The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-08-23

g, AUGUST %, 1867;
A PROMINENT TOBACCO MANUFACTUREI
OF RICHMOND CHARGED WITH COUNTER
FE1T1NG AN INSPECTORS BRAND, AND wITI
VIOLATING THE INTERNAL REVENUE LAW
Yesterday, Mr.. William 4. Hoppe, manu-
facturer Of tobacco in Lumpkin's alley
appeared before Commissioner Chahoor
to answer the charge Of counterfeiting al
inspectors brand, and removing tobacco
without paying the tax upon it.
Mr.. Lucien Hawley, special agent Of the
Treasury Department, was first sworn and
testified as follows: I have taken off the
shipments of tobacconists at the Offices o
the several routes leaving this city, and
among them find shipments by Mr.
Hoppe, most of them to Baltimore, by
Currie's liHe. got correct account oi
Mr.. Hoppe's shipments from his books
There was an entry on the 26th Of March
1867, in which Eggers & Co., of San Fran
cisco, California. were charged with 2,0l2
pounds manufactured tobacco. Here he
mentioned ,otherentries of shipments, and
then stated that there were other ship
ments which were not entered on the
ibooks.] The whole amount charged on
.Hoppe's books, from the commencement
of his business to the first of this month,
exceeds the amount Of his entries return
ed to the assessors Office by abont nine
hundred pounds. The aggregate amount
of tobacco inspected for Mr.. Hoppe very
nearly agrees with the amount returned TO
the assessor by him.
David N. Lea (of the firm of Christian
& Lea) sworn / have indirectly purchased
tobacco from Mr.. W. A. Hoppe. We held
a note of Hoppe's. We got six boxes
through Mr.. Bossieux. We objected to
the weight of it; reweighed it, and called
Mr.. Bossieux's attention to it. Saw Mr..
Hoppe about it, and he came around,
when it was weighed in his presence
think it had his name upon it. He allowed
the deduction, at the same time stating it
was hard he should have to pay tax
upon it, and then it did not hold out in
weight A day or two afterwards, Messrs.
James, Hoppe, and Pritchard came to my
store to examine Mr.. Pritchard's brand
upon the tobacco. It was pronounced a
counterfeit. Mr.. James told me to hold
the tobacco subject to his order. A day
or two afterwards he sent for it. Mr..
Hoppe said, "He'd be ID if he could
not prove the brand to be genuine"
John Pritchard, sworn: am inspector
of tobacco, snuff, and cigars for the Third
district OF Virginia. In July l Ireceived a
letter from Hogan, revenue agent in Gin
cinnati, in which he said there was tobacco
in that. city with my brand on it, which be
believed was forged. A short time after
wards he sent another letter and piece Of
q box with my brand on it, which he
wished me to examine. did so, and found
that it was counterfeit. I then went to
Christian g. Lea's1store, where heard
there was tobacco with my brand, and
found the brand on the boxes to be coun-
terfeit. The brand bore date Of goth of
June. [The brand was here introduced. ]
This is the only lax-paid" brand have
used from the 10th Of last May up to the
present time. The letters on the boxes
were much smaller. The does not
come down as low as mine. There is a
general similarity between the counterfeit
and my brand. have no doubt that the
brand on the boxes was forgery. have
seen this forged brand upon another box
of tobacco manufactured by Mr.. Hoppe. /
do not know that the brand was put upon
the box by Mr.. Hoppe.
Louis J. Bossieux, sworn I am COM
mission merchant know Mr.. Hoppe. I
procured six boxes of tobacco from him
for Christian s. Lea about two months ago.
/ did not examine the tobacco, but first
saw it at Christian s. LEAFS. I sent word
to Mr.. Hoppe that it was thought the brand
on the boxes was forged. He said that it
was certainly mistake; that any tobacco
he furnished me was inspected by Govern
ment officers. Before this learned that
the boxes were light weight. Hoppe then
paid the difference.
Ben Allen, colored, sworn: work in
Hoppe's factory. Up to q month ago |
carried on Hoppe's business-had the to-
bacco put up, made entries on the slate,
and put them on.the book. l don't know
anything about the six boxes | sold for
Mr.. Hoppe. I carried it (77S pounds)
from the factory to house on Mayo
street; sold SAG pounds to M. Page; l42
pounds turned over to alady Il forget
her name) on Mayo street between Frank
lin and Grace streets. remember the
time the boxes were sold to Mr.. Bossieux;
don't know who branded them. l know
that there is false brand in Hoppe's fac
tory, It was like one Of those that the
used, and made of the same ma
terial. Mr.. Hoppe and used that brand
about week before I left off doing busi-
ness for him, on butts and caddies; don't
know on how many it was used; they
we're full of tobacco. We had tobacco
branded by Mr.. Prichard the inspector)
the same day. That lot was a shipment to
some parties in New York. did not make
an entry of it, because. it was falsely
branded. I sent lot Of tobacco to Jones
& Hewitt, part of which was falsely
branded. I mixed them up. Remember
a shipment that was made to Cincinnati,
Did not put it on the books. / suppose
100 boxes were falsely branded. Mr..
Hoppe put the false brand on the lot that
went to Jones & Hewitt's; both of US put
it on the lot that went to Cincinnati. I
marked most Of them, because could put
it on better than Hoppe. BE said l could.
The branding was done in the Office, and
the brand kept in Hoppe's desk. Mr..
Briggs, at the Central depot, received to-
bacco from us three or four times that had
no brand whatever upon it. The lot
of 1888 pounds had no brand on it.
I sold it and gave the money to Hoppe.
Hoppe keeps two accounts with his twist
ers-one showed that from $50 to l6O pounds
had been made by each per day, while the
other only showed from 70 to 80. The
night 1 sold the 778 pounds of tobacco
400 and odd pounds to Page-Hoppe let
me in with his keys, and told me to leave
the back window open, so that the man
who kept the keys Of the factory might