New-York tribune., 1910-03-20

Oherpourg- lhe gowns were mary clOusly
packed, the entire consignment being wedged
into medium sized trunk. This Is known as
the sleeper trunk. For the sake of appear
ance the buyer then usually brought over two
or three thousand dollars worth of gowns.
which were regularly declared and proper duty
paid upon them
After the arrival of the buver the sleeper"
baggage came m unaCCompanled, bearing the
name or initials OF some innocent passenger who
had arrived at New York ON a steamship three or
four weeks before. The sleepers slept on the
pier Tor two or three days apparently unprO-
tectcd but subsequent investigation showed
that they We're constantly watched bv the bag
gage superintendent. who was IN the paw OF the
snuggiers. There were many WAYS 90 getting
the slccpcrS on the pier uneNdmlned Most Of
them were slipped on "a truck partly loaded and
We're covered up with merchandise that had
been checked as passed bv the inspectors. II
discovered 10 would have been easy tor the bag
gage superintendent % saw that the trunk had
been brought % the pier too late % catch the
last outbound steamer Some of these sleep
ers bore bOnahde customs labels. Indicating
that they had been examined and 10 was
Deputy Surveyor Raczkiewicz who discovered
the fraudulent user OF the labels.
10 was Lorne b. Walker. a customs Inspector
with rowing commission who was IN the en-
ploy OF the ring IN Europe The ring was Origi-
nally directed m IT'S swindhng operations bv an
exclusions Inspector named FawCett. who hved
m fars and knew the ropes IN New Work
With such men AS Walker ON this side and
FaWcctt ON the other 70 was not hard Tor the
smugglers % get the stuff through Walker
was a good man for the Smugglcrs. He had adj
vantagcs over other inspectors His rowing
COMMISSION gave hum the opportunity of being
on any steamship pier az any time. and hc could
guarantee % meet Illicit baggage and get IL
through Walker admitted m court that be was
ms practice "a steal Labels from the lockers of
honest inspectors. Armed with these he could
casually paste one ON "a trunk and the label
would enable 10 to pass out of the customs
hnrs hike legltmatelv examined baggage
Running Down che slespsr."
II IN august l9O1 Raczkicwicz land "a trap tor
Walker lt was set quietly The secret in
vestigation. which lasted six months took the
federal Investigators to Philadelphia Chicago
and Boston IL made nervous wreck for a
time Of RaczklcWIcZ. who was directing n bur
he and his men rounded up the gang and ar
rested the ungleaders. With these in iail the
system was smashed News of the arrests
was flashed o. Paris but too Late o. hale five
Slecpers worth nifty two thousand dollars
Then on the Atlantic, which were scizri on 90.
uvdI Important evidence was finally OBJ
tanned which brought about the Indictment of
twcnf seven drc,, makers 90 whom fifteen
pleaded guilty and have been fined from hvc
hundred o. seven thousand tive hundred DOL
lars. total 0f thirty four thousand dollars.
The public has by no means heard thc end of
the sleeper baggage eases. and some more
interesting revelations are promised Within q
lev months EacrkicwlCI and ms men tDok
desperate chance, in digging up their evidence.
10 was uncarthcd against terrific opposition
but Collector Loeb Wa, behind them and Pre,i-
dent TAFT and an the machinery ot the Treasury
Department were behind the Collector
collector Loeb declared recently that he
would not have accepted the iob it hc had been
denied "a free hand When I bccamc Col
hector he said planned o. run thc depart
mcnt lairiy and squarcIy without and within
eliminating politics and pull entirely { was
not content o. lrt things run along iu the lax
fashion ot the past. l went after the uch rs
well as the poor thc influential is Wen as TIE
humble I dcciucd that the rich. who derived
more protcction than the lowly from the Gov
crnmcut. mo- longer should bring In hncry with
ont the payment of duty l have trcd ami
think ,uCccrdcd un Kidding the service 40 the
port pf New Work ot thc undesirable en-
ployvcs who helped make smugghng possible
and have stood hV and advanced men whom
l found had che courage o. be- honest When
ever a politician comes Co ulc and pleads for
..i.s U.it. q