St. Paul daily globe., 1892-10-07
SEIZED BY UNCLE SAM.
A Large Number of Paintings.
Some by Old Masters, Seized
by Customs Auth critics.
They We're Brought Across the
Water by the Divorced Wife
of a Millionaire.

New York, Oct. Ga woman who is
accused of smuggling into this country
paintings valued at $4,000 is said by
the custom house authorities to be the
divorced wife of William Campbell, the
millionaire wall paper manufacturer.
She is now the wife of an Italian named
Di Cacaci, of Naples. Italy.
Mrs. Campbell called at the custom
house today in very angry and some
what excited state of mind and said she
had called to prefer charges against In
spector Traitteur. The latter, she said,
had concocted charge of smuggling
against her in order that he might take
possession of eighty-two paintings, of
the value of $4,000, which belonged to
her. His motive, she charged, was
revenge, because she did not recipro-
that he had pursued her to Saratoga and
other places that he might make love to
her. Deputy Collector Phelps took the
papers, but did not give Mrs. Campbell
much satisfaction.
1t was nearly three months ago that
the custom house officers began to watch
Mrs Campbell, as she now calls herself.
About that time she had entered great
many paintings as household and per-
sonal effects at the custom Office. She
took the usual oath at the time, that she
had used the goods abroad for year,
and that they were not intended for
sale. An affidavit from the conSignOr
OH the other side to the effect that the
goods had been used for year, the Pc
riod required by law, accompanied the
pictures, and SO they, with some other
articles of household furniture, were
admitted free of duty.
Collector Traitteur, treasury inspec-
tor, suspected that all was not right,
and he reported at the time to Col.
Phelps, deputy collector in charge of
the law division at the custom house,
and to Collector of the Port Hendricks.
They learned that, although the woman
had said she had used the paintings for
year on the other side, she had not
been across the ocean for two years. and
had lived continually here. They
learned that she had stored them away
in storage rooms and auction houses in
this city, and that she had catalogue
of them printed and sent around, with
the prices attached to them. The
pictures were advertised for sale, and
number of them were sold.
The treasury inspector finally man
aged, within the past week, to trace the
woman and find out where she had her
pictures SIOIGU. MIS-. CdtupUcll WAS
traced to an apartment house on Broad
way, and the pictures were found and
sent to storage houses. In all, 80
paintings were seized by the inspect
ors. There were originally l06 paint
ings, but the other "a have disappeared,
and the inference is that the woman
managed to dispose of them. The In
| spectors got all the evidence, and it was
so completely against Mrs. Campbell
| that they decided to make the seizure.
There are a number by Leonardo Da
| Vinci. One of them is the famous pic
ture ''Christ Carrying the Cross" and is
valued at $4,000. There are two by Ru-
bens and a number by the other old
masters. SiXty-nine are by Italian
masters who lived prior to the sixteenth
century. All of these pictures are
valued highly. There are a number
of pictures by modern painters, but
these are not rated very high.
| The woman interested is well-known.
A few years ago she met the man who
had been her husband in Central park.
| and in the presence of about a thousand
| persons went at him with hOrSewhip.
She has used horsewhip OH other occa-
sionS. 1t was said at the custom house
this morning that she would not be
| prosecuted or arrested. The pictures
will be taken in charge by Uncle Sam
unless she makes good her allegation
that they were used in her house i'll
| Naples year prior to their tranSporta-
tion to this country.