Morning journal and courier., 1884-10-06
A PRIZE CAKE OF SOAP.
The Rich Find That Custom House
 Officers Made.

The Rich Find That Custom House
 Officers Made.
 NEW YORK, Oct. 5.-There was jubilation yesterday in the special agents department of the custom house. The biggest diamond seizure of many years had been made. Stones and trinkets roughly appraised at SIP, GOO had been taken from Mir. and Mrs. James Graves, who arrived on Friday even ing on the steamer America from Europe The jewels were found in various unaccount- able places about the incoming passengers, and the officials are unkind enough to hint that MT. and Mrs. Graves were trying to smuggle them ashore. MT. Graves belongs to the diamond importing firm of w. Fox G Co.,, and when the custom house detect ives saw his name on the Americas passen- ger list they exchanged sly winks and pre- pared to receive him with all hon. ors. It. is said that a previous enter prise of MT. Graves dwelt in the official memory. Anyway, the detectives gathered in force at the barge office on Fri day evening. MT. Graves was light-hearted in look and easy in manner as he came down the gangplank from the steam tender to the
 
 hand bag carelessly between his fingers Be- hind him tripped his wife, enveloped in fur-lined cloak. The couple were earnestly invited into the private search room, where they were introduced to Captains Brackett and Chalker and Officers Lawrence and Israe1s. The handbag which had been swung so carelessly was opened and in it was found a piece of soap. The United States have no laws against the use of soap outside of poli- tics, but the officers insisted upon opening the cake. Bedded in the soft substance were found thirty-two glittering diamonds None of them weighed less than a carat MT. Graves got red in the face when he found that he had drawn the prize cake of soap and was actually under suspicion of an attempt to smuggle. The weather being somewhat oppressive Captain Bracket gracefully assisted Mrs. Graves to take off her cloak. She was very much aston ished to find that someone had concealed ten brilliants under the fur lining while the fingers of Captain Chalker discovered a dozen or more valuable stones which had by some strange circumstance been misplaced in the lining of Mrs. G1 aves' modest little bon net instead of in her jewel case Her sur prise was further increased by the discovery, in the lining of the handbag, of 8 broach in the form of pansy, with five pedals composed of dia- monds weighing one and half carats each. In the center was an immense pearl surrounded by still larger diamonds. Evi- dently Mrs. Graves maid was a very forget ful person in packing up her mistress effects, for in backs of hair brushes, tooth brushes and other articles of toilet were found q brooch set with six large bri11iants, six rings, @ scarf pin, three sets of earrings and sever al smaller brooches. It seemed to relieve Mrs. Graves mind to know that all the jew elry she had missed had only been misplaced All the jewels, Captain Brackett says, will be confscated, but it is doubtful whether MT. Graves will be prosecuted, though both he and his wife were held in s5,OOO bail by United States Commissioner Shields yester- day The discovery of his property in it's odd hiding places has been too much for Mir. Graves, and he was quite prostrated yes terday.