selling graiuitieS for iaNOIs 10 meTchaS'
hear OF such Instances every day. ana used o near oi
mem Do Won Know any of those parties A. have had
o state any OF them. \. merchant spoSe to me
since This investigation commenced OF inspec OrS cau
ing pay FOR not sending goods immediately 10 GoutIl
Order OIL, and very chrome disease IN custom
o. Yom do not know Of these instances do You believe
tbcm9 a. | have no doubt ahout them; in this par,
h"niar ease they gave the clerk $40 but that was not
enough ne appeared al their office next day and asked
s1n ,ncd ~ Vr So Wv sending on thcir goods that day
O. what finn j. that's A. That Is the firm of BiGclow
& Johnson Mr. Bigelow told me this hut did not wish
his name mentioned; told hm was already sum-
moned, and Il questioned about it did not see how
q pd he i've YOU the name Of the Inspectcr' A No
sir: have 30 idea who thc Inspector was.
O Do you know how mrch he really paid a. That
@ For what did You understand he paid this money!
A. BccaUsc The inspector held on TO The IRON niue
diatcIy its coming out of the vcss.l., ~ nj.
senator Pr,tt-Did You understand from Mr.. Blge;
order stores n IS hours A There vas no time men men,
@ wha' d.sd3an;agc would il have been 70 him i his
iron 10 tie General Order stores within IS
hoursi A. II would have been subject to that charge
LEET & STOCKING.
senator BayardAt the present time and for the last
few ycars who has had control of this General Order
business! A. Lect Stocking, believe, on the North
River
@ TIA IL tle chief landiugpacc Of European mpOra-
tions \. Yes. sir
@ Wrcr did Lect & Stocking Mr.. Let frs: obtain
this nusncs J. Immediately on The incoming OF ,; Mr.
GrnnclFS administration; 10 was understood that
Col. Lect WAS here, and expected to have that and
most everything else there WaS-the cartage the labor
contracts, &c; told Mr. Grinne at the tine that !
hoped hc would keep clear OF al adVenturers ana not
continue the GiS,gncefu proceedings we had had under
Mrs. Perry and that kind Of Pcople-controling these
matters, - Tie scandal of ne Goyernment; ne tod
that were combining To carry ont this earting ar,
rar-cu, W ma General order business, and they used
coIf'c 20 good deal OF their matters Mr. Grin
ncll held k for time from being interfered with
in his matter at nCth was Informed by one of these
urr 'hl Judge Lewis Dent was 30 appear here on the
next Wednesday morning demand OF Mr. Grinnel that
he give OIt p General Order business. carting lighter
Q Wno was your nformantl a, Rodney J; Mason.
who had formerly been Deputy Collector under Mr.
O. WHO was TIE party seeking 20 control that business9
y Mr. Let vs. he sentative OF II was tod the
parties were >;r. LINDSAY Nj Leet and Horace Porter,
the Presidents private secretary.
@ Wa, Mason at that time connected with them, in
interest A lie represented himself 10 be such that he
ont the General order business that was his intention;
nc showcd letter the subject tnat he had at this
spccia Acroy ~ Washington; it chiefly in relation
to caragc :u;anccmcnt.; made memorandum Of the
O. Wa, ihCrs ANYTHING in Mr. Madge's official duties
that lc& him to consider this carriage syseml A. Icould
O. r, w,Irfi was The letter addressedg A. I cannot
whether it addressed to Mason; ne was to write
senator CSs,erly-You say it was such letter that
you con iud You were called upon 10 inform tho So
HCt0r Of the Treasury? A. did; yes. Sir.
TIE PRESIDENTS BBCTHSR-ISLAw DEMANDING "PLUMs."
Senator Biyard-Who informed you Of Mr.. Lewis
DENTS cpnngl =. Mr.. Mason informed me that Lewis
coming demand that Mr., Grlnnell give out
these pums." they called; went to Mr.. Batch-
ford who was then q very confidential friend Of Mr..
tr nel and tod him what had learned, aud that |
wished hiu 20 Mr. Grinne and inform him of the
pressure mat was % re brought upon him and TO advise
him io resist IL at all hazards would be simply
Of the Mrs Perry business and the last Ad
Q. What Official position did Mr.. Lewis Dent hold \.
O. what influence could he bring to bcarl A. Well.
he was brotherinlaw TO the Presidents know oil no
O. Had he any ofhcial connection with the Custom
O. state What further took place regard to that bus
nesi A. I was informed 10y Mr. Batchford that he gave
and. furhrro.e that on Wednesday morning Mr. Lewis
D~nt appeared ana made the demands as had been in
\ q Where did he appearf A. At the CustOm-hCuse.
As understood to accede to the demands made by him
or the General order business and for the carriage and
whatever It was that was the general purpOrt; could
O. Was tie demand successful A. I understood that
Mr. Crinnc refused 10 accede to II a the time; In the
time there other parties here striving to OBJ
tain thc General Order pviere in particular and they
ono PARTY wa, MI o. H. Matteson and the other was
give this General order business TO Mr.. Redmond
senator Bayard-TaylOr was prominent and infuei-
tiai Republican, polilicianf A. Yes regarded such.
MR. GRISSRLL BEsIEGED.
O. Were other influences brought to bear upon Mr..
Grinnen so who the persons VINO exercised it
A. short time after this same Mr. Mason informed
that Gen. Porter was here upon the same matter.
O. IIo was the Presidents Private secretary3 A. Yes,
Sir: few days after Mr. Mateson informed me, in Mr..
TaylOr's Office that he and Mr. Taylor had failed to get
anything Mr. Redmond that the General Order busl
ness was given ont. he expressed IT, TO Porter Lind
say aud Leet" and they had sold it, as be expressed
IL, "tO BiXbY and Others" .
O. Did you know Leet at that time A. No. Sir.
O. Did You know Mr. Lindsay A. knew him by
senator Howe-You were told by what parties that
Porter here A. was told by the Deputy collector
in the CustOD-bOuse Henry W. Williams, and heard
from etlrrs OF his being there.
A lie lives in the city, believe and has an Office
senaIor Pratt-what Lindsay do you refer to A. John
senator Bayard-who was examined before this Com
mittee and who had some confidential position in the
CnstOn-houso with DIR. Grnnelll A. Yes, Sir.
O. Was this business granted to Bxby Co by name !
Goods 70 Mr.. BiX6y's store Mr. Bixby had made his
arrangements with those gentlemen to have that bus
o. With what gentlemen had he made arrangementsi I
A. As understood at the time, with Porter Leet and
O. Was the grant OF the General order business made
to Leet Co., they since have held It, IN these two
year afterwards Mr. Bxby had it year under that ar
rangement.
A. Well. yes Mr. Bixby told me- himself that he was
20 pay them something 5000 monthly payments,
they took the away from Bixby and took the
whole of At themselves
SOMETHING ABOUT LEEr.
O. Who was Mr.. Leet7 A. understood he was an
officer on the staff at the time he here
to obtain the General order business he connected
with tbe War Department in some matters, j under