The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-24
SMUGGLING CASES
HAVE NOT BEEN ABANDONED BY
UNCLE SAM.
WAITING FOR A WITNESS.
MIR. SOLOMON SAID TO HAVE REP
RESENTED CIGAR DEALERS.

Governments Expects Him 10 stand
by the Facts DiscoVered-Cases
worked Up by Acting United states
Attorney Lenken and Special
Agent Macatee Since October,
19n1-Fortx Men on List of Wit
nesses and Number Have De-
cided 10 Pay the Duty on Cigars
Received by Them Within Past
Eighteen Months.
1.-The cases involving the question of
about 900 struggled cigars, which
are known to have been brought into
Savannah and sold, either here or else
where, without having the required
stamps and Custom House certificates
attached to the boxes, are by no means
finished" said acting United States At
torney Leaken yesterday. THE fact
that the prosecution has secured one
case for the grand jury and has an
other. against J. G. Crimson, in the
course of preliminary examination,
shows conclusively that active steps
are being taken to bring the matter to
a head. The latter case, opened We'd
nesday, and continued at my request,
pending the arrival of Mr.. Julian Sol
ONION, will be resumed at the earliest
possible moment. Mr.. Solomon is an
important witness in all of the several
cases that we have prepared, and it is
expected that he may arrive in Savan-
nah almost any day"
When asked. about the connection of
Mr.. Solomon with the cases that the
United States is proposing to bring
against Crimson and others, Mr.. Leak
en- said:
Mr.. Solomon was one of three per-
sons chosen by representatives of the
wholesale and retail cigar dealers in
savannah to investigate and discover,
if possible, why it was that their sales
of imported cigars had fallen to almost
nothing. Mr.. Solomon went to work
IN systematic manner and found out
the reason AT least as far as it applied
to the brands La Diligencia and Caro-
lima. The government. of course, ex-
poets him to stand by his statements"
Work Accomplished.
Mr.. Leaken spoke of the work that
had been done in the matter since Oc-
tober, 1901, by Special Agent Macatee.
who was sent to work on the case with
him as acting United States attorney.
The progress had been marked and
some time ago, just while they were
waiting for authority from Washing
ton 10 make the necessary expenditures
in serving warrants upon Mr. and Mrs.
}. G.. Brison, the death of the latter
was announced As soon as Mr. Brin-
son returned from the funeral he was
served @ a.
case against him, charging conceal
ment and assisting to transport SNUG
gled goods came up for preliminary ex-
animation. The testimony of Mr.. Will
son is recalled and the fact that Brin-
son was held for the grand jury. In
this examination the Importation and
sale TO Mr.. Wilson of about 1900 eli
gars, unstamped was shown
1t will be recalled said Mr. Leak
en- with a smile, that at this prelim-
mary examination there were about
nine attorneys present but who they
represented could not be ascertained.
1t was remarkable that when
the second case came up, and
Mr.. Lewis Kayton testified to
the purchase of cigars from
Mrs. Brlnson, a single attorney was
present, Hon. w. w. Osborne, repre-
senting Brinson. AS viii also be re-
membered the hearing was continued
at my request as | wished to have Ju-
liam Solomon present"
Some Duties Being Paid.
There are about forty men in Savan-
nah who are known to have purchased
about 100000 of the cigars imported and
sold without taxes or duty These
men are known, and standing a chance
of being forgiven for the error if they
pay up six have already made ar
rangements to send in the money due
the government to the Secretary of the
Treasury. Mr.. Leaken said that in
Guiding the money that would be sent
to-day the amount would likely reach
$4,000 This was about half the amount
due on the cigars that have been traced
from Cuba to Savannah and not prop
erly entered at the Custom House. The
payment of the dues on these cigars
does not mean that the purchasers are
entirely free yet from chance of prose-
cution, but the government is disposed
TO exercise leniency upon private citi-
zens and is willing to accept amend
ments If made in time The amount
due and payable on the cigars in ques-
ton is fixed at $50 per thousand