Morning journal and courier., 1891-09-26
SNUFF BONES AS HEIRLooms.
One of the Ways of Cheating Ihe Gov.
 ernment of It's Revenue.
From the New York sun.l


 From the New York Sum-
 Major McElroy, of the seizure room in the custom house, looking more than ever like Senator Carlisle, had a crowd of visi- tors yesterday. Many were women, and some were representatives of families ad- mitted several years ago to the four hun dred by the graciousness of Ward McA- lister, Esq. All wanted to see the six solid gold snuff boxes, each worth six hundred dollars, seized from the steward of the steamship Teutonic. Not everybody was accommodated. The entrancing snuff boxes had been locked up in the old iron safe that has done service in the seizure room almost from the day that the custom house was transferred from the old sub treasury building at Wall and Broad streets to the present gloomy old catacomb at Wall and William streets.
 This safe is under the immediate charge of Uncle Isaac Trimble. The key is as ancient the safe, but the snuff boxes are all secure, because Collector Fa.sett has doors of the custom house all night. They are under the immediate charge of Guardian Dewitt Clinton Wheeler
 These snuff boxes are undoubtedly among the most unique treasures ever seized by Uncle Sam's officers. To Chief Wilbur's men is due the credit, though it was ascertained yesterday that they acted on orders from the chief himself, who in turn received his information from Lon don. This developed another interesting point. Folks who buy valuable articles in London and Paris and in the other great capitals of Europe are invariably spotted h,- fa Ir. the jeweler who sells goods to the Ameri- can patron is himself interested in inform ing Uncle Sam of the purchases, and espe- cially is he so when he believes that the patron intends to smuggle his purchases into our country. Invariably does this in formation come to the treasury agents at this port.
 Why are the foreign merchants so quick to give this informationi It stimulates trade. If one set of diamonds is coralled, or a valuable collection of snuff boxes like this seized, the desire for such goods is not by any means sppeased, and the for eign sellers are perfectly familiar with the fact. It was through just such methods that Chief Wilbur learned what the stew ard of the Teutonic had secreted in his state room. All that can be said now is that the snuff boxes were to be delivered to a well-known dealer in the most expen- sive articles in bric-s-brac in Fifth ave- nue. The Sun knows his name. He had trouble with Collector Erhardt in his time His goods were detained and the valuation advanced by the board of general apprais- CTS. He is now on his way to New York from London. The customs people pro- pose to give him a fine old reception as he steams up the bay.
 The valuable snuff boxes were envel- oped yesterday in cotton and fine oil pa- per. They are beauties. Each weighs nearly six ounces. The value of the gold itself is nearly two hundred dollars, and the value is swelled to an average of six hundred dollars by the jewels and enamel and beautiful miniature hand paintings on them. Here is one for example that would make the average man rich to even handle it. The heavy gold is surmounted on the cover and sides by the most expensive jew els and enamel. The figures are scarcely perceptible through the heavy enamel of blue, and the tracery is positively dreamy in its delicacy.
 You don't carry @ snuff box like that around with you every day. If you be- longed to the four hundred possibly you might display it casually at an afternoon tea, incidentally remarking that it was the snuff box of your grandmother. There would pc every RrouHu IOE accepLuS tnls statement. In the first place the owner says it is true. Then the snuff boxes are built on the Louis XVI. plan, and, like those seen at the custom house yesterday, do not look new. There is dullness in the gold that makes them look ancient
 But if you closely scan the makers mark inside the lid you will find that it is horribly modern. It is learned on the highest authority that these snuff boxes are made expressly for use in the most fashionable circles, and that in the last three years more than four hundred of them have been brought into port, most of them by stewards of the ocean steamships. On several occasions the guilt of the stew ards has been within an ace of being es- tablished, and then some one has stepped in who is familiar with custom matters, and has claimed that the boxes must come in free as antiques. That method has been successful until Chief Wilbur and his men discovered by the makers mark in the lid that the dodge couldn't be played any longer.
 These markaf show that the boxes are