The daily gazette., 1881-09-01
A BALTIMORE MODIsTE,s ME.
FORTUNES.


$500 Worth of Silks and Laees
Through the New York Custom.
House.
From the N. Y. Times.
A group of Eve milliners and mod
istes came into New York on Saturday
afternoon as cabin passengers on board
the steamship Britannia. from Liver
pool. No one on board, or at least
very few persons, knew that the ladies'
were milliners, but soon after the
steamers arrival In port the customs
inspectors paid their respects 10 the
milliners, and 1t Is no mere figure Of
speech to say that 'tbey made the
feathers fly" Three of the milliners
were inclined to give the government
a fair chance for existence, and when
asked if they had any dutiable goods
in their trunks they said they might
have, and promptly revealed the con-
tents. There were found sundry silks,
ribbons, feathers. and things, and the
ladies' paid $500 or $400 each to the
government and took their goods
away with them. Each of the five
milliners was registered on the passen-
ger list simply as "Miss" So and So,
without any initial letters. One Of
them was a well known Baltimore
modiste. When she was asked con-
cerning her baggage she said she had
no dutiable goods. Then the inspec.
tors administered to her the usual oath
on her declaration, and the lady de-
clared on that oath that she had no
goods liable to pay tribute to the Uni
ted States. For some reason the in.
spectors were led to doubs the lady's
statement. Her three trunks were
accordingly searched, and when tue
inspectors got their arms in them up
to The elbows they faneied they had
struck section of q Partisan fashion
bazar. They shut down the lids
hastily and seized the trunks. Then
they turned their attention to another
one of the millner's trunks, and iu
them they found more wonders in
feathers, silks, satins, laces and fancy
goods. The matter looked so very
suspicious that it was decided that
both should undergo personal
search.
VI course Inspector Edgar, who is bold
eDVuku w Nhn5C y lave al OtCl " sup
deck If need be, could not very we'll
search couple OF ladies, and Mrs.
Jennie Ferris, female customs inspec
tor, undertook The task. Sue found q
few articles, pieces OF lace and silk con-
cealed on the ladies, but when she be-
gan to examine the other goods In the
trunk she seemed like magician from
the manner in which she brought forth
rare fabrics from places where they did
II It seem to be. The trunks were sent
to the seizure room OF the custom-house,
and the milliners went away from the
pier crying.
A table twenty feet long was not large
enough TO hold the contents of q single
trunk belonging to the Baltimore lady
when 1t was unpacked In the seizure
room yesterday. There were ten splen-
did dresses OF silk, satin, velvet and bro.
cade, Two or three of them trimmed with
fiue silk Spanish lace seven or eight
inches deep, and oil worth 1900. Mrs.
Ferris began to look at the dresses, AID
from beneath the fJunces she drew
whole pieces Of black Spanish lace 20 or
30 yards long, neatly folded and sewed
under the fiounces. Inside the bosom
of beautiful white Cashmere dress she
found several pieces Of Dnchesse point
lace. She picked up lady's black chip
hat trimmed with the head, breast and
tail of golden-breasted heron, and in
dve minutes she held five heroDs of diff
ferent metallic hues In her hands. They
had been fastened one over the other on
the hat. Mrs. Ferris actually discov-
cred and uncovered things SO fast In this
way that 1t seemed as though she was
going to make a wagon. load out of a
trunkful of goods. When they were all
exposed they made q gorgeous display.
ALong the most delicately beautiful
things were a dozen or more silken
chenille mantil.as, In exquisite shades
Of white, pearl, blue, salmon, pink and
cardinal. Then there were superb o.
trich plnmes, worth f3 or "a q piece
in Europe, and handsome ostrich
pohpons.
About one of the black lace dresse.
there was draped a flounce or sash made
| Of rich black Drocade silk. Mrs. Ferri.
I unpinued 1t and found 1t uncovered
something like twenty five yards In 9
single piece. There were gold thread
aud iridescent braids and fringes IL
whole pieces, silk and satin corsets, JET
beads, Jet and iridescent bead passemen
terie, silk stockings OF magnificent qpal
ity ard colors, rare handkerchief, velve
brocades, feather trimmed velvet muff,
.perfect duck" Of brown silk plusf
"pokee" bonnet, and very handsome
fawn-colored felt bonnet, both elabor
ately decked with plumes and bea6
trimming. There were, besides, dress
ing cases, choice toilet powders, velve
brushes, tortoise-shell back combs ant
scores of other articles. The coutent,
Of the Baltimore modiste's trunks arr
roughly estimated to be worth $500
but no inventory or appraisement ba
yet bean made. The other lady is sait
to be milllper doing business In New
York. Her trunks were also richly la
deu with goods quite as elegant ant
costly as those In her companion'
trunks, but there were not so mauy ar
ticles and less of q variety. They wer,
roughly valued at 81 200 10 $500. Be
fore the millioners get their beautifu
goods out of the hands of the govern
ment they will find It would have beef
cheaper to pay The duties.