The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1909-11-23
HOW SUGAR TRUST
BRIBED SAMPLERS
NUNS the Word; Take Your
Bit and Shut Up,"
CORSA TELLS HIS STORY

Former Assistant Sampler Says Gov
eminent Employees Received From
$i2 to SIS Each Per carso-Lost
His Position For Reporting Bribery
to His Superiors.
New York. Nov. lS.-"POor Corsa'
was the phrase that Wilbur +. Wake
man, the former appraiser used In
speaking OF Henry G. Corsa, the as
sistant sampler on the Jersey docks.
who took to Mr.. Wakeman the money
given him by the sugar trusts brlber
This was the money that Mr.. Wake
man took to Lyman j. Gage, secretary
of the treasury, who referred him 10
Henry 0. Havemeyer with the eyi-
dence. What happened there has been
told already. Corsa's official head was
chopped of not long after this. at the
time that Mr.. Wakeman was succeed
ed by George II. Whitehead. an ap-
pointee OF ex-President Roosevelt
Here is Corsa's story:
81 went into the custom house with
an attitude OF mind toward the gov
ernment that was very dear to me.
Once before I had taken an oath. IL
was at the outbreak Of the Civil War.
Always the things had seen about
the government led me TO respect 1t
and to hold my relationship to II very
sacred.
The work to which was assigned
was that OF an assistant sampler.
When a boat came in a sampler was
stationed at every hatchway to dip
samples out Of the sugar as II was
landed. At busy times the assistants
were put al this work. Ordinarily the
assistants were to carry the trays Of
samples to the locked sheds. In which
they were TO await collection by the
appraisers wagon.
NUNS the Word"
1T was then that | saw the assist
ants taking their trays through the
trust agents cellar" said Mr.. Corsa.
Il was told You're in on this, old
man. NUNS the word-there's money
enough to go round in it-don't be a.
squealer. and take your bit and shut
up"
The trusts briber, said Mr.. Corsa,
would take the pots OF samples, dump
them out and refill them from hogs
head OF damp. spoiled sugar. kept
there for the purpose. Corsa didn't
understand what was going on at first,
but he wasn't left long in the dark.
One day when he was coming out
of the washroOm another employe said
TO him, You've got your money, old
man; it's In your coat pocket. got
mine. too. See," The other man drew
out a roll OF bills, and Corsa put his
hand in his pocket and found a simi'
lar roll. Corsa understood then. He
was beginning to realize what the brib-
er was there for and also what anoth'
er man at the Williamsburg docks
was doing.
A short time after this the system
Of sampling was abolished and plan
OF stabbing was installed. After a
sack Of sugar had been stabbed the
sampler would drop the sample into a
locked bucket, for which the only keys
were in the possession OF the ap-
praiser. BY that time Corsa was being
used pretty regularly as a sampler.
Occasionally the trust man happened
to be near him.
Briber Close at Hand.
Now, don't give us the worst OF IT,.
Knock her down a point or two and
we'll see you fixed all right" he would
say TO Corsa. Here again the meaning
wasn't entirely clear to Corsa. Then
he woke up to the fact that there was
a difference in the quality OF sugar
contained In a single sack. He learned
that the coarssr grained and the drier
II was the higher would be the test
Also. that near the bottom Of the sack
there might be bllge water. and that
II the sack was stabbed there the test
would be low Sticky sugar might be
packed on top, he learned, too, and
there a stabbing brought the same re-
suit. The government regulation pro
vided for a diagonal stabbing. 1t was
TO avoid this what the trust was pay
ing for. In hogshead sugar the mo-
lasses would drain to the bottom, and
TO get low grade sample at this point
was much easier than on sack.
The bits that the samplers received
for cautious stabbing. with the trusts
interests in mind were from sl2 to
S25. Corsa discovered.
"The service we were asked to rem.
der would save the sugar trust about
$4,000 on each cargo" said Mr.. Corsa.
at was polluting us for about 5000 on
each cargo. counting what went to the
head sampler. as we'll as the samplers
and their assistants"
Corsa saw that this was going on all
over the docks He didn't blame the
other men, because they were as poor
as he was. But 1t didn't seem quite
right to him.
Mr. Corsa took his information to
Appraiser Wakeman. who referred II
to Secretary Gage. Shortly after this
Mr.. Wakeman was relieved and
George w. whitehead was appointed
appraiser. The next day Corsa was
discharged.