Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-22
INDICTED AS SMUCCLERS
DRESSMAKERS, MILLINERS AND
IMPORTERS ACCUSED.
Thirteen Of Twenty-Seven Are Ar.
rested-Sleeper Trunk Method
Invented by Ex-0ficial.

NEW YORK, December 22.-The fed
eral grand jury has returned twenty
seven indictments against dressmakers
milliners and importers of lace and silks.
who are charged with conspiracy to. de-
fraud the government by smuggling
trunkfuls OF fine fabrics.
United States Marshal Henkers mer
have arrested thirteen dressmakers or
customs employe who is alleged to have
been instrumental in slipping trunks
through without payment Of duties
1t was said at the United States district
attorneys office that the sleeper trunk
conspiracy was SO successful for five
years that it cost the government abou,
100000 year in stolen duties.
idea Of EXCLUSIONS Official.
The fraud scheme was invented in 100
by former customs official named
Frank Fawcett. who is now dead. He
lost his job in the service and went to
Paris with an idea Before he quit New
Yo:K he had impressed many importers OF
dresses, laces. silks and millinery with
lne possioiilt.es o. his scheme, and be-
gan to work it as soon as he got on tn
other side.
According to the United States district
alto. ney's office, Philip A. Philipsen, a
customs man arrested yesterday. was
FawcetSs agent on this side. Philipsen,
it is said. was at work on the docks
where he could do the most good-pier
of the American and Red Star lines.
Fawcett studied the passenger list con-
tanning names of Americans VINO were
h picked few names. he got together
t unkfuls of materials purchased by his
dressmaking clients in New York, labeled
them with the names of the persons he
had selected from the steams- Zip lists anu
got them to tie French piers after the
persons had sailed for New York or Bos-
ton.
The trunks were then considered as
"leftovers." trunks that had been forgot
ten or mislaid by their owners in the
confusion of ling. They were sent on
the next steamship usually
This End Of Scheme.
On this side Phillipsen and two en-
ployes of the American and Red Star line
pier, Robert Schwartz and Thomas Muir
ply. according to the government prose-
cutors, attended to the final details Of
getting the trunkfuls OF smuggled fabrics
safely by the customs guards Schwartz
and Murphy are accused Of having de-
vised trolley. by which the trunks wer.
shot from the steamships to the end of
an adjoining pier. where there were no
customs inspectors on duty.
Among the trunks brought in this
way, but detected by the customs OF
ficiais. were five loads of silk dresses.
vomen's hats. lingerie and other WON
ems fixings that came over on tn.
steamship Philadelphia March last.
Marshal Henkel sold the gods at pub.
C auction for $Sf939.75, and there was
a 81 eat SC. amble among the women inter-
ested to pick up bargains The goods
weie actually appraised at $50, 4y5 So
out of which the government was en-
titled to SD. 7O4 .36 in duties
Agents OF the conspiracy were paid
90 per cent of what the duties would
have been by the dressmakers and inn
porters who benefited by the scheme
Two Chicago Women Arrested.
CHICAGO, December 2c.-Two fashion
able dressmakers were arrested yeste day
afternoon by federal authorities. They
are said by the government officials to
be implicated In two-million dollar
smuggling conspiracy.
The women arrested are Mary L. Web
er. alias Nine. Whitney, ana KATHRYN
Schwartz. They gave $1,000 bail.