New-York tribune., 1867-06-17
CIVIL COURTS.


BLATcHFoRD.
THE PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL OF THE FAMOUS
CHAMPAGNE CAsES-A COMMENTED ACCOUNT OF
WHAT HAS BEEN DoNE-INTERRsT1NG FACTS PRE-
sES~TEp BY ITIR OPPOSING COUNSEL, AND TEsTI-
FLED TO BY WITNESSES.
United ag 9Oa<ases Champagne Vine Alexander 81 Mar
eeauI Co, cawsntS
The 10 champaRne cases which are on the calendar
Of the District Court almost identical The one now
on trial is the of tho twelve In their order ON the
calendar Tt alleged in all these cases that the claim
ants unervEuod in their invoices wines imported ny
them and tus defrsuded the United States IL Is esti
mated that the tial the Government must
have lost $4,000 bat for tho discovery Of the alleged
fraud and the alleged frauds % the claimants In all the
cases omputed at 0OO0sO These cases have long
the calendar and the main reason they have not
bren bron g al before this term is the absence OF
material witnesses for the Government in trials else,
Iatey IN san Francisco jan nearly every which has
been tired eseNhere the Government has obtained
After several adjsuruments from day TO day Jury
having been mpap1eed on ~ Weanesdsy ear iaS. %T
the Tts wine, he said, II was alleged had been
sent by the claimants who manufacturers In France
10 thcr agent Mr.. herman Batter, at this port, at
gross undervaluaton the purpose beng 10 eVade the lus
Of 1864 from Rheims in France; The Government had
suffered heavily on account OF this system OF nnderyaua
1sss these fuds had become so gross and the voators
of the bold, that the Government set to work and
discovered regularly organized plan To deffaud IL
of It's lawful du ties Congress then passed law appoint
ing agents and others 60 go abroad and probe these
charges made a merchants here against foreign manu-
faurers Those frauds sprung mp under the ad valoren
system Of tar; the simplest aud most DANGEROUS form
O them is that which committed by means OF two sets
invoices OF which, at an underyauat3p Is sent
to the agent here to be used at te use @ AMI
value of the goods Seizures IN several eas9s ol9"9a
nearly all the books and papers seized from the
agents double invoices were found The Oath
prescribed by law to be taken by the consnees Of for
eie merchants here far this inquiry is concerned,
is to effect that the goods are put down IN The IN
where procured ON this point the manufacturers OF
champagne wines having SO great an interest at stake,
defense os Ingenious as specous ana ~ compete rs tc
original fraud was This scheme imposed successivey
upon every officer of the Government until their sus-
pcOns were aroused and the frad was demonstrated py
figures The defense claim that this Is an inferior wine
having no market value It appears that at the place
of manufacture nine millions OF champagne wines are
industry has no market value. But the market value IL
the price which the wines should nave been nvOccd
Mr. towery then charged that the wine growers OF France
have cobiued TO eyade the tax their plan Of
being TO send their wines To Paris or Ia any
place market but To send them direct 70 their agents
here invoiced at cost price which they themselves pt
upon them He then contended that the price which the
wines brought here was Be,r tIue lha Nue anu ~ @
value which they should be assessed ON these SlO9
cases there was an under valuation o ~ C3 ~ god su
725 g. In all the cases on ihe calendar the AMOUNT 9
duty involved was about Si0pOo ana were ne 10 Include
other goods imported under tne same sensme OF Ihn
the amount involved would be nearly Ss,o09oOO. IN
would teach these agents and import
that theirs IS a serious onense
law. Two Witnesses then called, one oi them an
entry clerk and the other appraiser In the Cusom
House. They identified the entries aud Invoices oi thc
champacc ms presented at the Custom House. and also
testified 70 the appralsement thereon Ihe Court th'h
Reuben r.. Robinson. a Custom-House appraiser was
called for the Government ON Thursday lie identified
and the appaisoment that made thcreon he said IN
making The nppraisement he fXed the value In What y
called tl champagne country Of France The price at
which the wine valued here was not taken into ac
count IN making the apprasement the lowest price %
which he had ever passed champagne was Is francs per
ease, dozen bottles), and the highest 70 frIncs;
the ySga92 depends crude TO c sa' Sm ageS Which
the champagne made he was not guided IN the yalna'
could distinguish the different brands OF the 81. Mar
ccaux" wine by the taste alone II wine were imported
without labels would BE- guided by lls taste and bis
knowledge Of wines OF wleh ne had taken pains 60 in
form himself; had been Ia the wine business - or u
years had bought champagne In this market as low ~
s7 per dozen, duty paid Judge Hogeboom aud Mr. Dor
rance were general appraisers here al hc time oi ne a
prasement OF the wine Ia question; the Custom House
had not been able, mp 20 tho present time, "a
obtain authentic Information as to The market value Of
the haTceauN" wines Ia the country when they arc
produced; witness ideEihed printed price current OF
of France, which he said he used ~ oass iot the Ar
pnsemeit o. the wines which had been sei@.d; 10y a
"sf MaTeeonx vines he was ernbled 70 Judge VI tho
market value Of tc latter AZ tie place Of manufacture
the Custom House had been examined the Government
introduced letter from the fm OF De ~ MarcanX 60.
10 house IA Paris dated "GhelWs Nov lsG," n which
they say they maSe none bat the very best quality o.
chainpagncs, aud have only three brands the Caste
prices for the Carte three francs and 70 eelcs
per GgAft boitei for the ",.s,e Blanche four francs
aud for the Royal nye francs 4. = - :;
John Marshall testified TO haze been In n employ OF
Buck Feniick Buck export wine merchants OF london
years. and manager OF their export trade came TO
this country In 1854, aud was employed by the GOYer
mcnt r 1866 witness IN the champagne cases tried
Francisco last winter knew the wine house Of 81
SaI'c"H son and deal deal 'Sy nS ehampasuc % SInes
Sa% SS. a{ on n9TS board sP fI at naa and other po @
have examined the prices current Qi TIER agent h Lon
don there are only three grades o e9ainpsne, hema @
third" grade; there other wines OF inferior grade
that the manufacturer puts any brand upon nut
the buyer puts whatever brand he peases upon them
te lowest price OF ST. MarceauXs champagne j. % francs
per the next Is 81 francs, and the third 90 ncs ths
only two three francs difference per case between the
very good winc and stands next 10 "ClquOt the "Ci
quot rates about two francs per dozen quart bottles
ration In the prices Of leading canpagues In the Lon
don market during the last ten years
London printed price current OF 81. Marceaux ana
other was here put IN evidence from which II
appeared that the market price OF 81 MnrceaK clan
is TO % shilngs per dozen; "Royal," IS shllings;
"spar1ing BOuzy is to 20 sllings and so down to 10
Mr. W. NJ. Evarts In closing the testimony for the GOV
eminent Friday, remarked 60 the Court that prob
able for the Forfeiture Of the wine In question ad
been made out and II remained for the claimants to oher
Mr. sidney Webster opened the case TO the Court and
Jury the part OF the defense and said that tbe seizure
Of the row ~ son.oey % 9Ge m Rnrpey Un ny
retired from Collectorship The brief term OF office
that s usually allotted 20 placehOlders Ia this country
requires that they should make the most OF their berls
while they hold them; and Mr.. Barney, fOrewarned
OF his approaching doom, employed the few last
days Of his official hfc In commencing these suits
and In reckless attacks upon the fair fame ana
business reputation Of Of the wealtlcst iner-
chants Of the city. Hosts OF informcrs and place
hanging about awaiting the isuo OF these cases
80 that they could their petty quota OF tue common
booty. Oneaf would 10 the Government, onc-foulih
70 the niolner and ontwelith each to ne Collector @ e
Tariff law regulating the importation of champagne ana