The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-05-14

mas been very great.
THE FIRST DISCOVERY or THE OPERATIONS or THE
SMUGGLEKS.
on the 18th OF December lasr Special Agent
Brown, one OF Colonel IIOwe's Officers. while rrac-
Ing up some suspected cases OF smuggling a. the
custom House learned thar sixteen cases repre-
sented on the invoice 20 contain shells, had oeen
entered on tnat day part OF the cargo OF the
steamship City OF Mont cal his suspicious were
aroused. Inspector Blbbns was detailed to assist
him In prosecuting further inquiries. rhe cases
mad been hastily removed RON the steamship
company's pier To Inc freight depot or the Hudson
RIVER Railroad. Both oincers repaired 10 the
depot WIN the OBJECT OF hnding out tDer true
contents. They proceeded 10 examine the cases
BY handling them 70 ascertain their weight. ana
also by shaking tnem, bnl Tor lack OF positive eYi
dence, and not being clothed with sufficient
authority. they concluded, instead o. breaking
noDERATE wAsCn OVER THEM
until their removal, convinced al the time ihat
Inc cases contained higher dutiaoe goods than
me cases, when At the depot, still retained the
marks OF the mythical consiGnor The mars on
each case was a. w. in diamond. Special
Agent Brown, before C mmencing MS ylgiis, cut
with ms penknIie IN indentaL0n into eacn case so
that 1t would be recognizable again. few DAYS
thereafter the cases surrept itiously ca ted
away during the abse nee ol both officers 10
THE FREE STORAGE WAREHOUSE
the corner OF Cedar and Washington streets.
The special agent examined the storekeeper's
marks erased and IL. b. substituted mad been
removed from the warehouse but a fe hours pre-
uous to the visit Of the special agent. TneY were
next traced 10
DANIEL MATTHEW'S AUCTION ROOMS,
opposite The Post ONCE, on Liberty street. Pro
curing search warrant from Justice quinn tue
special agent opened two OF the cases at tue auc-
ton rooms ana found that his suspicious were
substantially verified ana that tue cases con-
tanned, instead OF SHELLS quantity OF sllverware.
The goo0s were then seized and conveyed to the
Custom house. The special agent pursued his IN.
vesLigatons further for the appreheBso Of the
dishonest importer who had smugged the goods
in under false invoice He went TO the bond
clerk 10 ascei tain inc names OF the oonqsmen
He obtained the oond, which contained the names
OF y. Blsantl, No. ~ william street, ana d; :.
Levy doing business at No. 0 Park place. The
first name on the bond was forged and fictitious
the other name proved TO De mat OF the smuggler
and, as events nave since demonstrated, one OF
the principals OF the organized gang commanded
by Lawrence. SPECIAL Agent Brown
SEARCHED LEWIS PLACE or BUSINESS
Park place aud found eleven cases OF SILK neck
ties, when were represented as domestic goods,
but which were no doubt OF foreign make. The
cases bore she initial marks or llrms in Phia-
delphla, ST. Louis. Chicago and other places, and
were ready for Shipment Pieces OF empty cases
were discovered bearing the foreign steamers
marks and the brands Of examiners and APP
Tne SEIZURE OF silverware having been regarded
at the time by tue revenue 0fficers as any other
ordinary smuggling case, tue special agent WHO
made the same permitted the other goods found
subsequent developments would show the magn.
tude OF the smuggling operations ne would
found al LEWIS pace Search was made Tor Levy
after the seizure, but he had taken
HIS DEPARPURR FOR OTHER PARTS
Private Detectives Boland add Mooney, armed
with warrant OF arrest we're despatched after
the tugitive, who was traced TO Canada, where
the officers arrested him. But while awaiting the
arrival OF the extraditon papers LevY's lawyers
procured writ OF habeas corpus, and the prisoner
was again at large. Tue detectives, for some I'M
accountable reason, failed to keep a viglant eye
upon him. and he finally eiuded them entirely,
and his whereabouts since are shrouded Ia mys
terry.
THE FRAUDULENT PLOT DEEPENs
At the time o. the discovery OF Leyy's smuggling
transactions Lawrence, the Custom House otll-
CHS ana others alleged 10 nave been Ia COM
pllclty with Levy, were unknown in the premises,
unu Special Agent Brown stumbled against
another snag at the CunaId stores IN Jersey CITY,
which the smuggling consplrators had left ex-
posed. IL IL ~ this unCture that Deputy Cor
lector Des Anges figures a. n payTfceDs crtint1is
The special agent discovered seventeen cases
OF goods winch appeared 90 him somewhat irregu-
lar, and ne concluded 10 watch them very cosely
Assisted by Inspector Blbbns, Specla Agent
Brown alterndted win him 10 watch the cases
which was continued for fourteen days The
Cases were marked -. q. P.n in a diamond, and
on the smp's manliesi anu on the trlphcate In
voice were entered as hosiery ana consigned 70 y.
q. Parker mythical importer, OF course When
the speclal agent applied 70 the invoice clerk az
the Custom House ior the invoices OF the goods he
learned that they were 10 the possession or .
record CLERK named Van Ausland VINO nad locked
them up or secreted them and left Tor Wilmington
IN compliance with the demands OF subpoena,
which III ls supposed was conveniently at hand 10
take Van Ausland away from his desk until the
goods were safe IN Canada. IL appears that
Lawrence ana Deputy Surveyor Kirk nau re-
quested van Ausland TO obtain possession OF the
invoices OF the goods Tor them. A. al events the
Orlglnal invoices we're
~ - - - - Aoi+NA
until IL was too late ioT him TO make tne seizure.
rue smuggers had. IN the meantime suspected
haste 10 execute a new bond for tue safe trans
pJrJauon Of the goods into Canada. Ihe names
on the bond were
T. b. PERSON A CUSTOM HOUSE BROKER
and Robert Hastings, another mythical bondsman
They also ordered a true entry 70 be made out by
the Gray Brotners. SAID 20 De the nepnews OF
James X. Davies well known politician. and
which entry represented the true quality OF the
goods III the cases, and which called FOR the two
'Dhndn cases OF hosiery 10 the public store.
seven cases OF SIX anu the remaining eight cases
Of ciOtn, Wnch nad Deen represented on the
original invoice as hosiery entire order 70 evade
the payment Of heavy duty.
Wnlie the original entry was In duress the true
entry, which showed fraud upon It's iace from the
irregularty OF the manner IN which II was made
out. was used 10 get the goods away from the
seizure officers Tue true entry, bearing The N
ROBERT DIES ANoRs. DEPUTY COLLECTOR,
examination waiyedn ola not have consups
certificate attached, wncn IL gross violation OF
the revenue laws, and which, when not forthcom-
ing, all importers are obliged TO give bonds 70
produce, wncn the smugglers failed to DO with
the conniyance, II Is alleged, OF the Custom House
officials. on the ga OF January tne true entry
was procured and this same day the goods were
shipped 10 Montreal, Canada. Even when in iran
sit SPECIAL Agent Brown bad hopes that Van Aus
land would return aud produce the false entry in
order for INN TO telegraph the Collector al 81. Al
bans 70 intercept the cases. Van Ausland. now
ever, did not put In an appearance early enough.
the documents containing the evidence on
Lawrence's and mis- partners crime, as applicable
to this particular case. are In possession OF tile
pr0tecutln AutnOTliieS OF tue government. anu.
though the authorities failed to seize the goods
The proofs OF the fraud are apparent enough 10
satisfy the demands OF justice.
BREAKING UP OF THE GANG.
The las. seizure OF goods belonging TO the snug
gers was made on the "a or sd oil January last.
snd il was chiefly through the Instrumentahty or
the same special agent no has labJTed un-
ceasingly 10 break up the gang ana expose their
HSOdiLS 0perdndt oil cheating the government The
cases were marked an In diamond, ana
contained silks they were invoced as hosiery.
The bond clerk, Rice, having been put on hts guard
to look out for the parties VINO mad been palming
OF mythical Dondsmen on him, notified Mr.. Bacn,
Cnel Clerk VI the Seizure Bureau that the paTties
whom SPECIAL Agent Brown solicitous
about had called aud given another bond for eight
cases OF SILK. One spurious name was on the
bond, That Of v. Blsanti, and the otner two
names Lawrence ana Levy. Balch at once
consulted with Deputy Surveyor KIlnck, who took
Detective Mooney Win him. and both waited at
the steamers dock until tue goods were permit
ted.n When the permit came The were
OF the dock and IN the custody OF the seizure
officers Just betore tue cases were removed
note was handed 10 the inspector IN charge from
Deputy Collector Des Anges asking that the per
IN an Tla