The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1873-02-03
NOTES FROM NEW YORK.
THE FALL OF COLFdX--A SENSATION
AMONG THE RIGHTEOUS.

[FRoM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENCE
NEW YORK, January 80.
Even the Times has abandoned the defence
of Schuyler Colfax, and he stands condemned
before the tribunal OF the whole world as a
dIshonored man. His fate has been terrible.
His friends are dumb. In Sunday-School cir
cles here there ls establishment as we'll as
grief for Colfax has been the model constant
ly exposed 10 the youth for emulation In all
things.
There has been equal amazement In the
same quarters at the revelations about the
great house of Phelps, Dodge & Co. There is
no concealment now that the charge made
against the firm by the government is
that it has been In the habit OF using
double Invoices on its Imported goods.
The lowest priced being for service at the
customhouse, and the other the basis for
sales to customers. The amouat the gov
ernment has been deprived of by this system
OF false entries Ia estimated at two millo6s OF
dollars. 1t Ia reported from Washington that
the treasury depsr tment has compromised for
$260,000 Whether this Ia true or not, the
affair has been serious blow to the reputa-
tion OF the house. Mr.. Dodge, one of the
firm, Is president of the Young Mems Chris
tian Association OF this city, and is foremost
In all religious and reformatory movements
He Ia likewise an ardent Radical In politics,
and was candidate for Congress IN 1860,
but Radical House of Representatives turned
him out of his seat and voted Dodge Into it.
There is au alarm In this city abont
"posoued meat" The story Is that thousands
of rotten or scrofuIous sheep are being sent
here from the West, butchered hastily IN the
slaughter.housee, and served to consumers.
Consequently there is as great an abhorrence
OF mutton prevailing at present as there was
of pork few years ago wnen the exaggerated
reports about trlchina abounded.
The "sawdnss swlndlers" are enjoying a
temporary triumph over the authorities In
consequence of the recent discharge of some
of their number and the reprimand admins.
tered 10 the police by Justice Scott, of the
Third District Police Court. The ''sawdust
swlndlers," you may have heard, are the gen:
tlemen who food the country with cir
Some Idea OF the gullibility as we'll
as Inherent dishonesty of large num-
ber of our fellow-Amerlcans may be
gathered from the fact that over fifty OF these
swindling concerns are driving fourishing
business in New York. or course the victim
receives no counterfeit money for the good
money he sends. The swlpder is too cun-
ming TO get himself into trouble by uttering
counterfeit bills. II he sends anything In re-
sponse 1t is a box filed with sawdust, for
which he gels an express company'5 receipt.
II the victim complains In person the swind-
ler fiourishes the receipt IN his face and In
snuates that the contents OF the box has been
changed by the express companys servants.
He knows that no Victim will dare 10 have
him arrested for failing to supply counterfeit
bills according to contract.
fnt "A nnlinn made Qe6ce0L
On some of these sawdust swlndlers and car
ried them off TO the Tombs. When the swim
dlers we're arralgned before Justice scott the
police were unable to produce cOmplainants
against them. Scott let them go and berated
the policemen for making the arrests. Tne
next day Mayor Havemeyer wrote severe
letter to Justice Scott, accusing him OF en-
oouraglng vice, and dlsneartenlne tne ponce
10 their efforts to break up q netarious blls.
ness. He said he was overwhelmed with let
ters from the Sonth and West complaining OF
the swindlers. Jusllce Scott has since been
interviewed by the indelatlgable reporters,
and his statement, If correct, puts different
face on the matter. he says that The police
keptthese wealthy Bwlndlers twenty-four hours
before taking them before )ustlee, ana tnen
were unable or unwilling to produce any de-
finite evidence against them. He inlimates
very broadly that the arrests were made only
for the purpose OF eXtorting money from the
swlndlers, who, being squeezed dry, were
'slet upn by the police. He says that the police
authorities know the location of every gamb-
ling place, every swindling gift enterprise,
and every sawdust agency in New York. and
have but to Issue the order "shut up" and
every one of them will close Instantly. That
they are open aud doing business is evidence,
he Insists. that for some reason tney are tole-
rated by the police A pretty "reform gov
ernmeulD we ure living under, then.
E1-Mayor Kalbaeisch, of Brooklyn, has just
enjoyed lhe rare privilege of reading his own
obituary in the Herald. He was supposed to
be- at Inc point OF death, and the enterprislng
manager Of that paper had him written up In
haste. AS soon as report reached the Office
that the MAYOR was gone, the obituary was
ordered in. The subject OF 1t was astonished
and Hattered, OF course, at the appearance Oh
the Herald the next morning, for hls virtues
were set forth In glowing terms. he began
to mend forthwith, and was on The street TO-
day swearing that ne will run for mayor again
at the next election, like the sturdy ola
Dutchmau" he is. he is about e1Xty.hVe
years old, worth four millions OF dollars, ana
has law case pending with dressmaHer,
who has sued him TOR breach of promise OF
marriage-damages one hundred tnousano
dollars.
Writing of the Herald reminds me that
ruUaor is circulated In Printing House Square
that young Bennett Is about TO start great
Journal In London ION the American plan"
Bennett junic. Is not oVerburdened with
wits, but he has too many for any such fool
ishness as that. By-the-way the sun Is DaWl-
Ing for him to return home, and take care OF
his paper here, and threatens fearful expos
NIM.