The San Francisco call., 1898-12-15
WISE TELLS
 IF MOORE'S
 QUEER WORK Ex-CollectOr's Task at
 Washin gton. SEEKS A FAIR INVESTIGATION AND EXPOSES THE CONDUCT OF THE TREASURY AGENT. Information Laid Before Assistant Secretary Howell Confirms The Calls Expose of the Ma
 jor's Transactions.
SEEKS A FAIR INVESTIGATION
AND EXPOSES THE CONDUCT OF
 THE TREASURY AGENT.
Special Dispatch to The Call
Call Office, Riggs House,

Call Office, Riggs House,
 Washington, Dec. IA.
 Ex-Collector of Customs Wise ar rived in Washington early this morn ing. His appearance has been awaited with considerable interest, for it was reported that he was coming to Wash ington to file charges against Treasury Inspector Horace A. Moore of San Francisco. MT. Wise has not yet filed formal charges in writing, but he was at the Treasury Department bright and early to-day and had very interest ing conversation with the treasury of ficials.
 Assistant Secretary Spalding. who had supervision of Customs Depart ment matters when MT. Wise was Col lector at San Francisco, was first seen, and it may be said incidentally that he, as well as Secretary Gage, holds Wise in highest esteem. MT. Wise told Spalding what he knew about Moore, whereupon Spalding said: You go and tell Assistant Secretary Howell what you have said to me. l am sure he will be interested, for he has already heard more or less about this officer.
 So MT. Wise then interviewed MT. " know you when you were with MT. Spalding in clerical capacity before you were promoted to be assistant sec retary. l liked you from the start. and if you will order an investigation into Moore's character you will not only perform a valuable service for your department, but will make me your debtor in everlasting friendship"
 Howell produced from his files copy of the San Francisco Call of Monday, December 5, charging Major Moore with base conduct toward lady type writers, and asked Wise whether he knew anything about it. MT. Wise, in reply, not only corroborated The Calls story, but told Howell other things about Moore which The Call had deemed improper for publication.
 Wise said that when he was Collector he had written Secretary Gage letter about Moore, saying in effect that he ought to have been squawman on some reservation, where he could exer- else his peculiar genius without re- straint." In this letter, which occupied twelve or fifteen typewriter pages, he also said that Moore had not been faith full to his trust; that when Hager was Collector at San Francisco under Cleye- lands first administration Moore should have investigated the conduct of Fo- garty, against whom charges were
 
 two were companions and played games of whist together.
 A search was then made for this let ter, but it could not be found on file, whereupon MT. Wise remarked that the Secretary of the Treasury had evil dently concluded that it was of such a nature that it might as we'll be de- stroyed as preserved in the archives of the department. But Wise assured Howell that he had written to San Francisco asking that a copy of it be forwarded to him at Washington.
 MT. Wise was very much disappointed to find that Secretary Gage was absent from the city and would not be back until next week. He has not vet de- cided whether to await his return and receipt of the letter from San Fran cisco alluded to above, but it is likely he will do so. He is quite anxious that Moore'S character be inquired into and appropriate action taken when the re- port is made, but he believes that in- stead of intrusting this work to Treas ury Department agents Collector Jack son should be asked to report to the department MT. Wise feels sure that this will be done. He does not wish to file any formal written charges against Moore unless he is assured that investi- gation will be made by a thoroughly impartial party, such as Collector Jack son, for he feels sure that the Col lector's report will substantiate his charges.
 It may be, however, that MT. Wise will file formal charges before he leaves. whether or not he Is assured of the manner in which the investigation will be conducted. At any rate an inquiry will be instituted.
 MT. Wise says there have been sev- eral instances wherein Moore has been guilty of improper advances to lady employees of the custom office. He says that he heard of three cases, and that two of these ladies admitted to him that Moore had made improper pro- posals to them. One of them shed tears when she was questioned. He has only a vague recollection of the type- writer mentioned in The Call of De- cember 5, but thinks she may have been the one employed in the District Attorneys office after Schlesinger's va cation of that office. He remembers that the lady typewriter employed by Schleslnger's successor made similar charges against Moore. Wise says, furthermore, that it was well under stood in San Francisco that Moore was associating with a Mrs. Elliott while Toss" was serving in the penitentiary He says that when he was Collector he received anonymous letters concerning Dick Williams. He knew by the hand writing they were written by Wong Sam, but did not heed communications written anonymously, but that Moore, who also received such communications from Wong Sam entered into an a apree