Evening star., 1907-09-04
NERVY SMUGGLER CAUGHT
CUSTOMS OFFICERS AT NEW
YORK MAKE BIG HAUL.
Traveller Taken Into Custody With
Large Quantity of Lace-He's
W. D. Hardy Dressmaker.

NEW YORK. September 4.-The GUS
toms officials believe that they have un-
covered syndicate of smugglers who
have within the last thirty years brought
into this port more than S1,OOOOOO worth
of dutiable goods. They believe also
that by the arrest of dapper, thin-voiced
young man who arrived yesterday after
noon aboard the North German Lloyd
steamship Kronprinz Wilhelm they have
knocked the syndicate to smthereens.
cooler or more self-confident chap.
Col. John NJ. Bishop, the deputy surveyor.
remarked, was never taken with the goods
on since the establishment Of the custom
house. The audacious young person is WILL
liam T. Hardy, who has a dressmaking es-
tablishment at 35 West 31st street with
telephone connections. He was accompa-
MED by Burton Baldwin. who occupied the
same cabin with him and who Is interested
in his business.
The customs officials had heard of Mr..
Hardy before. About a year ago he came
to this port with four five other men.
presumably interested in the smuggling
game, with twenty-eight Partisan gowns.
The other men declared themselves to be
foreign residents. and as such they were
entitled to bring IN larger quantities OF
foreign-made stuff than a mere American
traveller. They did bring in most of Mr..
Hardy's gowns. 1t ls said that Mr.. Hardy
promised them certain percentage OF the
graft. He didn't make good with one of
the men. and this man put his case before
Deputy Surveyor Bishop.
Inspectors and the Trunks.
Col. Bishop and his assistant, Acting Dep
uty Surveyor William Tierney. jr.. learned
by cable that Hardy and his party were
coming back aboard the Kronprinz Will
helm. They assigned three inspectors.
Charles H. Sagel, W. B. Davis and A. ].
l>au no iah nd rrithi four
minutes after the baggage of the suspected
men had been dumped on the pier 1t was
turned inside out
incidentally the delicate Mr.. Hardy and
his Shipmate were also overhauled. Wound
around the body of Mr.. Hardy were thirty
yards of handmade lace. valued at about
$50 yard. He accepted the exposure
with smiles, although he had declared i'm
mediately before he was compelled to strip
himself that his honor a gentleman
he had nothing on his person. Inasmuch
the inspectors had found In the pockets
and the lining of his overcoat about $500
worth of lace and dress trimmings, they
naturally had received the declaration with
some suspicion.
however. even after the biggest of his
trunks had been opened. In this trunk on
the top layers. were more than a dozen neg
lge shirts, all of which were pinned If
they had just come from the haberdasher.
Inspector Campbell lifted one of the shirts
from the trunk and looked down Into the
neck of it, He found several dozen yards
of laces folded in such manner that a
cursory observation would not have re-
vealed them.
The Smuggler Yields.
Mr.. Hardy. seeing that the game was up.
touched the inspector on the shoulder and
said:
You needn't examine the rest of those
shirts. They are all alike"
Cp
at the smuggler in astonishment and said:
The nerve of itr
Col. Bishop decided. after he had brought
to view several thousand dollars worth of
laces and dress goods. to arrest both Hardy
and his companion and take them before
Recorder Stanton, who is also a United
States commissioner. at the Hoboken city
building. The prisoners submitted to- ar
captorS.
Recorder Stanton was inclined to admit
them to bail in 81 900 each. but when they
declared that they were business men and
proprietors of reputable esta ablishments in
Manhattan he said that he would increase
their bail to $1,000 They didn't have much
trouble in getting 1t. but they had to spend
several hours in cell in the Hoboken DO
lice headquarters. In the inquiry before
Recorder Stanton Acting Deputy Collector
Tierney said that Baldwin had several hun
dred dollars worth of lace in his trunk,
which he declared had been put there by
Hardy Mr.. Tierney in his examination of
: Baldwin said:
Suspect Companion.
You occupied the same stateroom with
Mr.. Hardy?'
Il did, answered Baldwin. -
You travelled with him through Europe,
did you not?''
Yes
Did you pin around him the lace we
found on his person2'
Il did not"
DO you think it possible that he could
have put that pin in the middle of his back
so neatly?'
Here Mr.. Hardy broke in smilingly:
Il pinned that there myself. I'm an ex-
pert dressmaker.
How did it happen that you had those
laces in your trunk? Did Mr.. Hardy put
them there without your knowledge?" asked
Mr.. Tierney.
Mr.. Baldwin made no response to this.
Then the young dressmaker almost
knocked the court and the customs folk of
their feet by remarking:
Cant you set the examination down for
tomorrow? I'd like to have it over as soon
as possible"
The recorder sternly informed the dress
maker that he would have to wait until 10
o'clock on Friday morning before his case
could be attended to, and the dressmaker
looked somewhat panied.