St. Paul daily globe., 1889-04-06
Smuggling Operations of Al
lard & Sons, the Great
Art Dealers.
Customs Officers at New York
Fooled About $250,000
Worth.
Costly Paintings Struggled
in the Upholstery Of
Furniture.
The Blooded Nabobs of New
York Were Their Gus
toners.

New YORK. April 5.-One of the most
extraordinary eases of smuggling and
fraud on the custom house known in
this country has become public through
the customs authorities in this city.
Allard & Sons, large Partisan firm,
dealing in antiques, art furniture, rare
tapestries, paintings and bric-a-brac.
have branch establishment in this
city at.304 Fifth avenue. For period
extending over at least seven years, this
house has engaged in the most
BARE-FACED ACTS OF SMUGGLING.
For many years the agent of Allard &
Son in this city was man named Bios
saire. About three years ago he was
superseded by their present agent.
Paul Roulez, who resides on Palisade
avenue in West HOboken, n. J. Under
RouleZ's management Blossaire was
steadily degraded. until last February
he was discharged from the employ of
the firm. In revenge of what he claims
the injustice practiced against him,
some weeks ago BlOssaire called
Special Treasury Agent George r.
Simmons and impaired some startling
information, that led to an immedi-
affairs of the firm. Special Treasury
Agent Simmons soon found that
smuggled goods had been purchased un-
suspectiEgly from this firm by some of
the WealthieSt residents and most lib
eral art collectors in this city, including
William K. Vanderbilt; III. Mckay
Twombly, of 6S4 Fifth avenue, and
Orme Wilson, of Ala Fifth avenue; also
by Robert Garrett, of Baltimore: Will
lam Borden, of Chicago, and many
others.
THE SCHEME
pursued by the firm was to consign to
their New York house cabinet furniture
in which were concealed, underneath
the marble tops and in the false panel
ing. costly pOrtiere curtains and rich
Gobelin tapestries. Customs duties, of
course, would be paid only on the fur
niture. In the Fifth avenue store the
smuggled goods would be removed.
Purchasers were Invariably charged eX-
trayagant prices for the articles, with
the duties out of which the government
had been Swindled added thereto. Thus
adouble fraud was perpetrated. 1t is
not suspected that any one of the many
purchasers had the remotest idea that
the goods were smuggled. Mr.. ii. Nick.
TwombIy is probably the most conspic-
uouS ViCtlul VI Glle it'll ulSuOileS6
practices. His bill for goods ordered
Sons amounted to $4,000. In this lot of
goods was an oil painting, represented
to be a Rembrandt, for which Mr..
Twombly paid $4,000. and on
account of which he is now SUING
the firm. having discovered that
the picture is only copy. This
picture was smuggled into this country
between two decorated doors. one of
which was intended for Mr.. Twombly's
house, and can now be seen there. Mr..
Twombly also received large quantity
of other paintings, costly curtains, brio
a-brac, and rare tapestries, Which were
smuggled through the custom house,
concealed in the upholstered seats of
chairs and sofas.
MIR. WILLIAM K. VANDERBILT
ordered from Allard & Sons an oil por-
trait of his ten-year- old son, last Novem-
ber, which was delivered to him in
February last. He paid the firm $4,000,
full price on the picture. The firm got
that through free of duty, by packing 1t
behind the glass of mirror, against
the wooden back. The frame was sent
separately. When the goods arrived,
the picture was taken out of the back of
the mirror, framed and delivered to Mr..
Vanderbilt by Blossaire, now the
governments informant. 1t is under
stood that Mr.. Vanderbilt has also
been the purchaser of large quantity
articles of vertu from this firm. Among
Orme Wilson's purchases which figure
on the list of smuggled articles is
large quantity of rich pOrtieres. tapes
try, bric-a-brac, rare French clock and
many other articles. They were
brought over in February, 1887, and
passed through the custom house
by Paul Roulez's wife as her
own household effects. Upon in
vestigatIon it was found that they had
been bought by Wilson during the pre-
ceding November and packed by the
Allards in Paris. The investigation
made by Special Treasury Agent SIM
mons having progressed far enough by
last Monday night to warrant him in
MAKING A SEIZURE,
he had the necessary papers executed
add called to his aid Special Treasury
Agents j. Cummings, Frank Finley,
Special Agent Ritter and the informant.
Blossaire, who had been deputiZed as
an officer. They went to the Fifth Ave
nue. hotel, and remained there most of
the night, and at o'clock Tuesday
morning proceeded to Allards' store, 304
Fifth avenue. AS soon as the
ianitor of the store opened the
door they made a raid on the
stock. and captured a large guam
tity of chairs with upholstered seats
that were found stuffed with rich laces,
tapestries, silks. brOnZeS, portiers. cur
tains and almost everything a person
could imagine. These chairs were
recent invoice, and had not been uu-
packed. The officers also seized the
mirror in which the Vanderbilt picture
had been concealed, and one of the Or
namental doors, between which Mr.
TwomblY's alleged Rembrandt had
been smuggled. A large quantity of other
stuff bearing recent marks as identified
ON the customs invoice of the firm were
also seized. These things were sent to
the seizure room in the barge Office, and
the party went to ROuleZ's house in
West Hoboken. where they seized lot
of tapestries valued at $4,000, which
they found packed in a plush sofa.
These things were also sent to the
seizure room. 1t was aScertained
through Roulez himself, that the arti-
cleS purchased by
ROBERT GARRETT, OF BALTIMORE,
were large quantity or rare and costlp
heavy silks, used for making old court
dresses, now used only for covering
circular chairs and sofas. William
Borden. of Chicago, had purchased
seIhe elegant pOrtierre curtains. These
goods were also smuggled. An exam
inatlon was held yesterday afternoon
before Collector Magone, Deputy
Collector Charles P. McClelland
and