New-York tribune., 1909-07-16
COSTLY PEARLS HELD
CHESBROJGH NECKLACE
At CUSTOM HOUSE.
Sent Here from Canada Pending
Suit against Boston H0mdn
for Smuggling.

The mysterious $4,000 Chesbrough pearl
necklace. whose existence the customs officials
discovered by accident while searching the
trunks OF Mrs Fremont B. Cheshrough. of Bos-
ton, on her arrival here from Europe in May.
was placed yesterday in the big safe in the Gus
tom House. It will be held there until the
charge of smuggling against Mrs. Chesbrough IS
decided by the federal court
Considerable mystery surrounds the bringing
in of the necklace from Italy via Canada:
the placing of il in a safe deposit vault in To-
ronto. pending the possible reduction of the
tariff from so per cent ad valorem TO 10 per cent
on set pearls: the subsequent transfer Of the
gems from Toronto to Windsor. Ontario. which
is across the Detroit River from Detroit. where
Mr.. Chesbroueh has large interests. and its
final removal to the Custom House in this city
It was learned Yesterday that while the III
ness OF Mrs. Chcsbrough. who is in a sanitarlum
in New England may delay the hearing or the
case the government determined to sho"
that Mrs. Chesbrough was guilty of smuggling
She arrived here on May % on the North Ger
man Lloyd liner Kaiser Wilhelm II, with @z'"p
worth of furs. gowns ana cheap imitation jewel
~ in a French trunk with a false bottom.
on her arrival Mrs. Chesbrough declared Slo3
worth Of dutiabIe goods. and it was while IN
specting her trunk that Inspector Kiernan dis
covered the false bottom. As soon as it was
broken open the trunk was found to contain
two sealskin sacques two sable boas and muffs
to match gowns and cheap jewelTy valued IN
all at s. 800 The trunk was seized. and sent TO
the Appraisers stores. but before IT was sent
there the deputy surveyor IN charge Of the eX-
animation found several receipted bills for
undervalued purchases. among them one Cor a
pearl necklace valued at $4,000 a bill for an
imitation pearl necklace valued A. about $500
e,,lIf 1-e min DDC L
lace surprised the customs officials and they
made a careful search, but we're unable to ind
the costly piece
TOLD WHERE NECKLACE WAS
It vas not until Mr. Chesbrough arrived a
hurried trip from Boston that the whereabouts
Of the necklace was learned. Mrs Chesbrough
became confused when the goods were dis
covered in her trunk. and broke down. making
a complete confession Of her purchases and her
failure 70 declare them She pas told that her
goods we're seized. and hurrieiy sent for her
husband 10 come 70 New York TO help her.
When Mr. Chesbrough went 10 the Custom
House on May q he told the officials that no
had purchased the genuine necklace Tor his wife
from a person in straiteued circumstances in
Nice and had sent it to Canada pending the
tariff revision in the hope that he would not
have 10 pay 50 per cent duty. II set pearls we're
10 be admitted for 10 per cent lie "ald ne ieit
p,urope in March A month ahead q his wife.
and had sent the pearls on ahead Of him by
express.
It was couteudcd by the customs officials that
the express company must have paid a duty To
the Canadian government. and they were un-
able Il IS said. To- find any record Of III" jewels
havinl entered the Dominion
after the case had been put in tie hands OF
the United States Attorney demand Was made
for the pearl necklace and it was promptly
forwarded to the custom house. Just where
II was sent from has been kept secret The
official appraisers hxed the value at $1,000.
which exceeded the foreign purchase price on
the bill Of sale ty 5000 An examination Of
the imitation pearl necklace. which. according
to the bin was purchased abroad f,r 500.
showed that II was worth less than 81
Fremont 4. ChcsbrouEh. who is the owner
of the Chesbrough Coastwise Line. Of Boston.
has large interests in Detroit and. 1t is
said is practically the owner OF the town II
Emerson. Mich. His defence 10 the charge that
his wife had smuggled goods into this port was
that the furs were purchased in this country
and repaired abroad He also denied that her
trunk was equipped with a false bottom. NJ.
Chesbrough sald his wife had not packed her
trunks and that Ii professional packer had
placed thin boards over some gowns at the
bottom that the articles on top might not
them