The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-06-01
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.



: sional committee was entirely taken NJ
with exeeutive business and were held
with closed doors. the members being
engaged in classifying the voluminoua
documents brought from Washington
aud to which are being added other
papers submitted by the various Con
servatiye committees throughout the
State.
Summons to appear before the com
mittee were served yesterday upon the
heads Of the different departments at
the Customhouse. and this morning the
setgeant.at- t-arms were busy making out
and serving additional summons.
II was decided Yesterday during the
executive session, tbas Messrs. Vanes
and Woodburu would go up TO Coushatta
and investigate the Red River parishes.
and these gentlemen will in all proba.
bility leave tonight
The committee assembled this morn
ing nj II O'Clock. all the members being
present with the exception of Mr.
Blackburn. who has gone IT, Washing
ton to attend the sessions Of the Clymer
Committee. The first witness to take
the stand was
cot. n. HUNT,
| Supervisor Of Internal Revenue for
| Tennessee, Kentucky. Alabama. Louisi-
ana aud Mississippi J. X, Cobb, ESD,
was his predecessor, and John Tuition,
| Esd, now holds the position formerly
held BY witness. About the 2Gth OF
February. 1875, a proposition was made
| to brbe witness by the whisky distillers,
the proposition being made at Jackson,
Miss. by Mr.. Walsh Of Louisville, as
FIRST stated to Col Hunt by the party,
who, when on the train, said that his
name was Walsh. distiller Of New Or
leans. Walsh said that he had endeav
ored TO find through Senator West what
kind of a man he. Hunt. was hat West
had answered he did not know, except
that Hunt was friend of Brlstow.
Walsh said 81. Louis was making u
great deal Of money out Of whisky. so
was his friend Mcdonald. the
Collector. and he wanted To Talk
t., witness about how 10 fix things In
New Orleans. aud his distilery in par
iicular. The distileries IN New Orleans
pnid witness predecessor $4,000 to
xI4 900 n month. He tWalshl wanted to
make the same arrangement with wit
ness. Witness allowed Walsh TO talk
on without indicating his approval or
disapprovul Of the proposition, and
states when Walsh had stopped talking,
that he did not propose to see anybody,
and that distillers In New Orleans were
weleoins II they could make whisky
according to law WHlsh's answer was
that theyrotld not do il. and
WOULD HAVE 70 STOP.
When In the city. witness, in company
with Mr.. Bell. visited Walsh distjlIery,
but found no errors warranting u seizure.
lie then left for Louisville, whore no
apnin met Walsh ut the Gnlt House,
who asked him whether hehad thought
or their previous conversation. Witness
answered he had. but could make moth
ing Of It. Col Hunt started the next
day for Lexington, followed by Walsh.
Walsh the next davo called mt witness
Office in Lexington and again alluded To
the proposition of their first meeting. |
witness again DECLINING Walsh. moth |
ing discouraged stated that some par
ties were hard 10 approach, and that he
had considerable trouble in approach |
ing Steadmnn and fixing matters with |
him. The next day Chief Clerk Tomp |
kins gave him a telegram from the Com |
missioner. calling him again to New Or
leans. Witness answered it was i'm |
portnnt he should see the Commissioner
before he went. Went to Washington
md told the Commissioner what had
occurred. Left Washington with his
chief clerk aud came to New Orleans,
witness intention Deing to remove the I
etoreksepers and gaugers and appoint I
intheir stead trusted employees from /
Kentucky. Walsh OILY ran five days |
after the change Of storekeepers and
gaugers. The average yield returned
per bushel never was higher than 2.sl, /
fhe Weld being fully 80. M shown after /
the change Of officers, this being dur
ing the summer The yield would have |
been better in the winter. showing CON I
clusivelv that the returns were lncor-
rect. Witness made u report OF the tact
to the proper authorities, and the dis /
tillery wns assessed some 700, in ac- I
cordance with the report, and seized for /
non payment. The distillery has not |
run since. John Cockrem was Collector I
Of Tnteral Revenue ut that time, but all
the whisky was taken out or warehouse |
Had two store keepers at the distillery--
one Il resident Of New Orleans; the other
was from Kentucky, and was to be re- /
lieved on the 1st Of july. In the latter
part Of June he returned to Kentucky, /
all the whisky being taken out OF the
warehouse. Previously the whisky had I
rels a week. Gould not understand at
first why the whisky had been removed,
but three days later the dstillery was
seized and nothing left therein to cover
the claim OF the Government l then
understood why it had been done. The
distiIlerv could not have been seized T
legally before the time it was seized. No
explanation was given for the hurried
remoaJ Of spirits alluded to above, but
witness and Mr.. Tuition, the present
supervisory have always thought the
matter strange, and supposed that
Walsh must haze had some warning /
beforehand that the distillery was to be
seized The distillery was offered Tor /
sale. and at the second sale was bid in
By the Government, no buyers biddlns.
Gen. Gibson at this Juncture moved a
suspension of the investigation, to in
troduce Capt. Eads, who offered to the
committee the Yacht Julia 10 visit the
jetties. The offer was accepted; the
A l.