New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-22

- ., ,,nd ,pop which be believes it to be fraudu-
lett: ~
nj o+ost in this ca &C. IL alleged. was made on an
Inc PROF. sir,bheiu1 q Co. per Edinburg. April TO-
~ Gat vessel arrived January 49, 1851 ana Tue
~ ,S;aid on the first withdrawal II VIII be no
t,.cd mat o the time this protest Is slle2cu 20 INV
made the record kept aud 1t was me pteuce ~ P
The protest file instead OF pastng u on 'le That
protest always hlea WIN eatn ~, IT, 2ra lice
& el rartiipgy appears nv this record Of protests,
fer u records that on the 18Th " April 1891 ana on i
Jtb o the sane III Cnth and On the 20, l4ih anu 1otn
o May nowingthey did rot ST. and tler protest a."
file, but le did not Pao.1b h th claim Is Lased
il confused Of three pieces Of paper each Inrpoins 70
protest against particular th,g I rnissons ON
F i,V obrrs mad previously and aftcrward by
"a, a. vii az Z q protests on file. made ny
simon sahli elm; but th's Cocument U' pro J,is
NOT xccuted by him. out by person whom am uhlpl
~ race through the Custom House records In view
ese factq, and tikuc II into cOVsidVihlloh va,
Sormeut is ibp only protest against charges ana com
MISSIONS 10 Dr. found in the case, am fuiy
believing tie aim TO BE- fraudulent ana ehtreS WIN
on; foundation IN fact.
In otler words General Curtis found tha te pIoes'
itself was suspicious in character aad tht II was MOI
mazda in the form in which the Custom House regul"
ti,s reoured such protests to be made at the um''
both OF " cn circumstances and the further one '''
is signed by person who cannot b. louhu 10 nave any
other connection with the entry or with DINER protests
made on bsna firm, led almost lfreSls'oS
to the conclusion trat the protest In question was
ottocbel ot some date subsequent TO April, 1861.
General Curtis zen 81 tnat nc had examined all OF
the twelve cases for payment OF which Congress -
now asked to make appropr alton. THIS m'''''g'
ton has not full in seven Of the remaining one
as IN tn four already referred 10, but It has been SUM
ceuv searching to show that only Of the twelve is
genuine That one Is clam Of II: Pastor ana ONE
against Barncy Tor 1914 40 This calm ht Iecohin'i"
the committee 10 make an appropriation Ioi'
NEGLECT on THE PART OF OFFICERS.
At the request OF the committee General Curtis then
proceedcd to explain how il that the frauds be nan
exposed couId have been committed. When the claim
ants IN hesr cases he said preparing 10 D1nS SUITS
some OF them furnished bills Of particulars to the alor
ney whom they employed similar to the one wnich ne
showed to the committee the day before others were
unable to do this
When the case goes into court and is sent to referee
subppna Is issued to the Collector for all the papers IN
the case Previous 1869 or 1870 these papers that II
the protests, were the custody OF the AUTHORS u-
VISION Now thoy held hy the Ninth division, or as II
is better known, the Law DIVISION. On RECEIVING the
subpoena al the Custom House The papers covered by the
case invoices ctc procured from the record room
and handed to the referees clerk, who makes calcu'-
ton of the amount OF duty 50 be refunded on each
entry and writes IL on the back Then all these items
from the different entries in the case are
made ND in tabular iorm from the statement thus pre-
pared containing the Of the vessels by when the
imuortations were made, the amount of duties collected
the amount Of the charges and commissions that were
Illegally added in order TO obtain the duiabe value OF the
goods etce c. This statement sent TO me Naval Ohcc
with the original papcIs where 10 is examined, checked
and its correctness certified to From the Naval ONO tn
statement, with tnc Original entries still accompany
ng IT, the auditors Office To be examined ana
checked The Auditor sends through the Law diyi,loa
10 me United stltes DstrctAtorncy who is also fur
isned at the same zine with Of the proes
on which the case The certidcIuon Of The copy Of
The protest devOle upon the Collector Of the Port II al
these officers who make up the transcripts and verify
and certify Them had performed their duties Genera
Curti, said if would have been impossible avoid di-
coverv OF the facts winch lie mad brought TO the attention
of the comnnuce. After the papers certified 10 b.
the Collector the case goes the referee ard he and the
Attorney look together. and y 40 OJcC-
ton is raised by the latter the goes 10 Judgment
Tns frauds General Curtis has exposed made
blc SAID b, the faure OF tn" officers whose uuty u
was to protect the interests Of the Government To 20 to
the orig nal records and satisfy themselves that the
transcripts to wirh they ccrliIcd we're correct i this
had been done the Judgments could not have been oh
aimed. TO show that il was not done General Curtis
referred the admission Of Mr. NOrtbrup. the protest
clerk in the law department Of the Custom House. whose
duty record The cases ms they passed through
ns office 10 the United States ATTORNEY Hr said that
eleven years lie had never original protest, oE-
ceIt in one when sent to Referee Perpouts
office To show that the Das'uct-Attoncy rarely oI
never saw original papers u these cases, General
CURTIS read from letter addressed 20 HIM 10y Mr. George
Bliss late DisrctAttO. oy for the Southern District oi
Ncw-YorE, describing the method Of procedure before
the referee. Alter the report 81 the referee Aan been
prepared, lie SAYS:
compared witn ils particulars Mod 90 The case
and required that certified copies "i ihe protests on h'
ouaiy examined to uat the protest covered all to
items OF the claim. The original protests yey rarely
came before me- and being certified to mc that paper
C.tnut Uou.e / had no ccca.iou 10 examine into He
III Iii
Original protest, whether 70 had In fact been made ~
-lold hardly nave arr, cd al any result the
officer, would have been compelled 10 swear tnai IA"
protest was file. and appeared 10 have Uccn fled co
incident with the entry aud there was no evidence To-
nSetIL
This extract shows that the Istrict-Attorncy IN de
Tending these charges and commissions seldom
the protests on which they based, and that Mr.
Bliss Il Of opinion that II he had them las would not
have obtained them any information tending ~ III
yada Q the claims.
In reply 10 "a question from q member Of the commit
tee General Curtis said mat the referee every
certainly has right 10 the possession OF the original
papers His subpoena covers them, and they pass tech
uicIllY into his possession ana remain there unt the
is disposed OF. The discovery OF the frauds
prevented by tue acts OF the clerks who copied these
original papers, and included only such useful
the claimants That IS, II there were two protests
attached to entry, genuine and insufficient aud
fraudulent and sufficient, they copied only the
latter.
GRATUITIEs TO CLERKS.
To show what the relations were between Of these
clerks and the attorneys for the claimants General Cur
It's introduced adayits and Official letters. ]. " Will
iams, Ferk IN the auditors department Of The New
York Custom House, who engaged IN preparing GER
titled statements the refund Of OF duties paid
swOre. In affidavit MADE the 22d Of October 1877:
have, when urged by the attorneys abOv ntOnel
UhOsewhO had charge OF these charges ana commission
cases), taken tie entries TO my home and worked
the statement at night and received pay for TINS Labor
This did 10 hurry these along, and the claim
ants were drawing interest thought | WAS saving
something TO the Government IA small way. / com
meuced to do this work at home about years ago.
and the pay received for II would not exceed
II ~ per night.
In letter to General Curtis, written by Mr. Williams
December H. 1877 says: As TO the validity OF Ie-