The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-02-02
ARIsroCRATIC sMUGGLERs.

ARISTOCRATIC SMUGGLERS.
THE MANNER IN WHICH SOME OF THE LADIE
OF NEW YORK OBTAIN THEIR PARIS DREssE
"A NEW CHANNEL OF INFORMATION FUR
NIsHED BY MADAME JoUvIN.
The New York Sun of the 23d inst. gives
the facts connected with strange case Of
smuggling in that city: Mademoiselle Leonin
Jouvin, the Paris dressmaker sess-
fenced by Judge Benedict to three
months imprisonment and to pay 81, 000-
occupies rooms in the north wing of Ludlow
street Jail. She receives almost every COM
fort and attention that money can COM
mand. She is waited upon by Mile. Palmeyre,
who accompanied her from Paris to assist
her in dressmaking. The expenses of the
two are borne by some of her Murray Hill
is the fear that she may tell of
their transactions with her. To have their
rivals IN fashion learn that the elegant robes
which they have been wearing were SNUG
gled would be a modification too great to
endure, and their payment of Mile. Jouvin's
bills is the price they pay for her silence.
The fair smuggler is about thirty-fve years
of age, and has all the grace and vivacity of
Frencbwoman. She is visited in the Jail
by an Italian gentleman from Maillard's
confectionery, to whom she is engaged to be
married. The ceremony was to have been
I
vim is the first woman ever tried
for smuggling. The revenue authorities
know OF two trips that she has made, and
they suspect her of others. On one of her
trips in the Vile de Paris she had five great
trunks with her. One of them was addressed
to the wife of Broadway artist, and was
filled with newly made up apparel, worth
over 81 700, gold. This was separated from
the others during the unloading from the
steamer, and was seized by Inspector Will
liams ofthe surveyors staff and other officers.
CAcGHT BY CHANCE.
They did not know at the time that it was
brought by Msdemoiselle Jouvin, as she
did not come forward to claim it. When
they looked into the other trunks she told
them that they contained costumes tor the
Aimee opera bouffe troupe at the Lyceum
Theater. She exhibited paper which she
said was a contract for her engagement in
the troupe. 1t was dated Paris, and ostensi-
bly, signed by Mr.. Chizzols, the manager OF
the theater. Believing her representa-
tions to be true, the officer permitted her to
take away the trunks free of duty, but the
next day they learned that she was unknown
to Mademoiselle Aimee, and that the con-
tract she had shown was forgery. They
went to q suite of rooms rented by her at
| l45 East Sixteenth street, and there Inspec-
tor Williams seized the four trunks and
some papers relating to her business. There
was another trunk which the inmates of the
house say the officers left behind, and which
! q friend of hers subsequently took away.
The solicitude of the custom house detec-
tives ended with the capture of Mademoiselle
Jouvln's goods, and nothing more would
have been heard of the case but for District
Attorney Bliss. When he received the Of
fetal report of the seizure, he Judged that
the smuggling was too fragrant to go unpun-
ished. His action in causing the arrest Of
officers, as they feared that it would put
a stop to the genteel smuggling, source Of
revenue to them. They tried in every
way to conceal the facts. The appraisemenl
of the goods was made with closed doors, in
the presence only OF the seizing officers and
the examiners. Each trunk contained
ladies complete outfit, dress, cloak, bonnet
and all ready for wear. They We're valued
at IS. 755 80 in gold. The counsel for Made
moiselle Jouvin sought to have the goods
bonded so that the ladies for whom they
were made might get them to wear on New
Years day and at the charity ball.
TELL-TALE BOOK.
In one of the trunks Inspector William
: discovered memorandum book with tn,
names OF the ladies for whom Mademoi.
selle Jouvin intended the dresses. There
were five names on it, belonging to leader.
of fashion. The list In the trunk and the
papers found in the Sixteenth street house
were locked up in a safe in the custom house
with strict orders from Collector A rthur thai
no one should see them. Among the paper.
were two orders from Mademoiselle Jouvir
for dresses by ladies in their own hand
writing. Collector Arthur, when asked for
the list, said that it would not be proper to
give the names, and they had to be obtained
from other officers of the government. Some
of these ladies are of families that pride
themselves on their Knickerbocker aHces-
try. The husband of one is distinguished
lawyer, another is a congressman, and the
third millionaire banker, one is repre-
sentative family prominent in New jersey
history, one is a rich railroad manager and
Union Club man, one is gentleman who's
name is conspicuously linked with science
one is an auctioneer who has an
important government trust, and one is 6
South street merchant. The unmarri d
ladies, whose names appear on the list are
prominent in society. One of the lsdiee
bought from Mademoselle Jouvin tbs
trousseau in which she was married lasc
spring. There was no duty paid on it. tn
government official who took an importaA,
partin Mademoiselle Jouvin's case, t0lt,
the writer that it was not fair to say that AID
the ladies whose names appear on her listl
had purchased struggled goods OF her.