The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-05-20

q
sixteen in number, all except one In
the names of fictitious persons, and he re-
ceived from the auctioneers the proceeds OF
the sale of all the merchandise consigned TO
them. His aggregate receipts In 1874 were
about $4,000. Wolf told the auctioneers
that the invoice value of the goods was
500. 900. All the moneys were paid TO
Wolf direct, except $4,000, which was paid
to Lawrence. 1t has been discovered that
another auction house in the city sold about
S250.000 worth of goods tor Wolf, but be-
coming satisfied from the way in which the
business was done that there was something
wrong, they refused several months before
the frauds were discovered to have any
thing more to do with him. There is reason
to believe that a considerable amount OF the
GOODS IMPORTED BY THE coNsPIRAToRs
were sold at Philadelphis at auction, and in
Chicago, st. Louis, Cincinnati, and San
Francisco. There is also reason to believe
that there was a considerable amount OF
fraudulent importations made at New Or
leans, and other Gulf ports. Lawrence's
conspirator in Europe was Abraham HoH-
nung, the brother-in law of Wolf. Hoff-
nung bad his headquarters in Liverpool
When Lawrence was arrested letter fr0m
| Hoffnung was found, assuring him he need
not fear extradition, as he had done not hing
except to commit breach of the revenue
laws of the United States, and that Great
Britain was not going to aid in any
punishment for any such offence.
Hoffnung added in his letter that be
had hopes that business might be resumed
later after the trouble had ''blown" over.
There was also found upon Lawrence
when arrested cipher and key to it, con-
| tanning about fifteen hundred separate key
words, and adapted for business with all
parts of the word, and with provisions for
honest as well as dishonest dealings. One
phrase in this cipher conveys to the cores
pondent the information that, II find, in
consequence of bad prices and extra de-
mands from the people working with me,
| that the business will not pay more than
| fifteen per cent. net. Write Lyon II ne
wants to continue, the risk is very small. !"
It would seem that ffteu per cent would bs
sufficient profit in an ordinary business. In
the cypher, words are employed to desig-
nate all the officers in the custom house.
/ The word ''editor," for instance, is found to
mean wharf inspector. Directions are given
| in the cypher for the making out of "actuaP'
| nd correct invoices, for the making out OF
usual" invoices, of ''pro forma invoices" F"
of especial invoices" OF "invoite'
| absolutely correc.;" also for max
ing the invoices of greater or smaller
value, and for sending goods without in
| voices. Provision is made FOR indicating
that officers have been removed or threat
ened with removal. Orders are given that
advices shall be changed as to how goods
should be packed; that change should be
made In the names OF the consignees; that
the consular invoice should be made in Lon
don or elsewhere; that my new man Is In
trouble"
| "THE OLD MAN Is IN TROUBLE"
that 'I expect trouble" that 81 don't antic-
ipate trouble" that "the whole shipment
has been ordered ior examination, ;" that "the
| values should be reduced to one-fourth oi
the invoice" "to one-third of the actual in
voice" "to one-half of the actual invoice,
and, in short, all the machinery is provided
for communicating by single words full in
formation, rs to every thing which had been
done, or was expected TO be done, on this
side, and full instructions as to how goods
were TO be prepared and shipped so as tC
defrsud the revenue. In some instances the
cypher is prepared, so as to be a cyphel
, within a cypher-fOr instance, the word
vertical" means in the Interpretation
, of the cypher "Let Fabulous make leave
But on turning to "Fabul" in the cypher, il
is found that that means "Wm. Benjamin, ,
: and that ''leave" in the cypher means "con
sular invoice" So that the words really
mean, "Let VIM. Benjamin make the consul
: lar invoice" And on examination it ap
pears that ALL or nearly all, of the invoices
I, to To the consul by William
Benjamin. The cypber also seems
: to have been contrived to enable the
smugglers to cheat each other or the partie:
with whom they dealt. 1t is full of infor.
; nation that is valuable 20 the government il
finding out the manner of the frauds. tn,
> extent of the frauds may be guessed
when il is known that A. L. Stewart & Co
: : had to stop selling certain lines of good
which Lawrence imported. Mr.. Libby, TIT
q partner of Mr.. Stewart, said that for
year a prominent auction house had beel
selling Lyons silks st prices far below wha
: it cost to legitimately import, and that larg
mercantile houses had sold the silks in eX
!, tensive quantities below the regular marke
: | value. Louis and Henry J. Levy are sait
: to have been implicated with Lawrence
: They went 10 Europe dozen times q year
: : III. j. Levy is believed to have been the per
son who took the false oaths at the custom
:. house. Flo and bis brother fled weeks az
= to Canada. He was arrested at Quebec, bu
!, was nlysteriousIy liberated. 1t is charge
. that he
Q BRIBED THE COURT To LET HIM 90.
a Col. Robert Des Anges who was Lawrence
3 9 chief abettor in the custom house, is in LuG
: low street Jail under 81 800 bail. He live
IA there luxuriously. When arrested he wa
\ held in 5000 bail, and one of his clerks,
\, brother-in-law OF Judges Brady and Daiy
% became his surety. Des Anges is q soldie
> by profession. He served in the Italian wa
Is of lS4S, when he was only sixteen was car
> tain OF British infantry at Sebastopol, Tinker
"a man and Balaklava. Was an officer in 81
a Henry Howard's staff at the siege OF Lucl
N now, and afterwards a volunteer in th
a French army in Algers. He was on th
a staff of Gems. Banks and Candy in th
j. American rebsllioD. He was appointed !
n the custom house i'm 1870. and was the fir
A. product of the civil service reform. bein
made deputy collector in 1878. Whe
Lawrence was arrested a letter was four
on him in the handwriting of Des Anges,
to follows: No further communication, We
re bally or In writing. You are followed an
"A so am 1. Let everything 60 to the devi
- Export all you can, bus let me alone to Il
20 and save myself for the future.
e. Within the past few years, female write
ne have taken a position perhaps never befo
ne attained in literature and art, and Londt
s. may boast of the best in the world. Gsor
IS Eliot, Mrs. Henry Wood, Miss Braddo