, 1873-09-02
BOGUS "HAVANAS."
Domestic Cigars Pa1mcd OF for
tho Imported Article.
The Fraud Detected and Reported at the
Custom m-Houso.
The Bogus Hnyanns Withdrawn from tho
Market.--A Niggcr in the Fence.

Tho cigar trade Of Chicago ID enormous.
Nearly all mon. md somo women. uae tobacco
In aomo form. Some cat 1t, othors euuif It,
and tho minority smoke it. Tho amount Of
money expended on smoking material can hardly
bo estimated Tho laborng man smokes Ills
"dhudeou," containing ohoap tobacco, and Is
not ashamed Of either tho "dhudeou or tho
tobncoo. In this 1o is correct. Ho makoB no
pretonBton, mud prefers tobacco ho cnn afford
to cigars he cannot afford. Thoro are mnny
thousands, lowovor, who smoke cigars whom to-
bacco would do as we'll, and DO moro In keeping
with thoir pecuniary resources; but then q
"dhudeen" Ia not gentaei, Ia not stylish, and
any man who wants to put on atylo must smoke
cigars. Choap domestic cIgnrs, nade out Of tho
woel grown in this uugenial clime are consumed
by tho largeBr number OF smokers, because tho
genuine Hayana, with tho odor Of
tropical climo in ovory whiff, costa too
much. Yot every one who smokes deairoB the
imported article, and those who can afford 1t
smoke nothing else. Tic difference In cost Ia q
confederation ovon to aHioglo smohpr, aud to tho
dealer who retals to d host Of smokers, 1t is a
consideration OF largo pocuniary Value. In Cuba
tho "uavana" costa moro than our domeH-
ito Cigar, and whom tho duty ie added, the coatof
tho former IL much creator than TINT Of tho1Rter.
| can palm on on tho public domestic for an I'M
ported article, ho will in short timo make q for
tune.
| AL this Is merely Introductory to the an-
nouncement that the Custom-Houae in this city
has boen agitnted for aoyoraldaya over an alleged
fraud on the Government or on tho genuine
doalera In imported cigars. 4 prominent firm
| which had boon In tho habit Of paying OIL an ay-
orage s5, 1000 awoek duty on imported cigars, no.
ticed that for few months paat their saloB had
| been falling of, and could not account for tho
doclnc. Last wook they wore notified By ono OF
brand Of imported cigars at loss ratos from
q firm OF cigar dealers doing bualnoss On
Randolph stroot. Tho aggdovod1mportera could
not understand how TINT could be, and
ing two bo1os Of cigars purchased on Randolph
street, they found that the cigars we're donea-
tic product, but that thoy were stamped with
the Government stamp aa II they had been
M tain what is known as tho f.oaa brand, and
the other what il known aB tho "Accepeon "
brand. The Randolph street mon wero selling
the Rosas I" at s11o por thousand, and "Ao-
sS could F not ss Them r
than $3.50 per thousand for "nosaH," and $3.50
for "Accepeions." How Randolph street could
afford to underaen them tho Importers could not
for an explanation. They aav tho gentleman
taiued possession Of tho two boxes for day OF
two, but the complafnants got no satisfaction
some unsatisfactory excuse to the effect that he
) could not legally proceed against tho Randolph
street firm. The complanallts expected thet he
would have immediately seizcd and closed
ing of tho kind was done. Suddenly,
aud this Is tho suspicious part Of tue
case, tho Randolph street people stopped selling
the alleged counterfeit cigars. The question il
how did they know complaint was mado if they
did not loarn it from tho Cuatonl. House, md 4
they learned it from tho Cnsto,n-Houao who toll
them, and why wore thoy told. Anyway tht
Illicit traffic has ceased, and that much good has
been done. but it is legitimate to inquire If III,
; Of tho Custom House Inspectors were friends o
, | tho Randolph stroet folks, and in cnlloots will
! them. aenuine dealers intimate that any firm
go diaroacd could afford to pay we'll to curry Oh
= the illigitimnte trndo for Hnmo time.
a visit to the CuBto1n-Houso revcnled very lit
) tie. 1t Becms, from what WAS stated, that th
Inspector admitted ho Was friend Of the Rall
delphi street firm, but ho claimH to lavo dono hi
!: suited tic District Attorney, who could not fin
! law to meet the caae, and the conclusion ar
= rived at WAS that fraud had been porpotrate
- !. on the trade mud tho public but none on tue GOV
y how tho public and tho trado could !
cheated and tho Government go scot froo I
J, tho public is imposed upon by tho eale Of do
u mosto cigars on which there is no duty, for in
= ported cigarB on which thoro is heavy duty
!, tho Government must certainly loao.
= Tho question next arises as to how tho stump
\ ! were procured. A plausible theory Ia that thu
- y we're steamed of genuine boxes before bein
2 torn aud cancelled, and another theory t]lt
= tho domestic cigars wero exported to Havan
+ + and imported back again, passing the Custom
:. their gonuinoness. Il is not impossible th'
T. eomo emp1oye OF tho Government supplied tt
y y stamps, and In TINT way abottod the fraud. Fl
~ ~ several weeks this fraud has been going on, ar
u u considerable sum Of money must have bet
tt made out of it, md it would DO weu ii Il
. authorities worc more careful and kept q mo
10 le Yigilnnt eye on matters Of such importance.