Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-11-17
TOLD SHAW OF FRAUDS
Corsa Promised Reinstate.
ment, He Says.
DISCLOSURES COST JOB
Dismissed Customs Employees Story
of Sugar Trust Bribery.
HE TRIED TO GET HEARING
All His Efforts Vain-Appraiser
Wakeman Rejected Appeals
for Reconsideration.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
NEW YORK. November 17.-Henry c.
Corsa, former government employee who
was assigned to duty in the custom house
as assistant to the sugar samplers work.
ing on the Jersey docks, and who met
with many startling and unusual expert
ences while engaged in that capacity. con-
scented today to tell The Star correspond
ent Of his experiences, not only within the
service. but for two years after he was
removed.
Mr.. Corsa's story he backed up at vital
points by originals Of letters addressed
to him by Leslie NJ. Shaw. former Sec
rotary Of the Treasury: the head Of the
civil service. Charles H. Treat. formerly
collector OF internal revenue, and United
States treasurer: H. A. Taylor. assist
ant secretary of the Treasury. and sever
al other high officers. To all Of these
he says he made known all the details Of
the sampling frauds as early as 1902.
Discharged After Disclosures.
Mr.. Corsa, who lives in Plainfield, n.
j., is the man named by Wilbur F. Wake
man as having been ordered discharged
after he brought into the department
complete and convincing evidence Of graft
among the samplers and assistant SAM
piers on the Jersey docks. He was a civil
service employee.
After he was out he made known to
the civil service commission the full rea-
sons for his discharge. That was seven
years ago. Corsa. who is an old man,
is still waiting for the commission to take
action
One of his duties. while he worked as
assistant to the samplers. was to carry
had been placed by the samplers to a
locked vault, where they were to remain
until removed by the appraisers.
En- route he found that the assistant
samplers were actually passing with their
trays through a cellar near the docks, in
which was the trusts official briber.
This man would take the pots Of sam
pies in this cellar. dump them out and
refill them from a hOgshead of damp,
| spoiled sugar kept there for that purpose.
This was one of the facts made known
to Appraiser Wakeman at the time he
turned in to him $3.50, given by the
man mentioned to him-that Is. slipped by
this man into Mr. Corsa's pocket, while
I he was in the Mushroom.
That was one of the facts also that Mr..
Corsa knew was placed in full detail be-
fore Lyman ]. Gage. which he, himself,
in three-hour conversation. placed be-
fore Leslie NJ. Shaw. Mr.. Cages sue
cessor. and with which Internal Revenue
Collector Treat was made thoroughly
familiar.
Appeals Always Set Aside.
Mr.. Corsa detailed q long series Of eff
forts to get his case heard after he had
been removed. He reached the govern
ment machine from a hundred angles.
Always-whether letters were addressed
to the President, the Secretary Of the
Treasury, to his representative. or to
Secretary Cortelyou-they were spinning
down the coils OF red tape to the same
dead center:
must have the Endorsement of George w.
Whitehead. appraiser, who has the pow
er to nominate men for his department"
And on whatever letters Mr.. Whitehead
received from those above him in high
places, he always wrote his opinion thus:
Il have to state that the action taken
was with a view to the Improvement OF
the service, report having been made to
me that Mr.. Corsa's duties were not sat
isfactorily performed
The quotation marks here used are
taken from a letter to DIN L. Jenkins,
mayor of Plainfield In which Mr.. White
head refused to reopen the Corsa case or
reinstate him.
Mr.. Corsa exhausted his resources Rep
resentative Fowler was placed In posses
sion of the facts both by Mayor Jenkins
Of Plainfield and by Attorney Hamilton
T. Kean Of New York.
Shaw Promised to Act.
While these matters were being trash
ed out a far more vital line of combat
was being fought before Leslie M. Shaw
personally. In March, following his re-
lease. Mr.. Corsa filed with Secretary
Shaw a full and complete statement of
all that he knew to be going on in the
periences In reporting 1t to higher au-
thority
Mr.. Shaw was so interested that he de-
cdded to come to New York to see Mr..
For three hours he listened to me-"
said Mr.. Corsa. He seemed all SYM
pathy. He said, at the end of the inter-
view, as he shook hands with me, out OF
regard for the issue he saw was in
volved:
IN see you are put back 1 could
demand 1t right now. But things are
working SO smoothly between Mr. White
head and myself that I don't want to
abruptly break in upon him and de-
"I'll take it up. though. and am sure
you will be given the justice due you.
It's only because of the fine harmony
that l don't do 1t now"
And Mr.. COrSa. after outlining how he
waited for months hoping for results
from that long interview, received finally
indirectly through Mr.. Wakeman. q let
ter from Mr.. Shaw, which admitted prac-
tically:
MY hands are tied in the matter. I
can do nothing"
And nothing was done.
Mr.. Wakeman forwarded to Secretary
Shaw the money that had been given to
Corsa as a bride. This came back to Mr..
Wakeman from the Secretary of the
Treasury, stating that he knew of moth
ing he could do with II. and it better be
kept by Mr.. Wakeman to go in his 'con-
science fund
Mr.. Corsa said he saw this letter at
the time he received it's inclosure-the
bills that he had submitted as evidence
when he first decided to take to his SUI
perior the details of the corruption to
which the dock employees were subjected
Mr.. Wakeman was not in the city to-
day. He could not be asked in regard
to this letter from Mr.. Shaw.
CONTEMPT OF COURT.
Lawyer Who Nominated Bryan in
1908 Disbarred in Nebraska.