Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-05-23
THE TREASURY YINVESTIGATION

&C., WE'RE Observation-Disclosures OTHER
sCANDALs-A WOMAN IN THE CASE.
THE STAR last Saturday announced the fact
that the Office OF the custodian OF the Treas
ury department was being Investigated by q
Committee appointed by Secretary Window.
Some facts In regard to the management OF the
Office were also given. This investigation
which is still going on, and no sort OF report
upon which has been made, would appear like
many OF q similar character, to bs the pre-
cursor OF ageneral burst up. Abuses In an Office
but they are generally brought to light sooner
or later. Those who profit by them Invariably
become too reckless, and the ring Ia extended
firm. 1t has been notorious fact in the Trea-
sury department that for years all has not been
right In the custodian's office. The thing has,
however, been SO managed that until last Sat-
urday 1t was kept from The public.
THE BURDEN
OF the present avalanche falls upon the shoul-
ders of Mr.. O. L. Pltney. the present custodian
His accounts are, however, subject TO the ex-
animation and approval of the chief clerk. 1t
Is stated that when the present assistant sec
retary, formerly Chief clerk, was promoted the
caily taken from Major Power, now chief clerk,
and continued with the assistant secretary.
The amount OF money that annually Is eX-
pended by the:custodian is $ls2, 600. This IS for
articles necessary for the comfort, convenience
and work OF the officers and employees Of the
departments 1t Is we'll established that the
appropriation has been, to large extent, an
nually squandered, and in many ca seS practi-
cally given away. When Pltney became Gus
todian. about six years ago, the purchase OF the
necessary articles for their offices was in the
there was al change It Ill % Went to the q ONCE eG Of
the custodian. Shortly after it was noticed
that new contractors were dealt with. Then
came fi2esy material. furnished, at exorbitant
min CnUo hY1~ Nffi rafp ondx m
t1fy to the accounts Of these contractors, ex-
cept In some such form as this: "Correct as to
the work done.' This would not approve the
prices, Or the quality of the work or material.
IS THE ABUSES THAT SPRUNG UP
were reported, but nothing ever came OF it.
Among the contractors who came in under this
deal were Leech Sons, for iron. The work for
and given to another, who has not done the
work satisfactorily, and has received bigger
prices than Baumgarten ever got The depart
Mr Frank Hesser Many things are alleged
against his department. It is said that desks
made by him can be found in the houses Of Mr..
Pitney, Capt. Cobaugh OF the Treasury watch,
Appointment CLERK Iamphere and other officers
OF the department.
FURNISHING HOUSES AT GOVERNMENT EXPENSE.
1t has become somewhat notorious that Ger
tain officers OF the department have gone very
far toward appointing and furnishing their
homes at the expense Of the government
through the custodian's office. When the desk
OF Thomas Jefferson upon which he wrote the
Declaration OF Independence was presented to
the President fifteen fac SMILES Of 1t were
manufactured In Mr.. HeSsleT'S shop. They
were given around, 1t is said, as presents where
it was thought they would do the most good.
An employe OF Hessler's makes q number of
allegations against him. he has duplicate
key to the hardware room, he says, which he
visits at nights and takes therefrOm what he
wants. Another Of his employees makes affi-
davit as to how portion OF his time was spent.
He gives the dates wien he should have been
empoyed on ne work upon s ea " sner
mans new house. He also swears that no
worked at Secretary Evarts' house and upon
the new house which MI: Pitney has built for
around to the different bureaus, as If he hal
been at work for them. Mr.. PEney was also
agent for Secretary Sherman's houses In this
city, collected the rent and attended to the
wants OF the tenants.
HOW LAMPHERE's BOOK WAS SOLD.
MIR. Lamphere, according to all accounts
stands remarkably well In with PItney. Lam
phere has published a sort Of grumble
about the government and the duties of its
officers. There Is, OF course, no law against
this; but the law prohibits him from using his
position to sell the work. It appears that he
has done SO, however. One case is specially
noted about this. He instructed the custom.
officers whose accounts he approves to make
accounts went through all right. The special
case Is that of the collector of customs au VIII
mington, N. G.. That officer. who was very
sach large ior ss books thas
did not look We'll in the accounts. To get
around this Pitney was induced to take In a
stock of the books and deal them out as requt--
sitIOnS came In. By this means they would not
all appear in the same account, and 1t looked
better. 1t has been found that Pltney has on
hand 800 copies of the cook, bought at the
price OF 81 per copy.
THE BAY RUN BUSINESS.
1t was mentioned In last Saturdays STAR
that large quantities of bay rum and other
toilet delicacies have been found In Pltney's
stock. The bay rum incident has curious
flavor. There is a barrel of the article on hand.
1t is carried In the accounts not by Its proper
name, but as .'deodorized alcohol" When
asked about IL, Pitney said that it was pur-
chased for ex-Secretary Sherman. His accounts
show that 1t was bought on the 25th OF March
last. Secretary Sherman went out of Office On
the Sd OF March.
seem to be in very great demand, by all ac-
counts. It is said that the homes Of favored
officers Of the department and Of some news
paper men and congressman are adorned with
the hapdsomest kinds OF water pitchers for
which the owners were not taxed an eXorbi-
tant sum. The ice pitcher dodge creates a
laugh In the department whenever referred to-
The law requires that all furniture, &C., worn
out shall be sold at public auction by the Gus.
tOdian. The sales Of old furniture at auction
brings to the market sorry lot OF stuff, which
nobody wants. There are, it Is alleged, little
private sales, however, where, for the small
sum Of twenty-five cents or half dollar, or
other nominal sum, those favored have been
allowed to purchase handsome DESKS carpets
and other articles of value, which, having
Ceen used for o couple OF months, were re-
placed by others equally as costly.
THAT MISSING CARPETING.
1t Is said that the investigating committee
found 700 yards OF carpeting not accounted for
In any way even by the accommodating system
In vogue. II few days afterwards it turned up
all right and came, 1t is understood, from city
dealer. The greatest abuse of the Office is the
liberty allowed the custodian. He makes
requisition for any thing he wants and signs the
receipts himself. Such simple way Of doing
business has, OF course, many advantages ="
ANOTHER BAD FEATURE
OF the affair Is that no account of the stock
In hand or where 1t goes to is kept by PItney.
1t Is q sort Of rat hole business. Articles have
THIS alone would show how loosely the Office
mas been conducted. Then, the articles pur-
chased are not bought In the way contemplated
Dy law; only few are allowed to bid and these
lew stand right In with the ring. That is
another ugly point. Ex0rbirant prices are paid
I0f Almost everything. Not long ago large
gu ant1fy OF books were purchased for certain
bureau. The prices charged were unusually
hlgh. One OF the officers of the bureau went
to Morrison's book store and he offered to sell
them at 80 per cent less than had been paid
another bookseller. The department used to
purchase
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