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

There was considerable excitement about the
once OF United StaJea District Attorney Bliss
yesterday and Il was gyea out at an early hour
Ia the morning that Mr.. Bliss would, later IN the
aay, giye..tO the press sensation before which
credit Mo6hIer would De forgotten MT. Bliss spent
the entire DAY in preparing the government side
o. tue case, AID caued INTO his service several
sienographers and an his clerical force.
Az result OF this days work the following was
lsst night supplied to reporters:-
Late IN January Of tue present year long In
vestlgatiOn when had been instituted Nv tue col
rector ana surYeyo. u the port win Tue So
operation OF some ofthe special agents ior ne puf-
Tose o. ascertanng IN what way goous, chiefly SILKS
and laces. could be soll IN the market al prices
considerably under the cot OF Importation, cui-
minated N the seizure o. eight cases Of goods
then recently arrived winch had been entered az
hosiery all Of when, except one, we're iound to
contain expensive flenca silks. They we're IN
voiced
10 consignees mere who were found 70 be &c
ttLtOus persons. As soon as tul9 SEIZURE mace
the turn Of tne inyestigation was directed toward
eyetv one VINO mad anvtnInr to 40 WIN these
egni cases, and 70 all other entries Of goods with
whicn the same persons mad been con-
mad been, at intervals Of about a month each,
eight ot1er SIMILAR importauons OF goods IRON
In all the invoices contained, or purpOrted TO con-
tam, precisely The same quaties. sizes and Kinds
oil hosiery, and oil precisely The same values.
TuE INVESTIGATION GRADUALLY RRoADESED
until down TO TIE present tlne II nas been dis
covered tnas WITHIN about TWO years past thcre
nave been made az TINS port about eighty entries,
MI OF when nave been made N tue name u ne
LtIous consignees. All were lraudulently entered.
Inc goods In the cases we're, m TACT, chiefly silks,
plpaCas m0halFs ana aces. They were entered
chiefly a. hosiery, buttons, Ctrsets uuraps manu-.
iactures oil jute Sc. Tue duty wa paid upon
them at the low rate required upon goods which
they lurported ~ ue, dnd not at TIC higl rate
winch tney should actually have pald. The
G0yRKEMENr WAS ~ rms WAY DEFRAunEp,
not only IN tao rate Of duty bat IN the valuation,
as they were entered as gO0us or very low value,
wife they we're in fact goods Of a hlgh value.
Win AL or nearly all Of these entries Charles l..
Lawrence was directly concerned. lie employed
the brokers' WHO prepared tue papers. ne himself
rave the BOND required upon entay az The custom
House, signing the BOND as attorney for the nomt-
MAJ Cohslgnees, When IN fact no such persons eX-
ited, anu or course he could net be their attOr-
ney. Tue way Ia which Inc fraud was commit ed
seems 70 nave been BY tue drect bribery o. one Of
the
DEPUTY COLLECTORS, ROBERT DEs ASGEs.
Under tue ~ stem winch the law provinces and
wtlcn' from the owing commerce Of New YORK,
has COME 70 % almost absolutely necessary,
wnen an entry ~ MADE a. the Custom House All OF
tue goods IN the invoce are not sent 10 the Ap-
pfalseK's store 10 be examined. 10 see whether
tna contents OF the eases correspond with the
statement ~ the invoice. Only one case IN ten
3 sent for Huch eNatnin ll0n tuat case being SUP
posed TO be seected Wv the Deputy Collector ST
random, aud u oenR assumed tNat il the con euts
voice the contents Of al tne otaer cases are al,o
correctly stated ~ tHe inVotCe.
ONE rASE ~ TRN
havtnp gone 10 the Appraisers store the re-.
fnaiuder oil tue packages contained In the nYotce
arc ~ once delivered too consumption 10 tho I'M
scot JQT examination whieh CONTAINS goods vi IN.