The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-31
JEWELRY SOLD FOR A SONG.
LEVKOWICZ JEWELS DID NOT
BRING ENOUGH TO PAY DUTY.

| payment of Customs Dues, Sold
Yesterday by Deputy Marshal
White for Less Than S15o-The In
voice Value, Exclusive of Duty,
| Was $649-LevkOyvicz's Falling Out
With His BOOkkeeper Led TO the
| Seizure of His StocIx-A Young WO-
man Claimed the Most Valuable of
the Articles Seized and Secured
Their Return.
Deputy United States Marshal Charles
j. White completed the sale yesterday Of
the lot of jewelry seized by the special
treasury agents In Savannah, in 1898, as
the property of L LevkOwicz, on the
| charge that the stock had been brought
into the country without paying the re-
quired custom dues. The seizure attract
ed much attention at the time. and has
| since been considerably discussed.
Mr.. Levkowicz was a merchant, who
! opened a large dress goods business in the
Schwarz building on Bull street. He came
10 Savannah from Porto Rico, where he
had formerly been in business, and it aft
erwards developed that this stock of jew
ery had been brought into the country by
him when he removed here. Some time
after opening business, the jewelry was
exposed for sale in the windows of the
dry goods establishment 1t made an at
uactive appearance, and would doubtless
have found a ready sale, had it not been
for the treasury agents.
There was no suspicion on the part of
anyone that the goods had been smuggled
| il, nd all bax yafl
had not Mr. Levkowicz had a falling out
with his bookkeeper and discharged him.
The latter was aware that the jewery
had been brought in without the payment
of duty, aud for his discharge he informed
Deputy United States Marshal White Of
the fact The latter reported the matter
to Special Treasury Agent Paul and the
latter, in company with Capt. White, made
the seizure.
The affair created something of sem
satlon al the time Mr. Levkowicz pro-
tested that there was no intention on his
part of violating the revenue laws, that
the jewelry had been brought into the
country as personal property, and decis-
ion afterwards reached to put the lot on
SAFE. The treasury officials regarded the
stock as too large and too miscellaneous
to have been brought in simply as private
property, and besides, 1t was evident that
the greater part had never been in use
being still in the packages in which it was
purchased.
Mr.. Levkowicz engaged counsel and
fought the matter in the courts, and It
was not until last February that a decls-
ion was finally rendered against him and
the stock ordered sold. The most valua-
bic pieces of jewelry in the lot seized,
however We're saved from confscation by
the government by claim made by a
female employee of Mr.. LeVkoWickz that
these were her personal property. This
claim was sustained by Judge Speer, who
directed that the goods in question should
be returned to the claimant through her
attorney, Mr.. f. G.. duBiguon.
When the goods were first seized there
Were various estimates of their value,
some of the estimates running into the
| thousands The goods sold yesterday,
however were valued at go, exclusive
of the duty. With the duty added their
value was placed at $7i9.49. The stock
consisted of stick pins, brooches, rings,
bracelets belts, clasps buckles and vari-
Gus articles of feminine adornment, chief
ly of.silver. There were one or two small
diamond ornaments ia the lot. 1t was NOT
an especially valuable lot of 1ewelry. still
there were many articles in the lot which
would have sold ordinarily at s. to so. Had
Mr.. LevkOwicZ been allowed to disDose
would probably have obtained in the
neighborhoOd Of $1,000 for the stock As
it was, Capt White succeeded in getting
something less than $3.50 for the lot, or
less than sufficient to pay the duty. In
fact, the amount received viii hardly more
than pay the costs of the case Judge
| SDeer's decision was that the property
should be sold and the proceeds devoted
first to defraying the costs of the pro-
ceedings, second to the payment of the
duty and the balance to Mr.. duBignon as
his fees in the case. The prospect of the
governments getting its duty and of MIR.
duBlgnon getting his fees are about equal
y slim.
The small prices received for the goods
cannot be charged to any lack of dill
gence on the part of Capt White, each
article being offered separately and several
hours being consumed in the sale. The
prices at which some of the jewelry went
was enough TO break even the heart of a
pawnbrolger. The highest price receive
for any single article was s15 for diamond
brooch, and the next highest $40 for a Jew
el bracelet. A bracelet set with pearls
brought $3.50, and a plain gold bracelet 81.
Many similar ornaments went for such
prices as 30 cents and 40 cents Some
handsome silver card cases said TO be
worth several dollars EACH brought g.
cents each. Seven handsome metal belts
| invoiced az $3.50 each, including duty sold
for SO. and five more for $2.75. Eigh belt
) buckles invoced at 81 each, sold for $1.90.
The main reason, probably, why the
jewelry brought such low prices was that
Il was out of date. the styles of jewelry and
ornaments changing just as the styles OF
other things do. Another rea son was that
the bidders were all men, few of whom
, were buying for their own use, some buy
, ing for speculative purposes and Others
, because they saw a chance to get nice or
naments al a quarter their value. A hi
cycle dealer bought quite a stock of pins
and other ornaments which he expects &C
+ dispose of to mis- customers at a profit
Had there been as many ladies' present as
there were men, it is safe to say that the
stock would have brought considerably
q more.
-s-e~~-
CAPT. JOHN sTROBHAR DEAD.
5 Passed Away After Brief Illness al