New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-10
THE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE

Envesti tigutlons Continued.
The congressional investigating commit
tee met yesterday morning and resumed
business.
The chairman announced that he had re-
| ceived telegram from the subcommittee
who had proceeded to Coushatta, stating
that they had concluded the evidence in the
case OF Twitcheli and King, and were on
their way to tho city ON board the Lotus
The dispatch was sent FROM near Natchi
t0ches.
| Special Agent Kinsella sworn, cOntinu ed
his testimony.-Wright, the weigher, was
| not removed on witness recommendation,
| as stated on Thursday. but upon the recon-
| mendatiOn Of the collector.
Relative to the salt transaction, Mr.. Kin
| sells stated that the Secretary Of the Treas.
| closed o letter from Jackson, Fitzpatrick &
Henderson, dated January 4, addressed to
the Secretary, wherein the charge was pre-.
! ferred that Jackson e. Manson entered 5000
sacks of salt, paying bulk duty on the same
| at eighteen cents per 100 pounds instead of
| twenty -four cents per 100 pounds as re-
| quired hv law on salt in sacks; received the
letter at P. NJ; called at JacksOn e. Man
| son's within an hour after; neither of the
tomhouse ana found they were charged with
s. deficit of duties to the amount of
| 5000, and that notice had been served
upon them announcing that fact; the entry
clerk, who had but recently been appointed
10 the position, said a mistake had been
made; that the weighers and inspectors re-
ports and the manifest of the vessel sho wed
that the salt was in sacks; the entry was
made by the broker of Messrs. jackson &
Manson; the first entry was made Decem-
Der l3; the liquidation was completed in the
naval and collectors Office on the seventh
and ninth of January; Mr. Kinsella said he
had no knowledge of the facts Of the case
until after he received the letter from the
Secretary of the Treasury; in the examina-
ton of the books no Irregularities were
found, but in their cash book were
suspicious entries; had no remembrance
Of an entry of 500 to c. H. W.;
Mr.. jackson stated he gave small sums of
IS and $40 for information relative to the
movement of vessels; had never supposed
that the initials C. II. w. stood for Custom
house weigher; c. H. 1. stood for Custom
house inspector; can not remember
positively that these entries in the
aggregate amounted to $500; the ma
rine desk clerk was discharged about
this time for receiving money for fur.
had no recollection of Mr.. Jsckson's expla
nation Of the initials C. II. w. and c. II. l.,
but did remember that nothing corrupt
was disco vered, showing that money was
paid for hurrying up work; knew nothing
of complaints made by Mr.. Joseph Cooper
relative to Irregularities in salt shipments
to this port, or of the fraudulent pay rolls,
although he had frequently discovered men
were absent from their posts; when he re-
ported the same to the collector, these
men would sometimes be discharged, at
other times they were not; knew of an ex-
ecutive order prohibiting federal officers
from holding State Offices at the same time;
was of opinion that letter which he wrote
to Washington on that subject was the
cause Of the issuing Of the order; since that
order was issued had seen that it was en-
forced; A. j. Sypher is in the construction
subject to Mr.. Kinsellas jurisdiction;
was not aware that Lucien Adams is y
federal official; has not investigated the
matter whether State officers or others not
employed in the Customhouse were on the
pay or post rolls, although he believed
euch to have been the case just previous to
elections; bad not inquired whether any
David jackson and Mr.. Maeich; know they
occupied tho Same building; they may have
signed bonds for each other; had knowl-
edge they did. but never suspected the fact
had any connection whatever with the
alleged discoveries by Special Agent
Wicker.
On investigating the records, witness
discovered that SansOni had been an in
spector; Sansoni and Chevally, February
q, 1871, made a seizure of cigars, rum, etc,
on the American schooner Ella Fish;
no claim was made by SansOni; j. w.
Winter was the informer in this case;
the United States marshal sold the goods
for $3.50; Winter received one fourth of that
amount; Sansoni sfterwsrd bad charge of
o warehouse in Algiera; he was removed on
recommendation Of MIR. Kinsells, because
he left the keys OF the warehouse with the
proprietor; when seizure is made witness
reports the fact to the marshal and dis
trict attorney; his duty ends here, unless
there is full investigation.
To Mr.. Reilly - Was unable to say
whether hundred names or less were on
the pay rolls about election time; made no
investigation; witness referred to 1872; was
not in the city during the campain OF 1874;
knows that for the last fifty years it has been
the custom to go engage men at election time;
knew of no such practice in 1870 or subse-
quent to 1872; in 1874 was on official busi-
ness outside the State; cid not investigate
universal custom for half q century.
To Mr.. Gibson-Thinks the custom wrong;
believes it would be proper to make an in
vestigation in view of the approaching cam
paign; is of opinion the custom eh0uld be
abolished, but if the authorities at Wash
ingtcn should see fit to increase the force in
the Customhouse or on the paw rolls pre-
vi0us to the coming election for political
reasOns, witness under these circumstances
would not feel justified in making an inves-
tigation.
In Mr.. Kinsella's opinion government
officials should be appointed independent of
MI nd
held by them should be permanent in order
to insure more efficiency and honesty in the
public service; the witness did not believe
that the authorities at Washington were
aware that the force was increased in the
Customhouse for purel ly political purposes;
no such information has been asked of him
by the authorities there; don't know when
chard, members of the Legislature, were
employed in the Customh0use; Todd,
Thomas and Harnan we're employed in the
Customhouse after having been discharged
from the internal revenue department.; did
not know at the time that they were dis.
missed for cause, or that they had previous
ly been employed in the revenue depart
ment; does not know that Ringgold was a
defaulter; Ferguson was employed to COL
To Mr.. Darrall-There is person named
Oglesby employed in the appraisers depart
ment, but do not remember his initials.
To Mr.. Gibson-Must have sworn Rosseau
in the case of jackson & Manson, as wit.
nesses are generally sworn.
John L. Brown, colored-Reside in this
city; am employed en- the Metropolitan Po-
lice force; was employed in the weighers
department of the Cust0mhouse twenty.
eight days in March, 1870; have not worked
there since: received $25 from Mr.. Herwig,
the deputy collector, as the balance of the
amount due; received another portion in
October, 1874: just before the election; re.