The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-20
DoDeED cusToMs puTIEs.
New York Bric-n-Brac Dealers Ex-
posed After Fifteen Years.

posed AFTER Fifteen Years.
New York. April l9.-One of the most
startling stories of fraudulent evasion OF
customs duties which has developed In
the port of New York for years. came TO
light to-day. IL involves the name Of one
OF the hest known bric-a-brac dealers in
the country. and duplicates possibly one
or more customs employees who have until
now enjoyed the unlimited confidence OF
the collector Of the port and the heads Of
the various departments. The prominent
customs officials have not yet been so dis
turbed over a case of the kind for a long
time, and for the last two weeks thor
ough, unremitting investigation of the
matter has been going on. The discovery
Of the frauds came from the former sec
rctary and more recently head salesmcn
OF the house or @. Y. sypher \ Co. or
Firm avenue and Twenty-siNth street. The
iniormcr IS L. II. Todd, who, while the
concern was a corporation, acted as It's
secretary, but who for the last year or 50,
since the corporation dissolved, has been
its head salesman. Todd was discharged
in January last IL Is said for drunken
ness. Two weeks ago ne appeared at Col
lector knhreths office and astoundcd that
official with information so startling that
he hardly credited the mans statements.
Ills statements, however, have since been
verified and with every assistance OF Col.
Phelps, of the law department and Ap-
praiscr Bunn the customs authorities have
gathered indisputahle evidence that Todd $
statements are true and that 9. l.. Sypher
a Co., have prohtod to the extent OF
many thousands Of dollars during the last
fifteen years at the expense OF the Gus
toms. and that with what looks like col
employees. Todd claims that for
the last IS years, Syphcr has been
importing into the port bric-a-
hrac. tapestry antiques, artistic silver
articles and relics at a rate of duty apnor-
mally below their valuation, ana states
numbeTlcss importations OF hrpstlc ana
valuable silver articles from Great Brit
ain, including trays, loving cups, valuable
table pieces and other silver articles which
were invoiced as ''Old silver and valued
at shillings and pence per ounce. The
customs officials did not receive a detailed
invoice OF the importations, as the whole
consignment was invariably invoiced IN a
lump as "old silver"
Sypher, would, however receive de-
tailed invoice, containing a list OF the
articles and the true value OF the same,
and I'm nearly all cases, said one of the
customs officials to-day, the true value OF
these articles would be ten or twelve times
as great as the amount specified in the
customs invoice. Most OF the valuable
silVerware passed the second divisions OF
the appraisers department, In which Cy-
rus A. Stevens was ASSISTANT appraiser
until year ago, when he was succeeded
by II. w. Hart, who has charge of the
department at the present time.
Eugene Honeywell who has been In
the customs service fifteen years, Is the
man through whose hands the Sypher
property passed. and upon whose head
now falls the suspicion that Sypher was
assisted In swindling the customs by some
one inside the service.
Collector Kilbreth has always had im-
plicit confidence In this official whom he
describes as absolutely above suspicion
until IL Is clearly proven that he Is guilty.
the case has many ramihcations ana
hints at Smuggling and the implication Of
such employees are given. Sypher has made
strenuous efforts to make light of the
charges. On Wednesday last he was clos
eted with Collector Kilbreth, Col. Phelps
and Appraiser Bun and tried TO explain
batters lie, II was learned to-day had Sc
cured passage on an outgoing steamship
which sails tomorrow. but his counsel,
ex-Judge Dittenhoefer. prevailed upon him
to stay here and face the matter. Ex-
Judge Dittenhoefer assured the collector
'hat Sypher would be ready when called
upon by the authorities 10 meet the
charges The amount Of money out OF
which the government has been swindled
Will run into hundreds Of thousands Of
dollars, but the custom authorities are not
now In position to state the exact
amount Sypher conducts, perhaps, one
Of the most extensive enterprises of the
kind IN the world.