New-York tribune., 1875-05-14
FRAUDS IN SILK IMPORTS

FIATIoNs o.,rAINED FROM PAPERS FOUND ON
CHARLES. T. LAWRENCE, AND FROM OTHER DOC
uMErrs-TuE GOVERNMENT PROBABLY DE-
>eAuprp IN TWO YEARS OF $1,OOO,ooO.
rharles L. Lawrence, an ex-Secretary OF the
Amercus Club, who is Jointly indicted Win deputy NoF
,ector Col Robert Des Anges, Gustave W. Ba, anu La
f>yette Graf for defraudng the revenue OF SloooooV
Sy smuggling silks through the Appraisers once ~ "h
is sti in Ludlow Street Ja' no s'ePS
having been taken since his arrival yesterday 10 po
cure bail for him. United states DistrictAuorhey
ss has given strict orders that for the present no one
shsu be allowed 10 Lawrence except the members
hs family and such counsel as he may select III i"o,
the officers having him In charge are insruceu W "
no one to his presence unless upon pass iurhsh'| |
Mr. Bliss, and he resolutely refused yestei"'9 !" e0
.uch n pass 10 any one connected with newspaper.
In reply to a question as 10 whether Vi NV
Lawrence would be allowed to turn stale e'iu'nNo'
Mr. Bliss said that would not permit him 10 90 So
secau.e he had sufficient evidence TO convict those I'M
ycated without rcsorting to that KIND OF 'esu"on!'
The officers who took charge OF Lawrence wheh he wis
removed from the steamer scytha say that he
perfect silence relative to the charge against h p'
that he expressed great delight at being again IN THIS
and complained bitterly about the treatment he re-
reiyed while in prison in London where be was put Oh
diet of bread and water.
When Lawrence captured at Queenstown h'ai''
two sets OF cipher, for Use In teiegrsphhg anu '
other in correspondence, with many LETTERS "elo i ~
An his trunk From these and other documents MI "''
upder whose supervision the case was wofheo up '
prepared the following statement OF III;
ate In January 1878 o long investigation whch hao
een instituted by the Collector and surveyor OF the
Port with cooperation of some OF Inc speciai aSc'
for the purpose Of ascertainng in what~ay gooos n'
sks and ces could be sold in the market al prices con-
sideraby under the cost OF Importation cuiha'ea Al
,he seizure Of eight of goods then recently arrived
had hppp ",
.xcent one were found TO contain expensive french
siks They invoiced from >, 81. u EIenue, y, n
hctitous persons As this seizure was made .e
investigation was directed toward every one VINO haa
entries Of goods with which the persons had been
connected. 1t then aseerained tna ne,e au la
;mporaons OF goods from ST. Etienne, all nvoced as
hosiery and each the invoices M OF pur
The investigation gradually broadenedi until Iait
it has been discovered that ~din a%a ,ac M tss sis
port so entries in the Of f0gs TSs sooas IN
e eases we're chiefly silks. alpacas mohars ana acos
They entered as hosiery buttons cors,s, % SUI o r
N .he " OF rcDred npon the goods which they pu
ported be- and not at the high rate whch tIef
not ony IN the rate OF duty hut in the valuation as the
goods were entered as Of very low value WIN al vi
nearly ali OF thcse entries, Charles L. Lawrence
Sas directly concerned; he employed the brokers
Who prepared the papers ne gsse s,gnnS them ss
attorney for the nominal when IN fact no sucn
persons existed The way in which the sna % waf a. GS a
itted 10 have been by the dlrect op"S vi Dol
city Collector Robert Des Anges , ,,o,
Under system which the law provides ana when, d.
ne almost aSsouiey necessary entry made al
the Cusohouse all of the goods in the invoice are nGt
sent to the Appraiser for eNannaon o orc hn o,. ann N
is sent for such examination, that eSs, oes SUP SUP
posed to he selected by me deputy h,e the con-
tents Of this case are found 40 corr, "nl's
ss" cn,rectv stated i'm The invoice One in ten
having gone TO the appraisers Inc n dvered III @
fa.k"S.s +, - ohyi1ns ihaf II In any way case
can be sent for examination wrn ra ot dnSv Than the
q q, ~. 20 Goods the Goyerpnent is deauded OF
~ pIoTl ILL ~ -, sb instance the package which
Anscs dcs'gna'ea ~ e"'n arpr,isers and in each
wac To 90 tars =" ,m. of sTp phe nsckage which was
instance ine o"mrn'S orsrnnd.d M T Viii the invoice
,m @ not With the See Of the packages delivered TO the
I'M De- a% Should Os hsve dsssnasd for
,ISae aDEGf the D one eae Sv Which
ron'a " s s ,o"St have been iu collusion with the
persons seeking to osiIano ,ne ia,e amount Of
.rnnent however, - IA P ,Se nninion of s Officers
'eiNes no as 20 ,n g % ~ M, fraud Charles
iInmedlseiy u"nd d 80 ~ Csn,d, and thence 10 England
re was t a,'su , ' rncr and among others letter
~ he Sandwrmg Of bcs Anges without date, sigma
mrther c"mmnncaton. either verbally or in writing
Nom are followed aud SO am Let everything go to the
mn ;ar me % fntnpe There were also found in Law
rsyees numerous letters aud teegrams from
ms WE anu and 1Sev were fun of assurances that Des
n"es Was trne 70 the onSpirators Dies Angcs had been
Ahees wds u' !" "ani so ynrch that when the ex
, =? - ,hn ,~vls Was snsuected ne was consulted
stenee OF the iuIs m was ren ~ detect them He had
10 .ne ~. IA, ,he I'ni,ed states Army during the
,ebeIion - chiefly in the Southern Department
Ityenuni " h, ,tora" m.Ie many influential friends
.hu 'a az I,n an nhrer in the British army and was
sie % naS as . sved rieiitaby in that Ii has beer
e,Iie'eu 20 nav SCI ,c ~ ~ ai,srs that ne was NOT
aiscoNei,u, ~ ,h R,i,i.h amy but "A pavmaster and
a'umpa'n -, Al :, sGJ from England dcfaulter in
mat ne ~ ,nrn, NJ 81 400 Dies AnRcs was
nIs a.oo's 80 80 rhc C,vil service Reform in the
me ne vi having been the first person
an, inver ", f The fIand. Dcs Angcs was indicted