New-York tribune., 1874-03-14

aper (exhibng to the Committee) where tue cierh
who subsequently became the informer tore IL Oh inc
invoice book In this particular invoice. 10 which inc
press copy refers. there ten boxes Sd below cost
n orteen boxes Ia Cd below cost-the whole making
dGerepce OF four pounds odd which will make differ
ance In duty OF about -.
Mr. wooD-what IS the amount of the invoioe'
Mr. DoDGE-The amount of the entire invoice Is s5ili
or about $2 OO0 aud the value OF these particular ar
cles Is ag2s desire make additional remark IN
reference to these press copies OF manufacturers oiis
In somc cases instead OF having them copied IN that
way the same young man who made out the invoices,
there was ime made copy OF these manufacturers os
in his own handwriting and sent them on but III every
case they were put the invoice books where every
body could see The that the mistake occurred
I'm this invoice was follows: These very large
tins are purchased from the manufacturers by the on
and they are converted into boxes Of III or 23i
hounds and IL is in making the calculation from the ton
70 the box that the mistake was made IL was In the
hurry of computation and under the pressure TOT ue
In this other which happened to take up ID"
that the actual amount Of the bills as they came Iro
the manufacturers was 927o l2s 6d while the invoice
was c27l l85 0d.
Mr. BECE-So thnt mistakes occurred on both sidest
Mr. DopGg-Ycs, Sir: clerks are not immaculate, and
they will make mistakes sometimes. We have just
made an entry Of s123i a. 3d. and according 70 the
construction Of the law given before You Yesterday
the whole invoice may be forfeited We have mace Tue
entry within past. The mistake In this instance
4, that on the side OF the bill OF lading there wasa
charge of 81 3s 3D. which not added to the invoice
There were several charges, amounting In all to
sA1s 5d But IL that this charge OF al 3s 2i
which should have been added to our Invoice was over
looked by some negligence. Let the Spccla Agent "l
the Treasury take OF that, because that whole
entry h on OF that mistake, confscaed TO tie
Government. according 10 his practice.
THE DISMISSED CIERK-wHY s2700oO WAS PAID.
| II,ba ~ tba irLnpf
fact that the dismissed clerk Of when he found In
his own conscience aud knew perfectly well that his
niquty would probably fnd him out, and that he would
be dismissed from employment on account OF MS
! being involved in other matters, to which VIII not
refer now (bu which also connected with this mat
ter ndrecy) went TO work 10 see how he coud uetter
himself II he were turned out good deal has been
said about the fact that this man stood hlgh
! I'm position In the store Of Phelps, Dodge q 20
This high-minded conscientious young man. VINO
| felt that he could not be guilty OF STANDING
| there and copying on our invoice Ooohs 'no
evidence Of the guilt Of Phelps Dodge y co. (that he
could not satisfy his conscience TO do such tngl goes
TO work and deliberately takes from our invoice BOOKS
for year every single one OF these papers ou
ing M etterpress copy OF the manufacturers Dlllsl
wherever there evidence that the goods had cost
Cd or 1s more than happened at the time TO DC put ihIo
the invoices and these he preserved very careiuy lie
then went to work and off a good many more than
hot the goods we're nvoiced at much moro than they
cost These he destroyed 1 suppose. We have never
seen them since They torn of our books and are
! gone.
Now gentlemen after all this thing had gone on to
| this extent we were met with proposition ana sug-
goston that this thing might better be compromised IL
was a terrible thing had made an offer hat II they
would look over the undervauatiOns and itemZe them
we youd give them check for the amount, and 1t was
agreed to by the officials at New York, under the al
vice OF Mr.. jayne They were in conclaye there Win
the counsel of the Special Agent He wishes
TO have good counsel, and so he secures the
eminent member OF the House OF Representatives.
who occupies so high position now He was
in Ney-York all that time. III he not he was sent
for every day or two This discharged clerk had
made bargain with the normer to get his share. we
understand that the law authorizes the appointment OF
Special agent and fixes salary for him for doing this
business and that, when the information comes the
informer entitled the share prescribed by law
Instead OF this in all these cases the Special Agent
makes bargain with the nformer and he himself be-
comes the inf0rmer while the other man steps back
What the bargain with clerk about dividing the
spols we do not know We saw such an
array OF lawyers, and 1t was SO impressed
on us that our tremendous Que, a
dreadful one and that the goods clearly and de-
cidedly forfeited to the Government, that we finally
agreed to the settlement and they went over the in
voices and told that the amount we were 10 pay was
s26OOOO IL was about December 30 that we had our
first interview with jayne and 1t perhaps week
aferward thongh the days appeared months as they
passed. when we were told they had ascertaned the
amoun-pot the amount OF duty that was due, but the
gross OF the items which wentto make up the un
deryaued goods and they said that they would amount
10 S26ODOO We gave check for the s26OOOo The next
day 1t was paraded in the papers, The whole terrific
thing came Before that 1t was all kept quiet But
the money paid aud went into court and then, out
and hat VnIO ln
men know After fe days there was change In the
DtrctAttOrney and the business fingered along and
fingered along and finally were informed that by |
more careful investigation and going over the WhOIe
matter they found s2 O7 38 the total amount OF the
portions Of the invoices said to be underyaued. We
subsequently learned that the amount of the under
valuation for years $685. and the difference IN
duty 70 the Government ;l65s 49, We did not know it
until after we got this official document 1.-THE letter OF
L. s. District-Attornev BssJ. II we had known what
we know never would have paid the money.
sRcRETARY BOUTWELL, GIVES GOOD ADVICE.
And now before forget it, want TO do justice TO
Government officer who think is entitled to have |
Justice done him in this have regretted very
much from time to time, ever since the settlement
there have appeared every and then In the papers
certain hints and statements which would seem to ind |
cate that the Secretary OF the Treasury (Mr BoutweD
did not treat fairly in the matter Ihaye to say |
in regard TO that, that II we had followed Mr. |
BOutwclls taONlce we prODuDl! HtFcr suouiu ndNt |
paid t27lOO. | came on to see Mr.. Boutwell, |
He was sick at his house and kind enough to re-
ceve me In stated the whole to him as
well as could do so In very short time, and told Mr.
Boutwell, that we had looked this matter with great
care that IL IL simply matter between ourselves
and the Government, II 1t was matter between the
courts OF the United States aud ourselves and If IL were
not for the array Of power and influence which was |
behind to make the better appear the worse |
we would not hesitate to go into court /; |