The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-04-15

his dismissal by telegraph reached that I'M
happy gentleman yesterday morning. 1t did
net contain any information which would
afford him basis upon which he could give
free rein to his conversational powers. 1t
failed utterly to indicate to him the nature
of the charges against him. 1t was as curt
as the electric stroke that cleaved his Off
cial neck on the date of its writing. 1t was
written on the blank form used in the
guillotine department of the White House
The following is copy of the document:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, I
WASHINGTON, ID. C., AprIi Z, 1892.
To Charles NJ LedUy--SIR: You are hereby
dismissed from The office OF Appraiser of The
Port OF San Francisco, TO take effect al this date
BENZ. HARRISON.
1t appears that after Leavy's visit to Col
lector Phelps Office on the day following
his dismissal, at which meeting he made
some kind of a statement if not a confess
sion. in the presence of the Collector. SOlic-
itor Hepburn and Special Agent Mccoy, he
agreed to meet Mr.. Hepburn the next day,
April 9. After leaving the Collector eth e
MIR. Leavy seems to have reached the con,
cusion that before he thrust his head
again within the lions jaws it would
be wise for him to take the advice OF some
good lawyer. Acting under this idea be
proceeded at once TO the Office OF his friend.
Otto tum SUDDEN, who, upon hearing his
burn notwithstanding his promise.
SOLICITOR HEPBURN SURPRISED.
The upshot of the interview with his law
yer was that Solicitor Hepburn on the day
he was impatienty awaiting the return of
Leayy received the following letter from the
ex-AppTaiser's attorney:
SAN FRANCISCO, April O. 1892.
Solicitor General HepburH-DEAR SIR: Upon
consultation with me ana at my urgent advice
Mir. Charles NJ. Leavy has concluded that IL
would be inexpedient 10 keep his appoin
With you for to-day. The considerations which
have moved me TO thus advise my. client arc
briefly, that having been dismissed from the
service of the Government without even the
pIeteBse OF a hearing. The Government stands
committed to mantan his derellction IN office.
And your business with him is, therefore, neces-
sarily directed toward lusiifying The Govern
ments action. Such procedure, IN my humble
opinion, can be OF no possible advantage TO my
Permit me 10 say further that Mr.. Leavy does
not question your good faith in the matter al all,
but has simply sub0gdina:ed his own wishes TO
the sSlUnal judgment OF ms attorney. very
respectfully, OTTO TUM SUDDEN.
SOME LOUD TALK.
When Solicitor Hepburn handled this vel
yet-sheathed stietto Of note and felt its
keen edge he grew red in the face and
talked rather loudly IN the District Attor-
ney's private Office about Leayy not being
q man of his word. Mr.. Garter. to whom
he handed the SUDDEN note, after twice read
ing it, tried to console Mr.. Hepburn by ask
ing what else he could expect. They agreed
between them that Leavy was a pretty
shrewd sort Of man and that his lawyer
was also going 10 give them some trouble
before they could accomplish anything.
But what puzzled Mr.. Hepburn more than
anything else was the middle name of the
lawyer and why il should be written with
lowercase st"
Mr.. Garter, who had been Harvard Col
lege student, explained to him that it was
like the won" used as middle name by
people OF German ancestry. In return for
this information Mr.. Hepburn told Mr.. Gar
ter the story Of the second days fight at
the battle Of Gettysburg, and very soon
both became so deeply interested ia the mar
rative that they forgot all about Leayy an d
his professional adviser.
Examiner Andrew Hollywood, who was
suspended by Collector Phelps on Wednes-
day, visited the Appraisers building, as
usual, yesterday. There is great deal of
confidence retained by many people in his
integrity, notwithstanding the action of his
superors, and he was greeted kindly by his
many friends and associates in the Custom
house. 1t is not believed that Mr.. Ho lly-
w God is permanently retired from a service
in which the greater part OF his life has been
passed.
THE TOBACCO INVESTIGATION.
At O'Clock in the afternoon, in a room
adjoining the Office Of District Attorney
Garter, began the investigation before APP
praiser ShuTtleff of the National Board of
Appraisers into the facts connected with the
importation of the SnmRtra tobacco consign-
ments to Liebes Brothers. Joseph Liebes
was present with his attorneys, Fl. Z. Dibble
ofthis CITY and II. w. C0ombs If New York
City. Assistant United States Attorney
Shurtleff represented the Government.
The proceeding IS in the nature OF COM
mission to take testimony, which is to be
submitted TO the United States court on an
appeal filed by the Government against the
decision of the National Board of APP
praiSers. The decision reversed the ruling
of Collector Phelps in raising the duty on
certain bales of the Sumatra tobacco from
80 cents pound to 81 pound.
SPECIAL AGENT MCoY.
The only witness examined during the
afternoon was Joseph Mccoy, a bright
young man, WHO wears a scarf of flaming
c0lOrs to match his intellectual equipment.
Though he parts his lustrous black hair in
the middle and trims his mustache with an
ideal regard for the regularity of it's curves
Mr.. Mccoy is by no means a dude. He is,
Oh the contrary, good type Of physical
grace and yigor, with a eoaDteDance BEAM
ing with candor and quick intelligence.
Mr.. Mccoy is a special agent Of the Treas
ury Department. His regular station is in
New York.
Mr.. Mccoy was not sworn, which omis-
sion was some what OF a novelty In proceed
ings where testimony is being taken for the
courts. Mr.. Dibbie entered some formal
objection on behalf of the importers and re-
spondents against the proceedings as a
whole and the examination of witnesses ia
particular
THE HUNT FOR sUMATRA LEAF.
Special Agent Mccoy then told how, upon
receipt of telegraphic instructions from
Washington about the first part of the year,
he proceeded to locate the bales Of Sumatra
tobacco shipped by Liebes Brothers to
Eastern cities. He found twenty-five bales
in the tobacco warehouse Of a. Davis Sons
e. Co. Oh East Third street. Cincinnati,
twenty bales with William Reichart, Is
Water street, New York, and three bales in
the West Twelfth street free warehouses
in New York. Here witness Identified
three bales by marks and numbers which
coTTesponded with those in the invoices He
took samples from all of them, and these
samples he now had in his possession.
THE ONLY LAUGH.
Upon his cross-eXamination by Mr.,
Coombs Agent Mccoy detailed at some
length the incidents connected with his
search for the contraband tobacco The
only laugh raised during the afternoon was
when Mr.. Coombs asked the agent who
were present at a certain date when the
tobacco was being examined and the wit
ness having given the names, Mr.. Coombs
inquired:
Agent McCoy-No, sir.
Was Davis an officer of the Govern
ment?"
WAS any officer of the Government
PRESENT."
"Yes, SIR"
who was it?"
II was l."
The witness stated that when he visited
the Water-street warehouse in New York
be had some difficulty in getting admission,
but when he did enter the young man in
charge was very much agtated. wept and
ran away He then found some men at