New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-31
GROWING DAN
EkOUo.

Two Broadway Sllk Importers IN Lad-
low Street Jsil-Halfa = Million Dol
lara Worth Of Goods smusgled In .
Year In O Single Firm-Customs On
GERS Implicated.
From the New York Tribunel
Isidore Wolf and Myrtle May, partners in
the firm of Wolf Co, importers and COM
mission merchants at No. .473 Broadway Qate
No. 46 Broadway, were arrested by Dep
uty Marshal Crowley yesterday, for SNUG
Cling, brought before United States Com
missioner Osborn, and committed in default
each Of $40 600 bail for examination at one
O'Clock tomorrow afternoon. Wolf Co.'S
store and about SIG 600 worth of goods were
seized in November last, and Colonel Whit
lev, Chief of the Secret Service, has been
deputed by the Treasury Department to
work it up.
After due investigation Colonel Whitley.
on Tuesday last, made an affidavit charging
that 1. Wolf and M. May, aided by four
other men, two of them customs brokers,
have, under false invoices and fictitious
names, smuggled into the United States, at
this port, during the last eighteen months,
! without payment of the required duties,
large quantities of silks, laces, and velvets
| in cases purporting to contain cotton or
| other goods on which the duties are light.
| Two of the men named in this affidavit have
| not been arrested. One Of them, T. Mana
! ra, of No. 80 Pearl street, Consul of Guate.
/ maia, anu alleged smuggier Of iaces
through the postotice. was also
brought before the COMMISSIONS, but al
lowed to 60, on his own promise to ap
pear If wanted. The sixth individual,
| customs broker, was caught on Tuesday.
and made q full confession, which, with
much documentary and other direct evil
| dence, will be used to secure the conviction
of Wolf and May. The brokers' statement
shows that the frauds were commenced in
the fall of 1868 by AlphOnse Wolf, Isidore's
brother, who went to Paris, bought. the
goods, and shipped them here to fictitious
consignees, sending them false invoices.
certifying, for instance, that all the cases
| contained cottons, when twO-thirds of them
really contained silks. On their reach.
Ing this port, May would take the
required oath of ownership and
sign the bond, or to lessen the
risk of detection would occasionally send
some one in his stead to commit the needed
perjury aud forgery. The broker was en-
ployed to 'manags" the entry clerks, and
TO see that the Deputy Collector sent the
cotton packages to be examined, and not
the elk ones. One of the Deputy Collectors
who was FUSED" in this way, and who, with
his chief clerk. has since been removed, was
| usually too drunk to discover anything
amiss; while another, who was likely to
make trouble, was allowed, by arrange
ment," to seize sixteen cases and pocket his
fourth as consideration for remain ng con-
veniently ignorant of any other frauds. The
goods smuggled were speedily conveyed to
Wolf d Co.'s store, and from there to auc-
ton rooms, where they we're promptly sold.
| 1t is already definitely known that over
S280000 worth of merchandise were thus
smuggled and sold. and it is believed that
the whole amount exceeds $500. 900. Certain
documentary evidence against Alphonso
; Wolf fell into the hands of one OF his CON
federates, named AUGUST Jameau, who
: s'struckr Wolf for $1,000. To avoid being
black csmaised Alphonse sold his interest
here last suramer, aud his brother Tsidore
: came on and took his placein the arm.
A criminal conviction, or even prosecu-
tion Cor smuggling. is almost unknown il
a the United States Court of thih eiiy, bu
= Colonel Whitley is fully determined to sen,
\ Wolf and May to the State Prison, # 1t 10
possible thing to do 80.