New-York tribune., 1907-09-09
CUSTOMS MEN ACTIVE
COSTLY FINERY. SEIZED.
Officials Say Dressmakers Haze Or
ganized to SmuggIe Supplies.

Never IN the history of the customs service at
this port have the customs lines been drawn tight
er on a steamship pier than they were on the
French Line wharf yesterday. when the company's
steamer La Savoie docked- An unusually large
number of inspectors riveed their eyes to the bag
gage of the cabin passengers from the time the
trunks and hand baggage were opened until they
we're taken outside the lines to the express wagons
It was a hard day for John NJ. Bishop. Deputy Sur
veyor of Customs. and the man Of HIS staff but
their efforts rewarded by a seizure OF 100000
worth of dress goods. Partisan gowns laces and
trimmings the largest seizure Of its kind in the
history of the service.
The customs officials believe that there is a
regularly organized ring Of dressmakers from many
parts of the United States who have banded to-
eether TO bring into the country thousands Of dol
lars worth Of imported dress goods without the
payment of duty
II partly due to the acun1en OF Mr. Bishop
and partly to anonymous letter received by the
Surveyor Of the Port declaring that big consign-
ment of dressmakers' goods was on It's way TO New
York on La savoie that the big haul was made yes
terday. This was helped also by new customs rule
which went into effect yesterday. compelling all
inspectors to follow the exit OF the pier all bag
gage they have examined.
There wero forty dressmakers in the first and
second cabins of La Savoie and thirty trunks were
seized and sent to the Appraisers Stores with
the exception of two trunks. ali were seepers
a term used for unclaimed suspicious baggage
Some Of them bore customs labels such as are
pasted on baggage that has been inspected Sew
eraI of the labels forgeries and had evidently
been printed abroad and pasted on the baggage
aboard the steamer
The first trunk seized belonged 10 an unusually
stout woman, whose name appeared on the passen-
ger list Mile Hughes, q dressnnaAer' ot 'liS
CITY When her attention called I'd the trunH
she disclaimed ownership and became Indignant
because she had been detained on the pier Mile.
Hughes looked unnaturaly stout to the trained eye
of Mr.. Bishop and he ordered that she be taken %
searched The dressmaker protested at the gang
plank and loath to go aboard the steamer
What is the use OF searching me-. she protested
"I have nothing on my person that Is dutiaplet
As she was led to her stateroom, ana seeing lIidt
the woman who was to search her meant busi-
ness she broke down and confessed 20 aheao
and search me-" she soboed, It's no use; might
az well confess that am loaded with faces
After some three hundred dollars worth OF expen-
s,vs lace WAS unwound from Mile Hughes. her ap-
pearance changed greatly. and instead or being an
unusually stout woman she was exceedingly shshC
While Mile. Hughes was undergoing the seaIch
Mr. Bishops attention was called by deputy SUI
veyor Rasczhewiez 70 the nervous anxiety or Nile
T5tllrannon to leave the pier. Mr.. Bishop ordered
two men 10 watch her. and when her baggage
was examined IT was found TO contain many expen-
sive gowns which. though new. she declared were
American made The trunk was held for further
examination and the owner hurrtedly left the pier
Suddenly an idea struck Mr. Bishop that the
woman should have been searched ana ne oiS-
Matched two inspectors TO overtake her put she
had left the per. cabn1an who srasped 'he
situation told 4. --spectors that the woman they
described had tan a hanson cab and mad driven
IN west street. The inspectors jumped into a cap
and overlook the hanson several blocks away ana
told Mile Killgannon that she would have 10 re-
t,rn 10 the steamer and be searched When her
baggage was examined the pier it was pointed
out 10 the inspectors that the gowns In her trunk
had no labels.
The dressmaker protested against the tndisni'y
Of being searched. maintaining that she had notl-
ing duttabIe on her person Mr. Bishop was IN
sIstent however. and Mile. Kigsnnon consented
The inspector found nothing dutable on her, nut
dih find a small bundle OF foreign labels The Gus
toms officials Will compare them with the gowns N
the trunk 10 see If they were torn from them 10
escape paying duty
A sleeper was also brought over on La SaNole
bv Mile Dautron. a young woman said 10 oe the
maid Of a wealthy woman living in Firth avenue
near ratb street The trunk she brought over was
large one covered with canvas. the name or the
owner being covered with Colored pastors from
s,eamships and hotels II contained many ex-
nenstve gowns. The customs inspectors tore on
the labels and learned the name OF the owner.
The trunk was held for the Appraisers stores ana
Mile Dautron was permitted 10 leavs the pier sae
was met by a porter from the Holland House