New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-12-08
Officials on Pier Take $4,000
Worth of Jewe|ry, but Say 1t
Is Not a Seizure.
PUZZLED BY PECULIAR PLEA
Wife Of Interborougn's Presi-
dent Argues Articles Are Free
Because Merely Exchanged
in Paris.

Transit Company, fell into the clutches
Of the customs officials yesterday OH her
arrival from Ckerbourg on the North
German Lloyd liner Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse.
1t is the second time Mrs. Shonts has
had difficulty in landing dutiable goods
without the payment of duty, but he
amount involved yesterday was far i'll
excess of that of her previous experience
in 1908.
on her arrival yeste rday Mrs. Shont5
V. as not exactly charged with trying ID
srnuggIe, but five pieces of jewelry
valued at about $4,000 were taken from
Ter and sent to the Public Stores pend
ing the action of Collector Loeb.
Inspector Knapp. one of the most alert
Luggage. examiners, was assigned to the
Shonts trunks. Mr.. Shonts was late In
getting to the steamer, and arrived after
The jewelry had been taken by the dep
nv surveyor in charge of the pier
Knapp found in Mrs. Shonts's baggage
a jewel case containing considerable
American iewelry Mingled with it were
the five foreign pieces which were pur-
chased abroad recently, and he asked
Mrs. Shonts about them.
They consisted Of a diamond necklace.
pearl necklace, a chain, pendant
and a lavalliere An eXamintiOn OF her
declaration showed that they had not
been mentioned in it. When the IN
spector asked Mrs. Shonts why she had
not declared them. she said she did not
! think they were dutiable.
Admits They Were Bought Abroad.
They were purchased abroad, were
they not?" asked the inspector
Mrs Shonts replied that they were
| new Jewels. bought in Paris, but mas
much as she had not paid cash for them
she did not consider them dutiable-
! The inspector looked puzzled. and
called an appraiser and a deputy sur
veycr The problem was too much for
him. Here was E20 H0) worth of iewslry
brought from Paris and not declared
merely because cash had not been paid
! for it.
| Mrs. ShOnts told the deputy surveyor
/ that she had not declared it because she
/ QIu not IIIiIlh II W DIS uUIlGDiS diINci the
i circumstances of the purchase. When
| ask. d for full particulars she gave as
| peculiar an excuse as has been offered
! at this port in many years.
! She said that when leaving New York
several months ago she took abroad with
| her about $4,000 worth of American
! jewelrEs This, she said. she turned over
| to a jeweller in Paris who gave her
credit for it. With this credit in the
! lected the five new pieces. which she
brought over with her yesterday. AS
! the new foreign pieces had merely been
| exchanged for old American pieces she
did not think it necessary either TO de-
! clare or pay duty upon them.
/ The customs officials took an entirely
different view of the matter. They con-
| tended it made no difference to the
! Treasury Department how the jewels
were obtained.
Not Exactly a Seizure
It was said that although the Jewels
had been taken to the Public Stores
pending the action of the Collector. thew
! u
! Shonts did not try to conceal them. nor
did she deny that she had procured
them abroad She merely failed TO de-
clare them.
! The customs officials asked Mr. Shonts
to go down TO the Custom House after
| the jewels were taken, but he sent his
| secretary instead. The case will come
! hpfC
Smythe and Solicitor Andrews. Their
report will be sent later to the ColIec-
/ tor.
The home of Theodore P. Shonts was
invaded on January u, 1905, when Col
| lector Fowle~ presided over the Custom
! House. Mrs. Shonts and her two daugh-
! ters. Miss Marguerite Shonts and Miss
| Theodore Shonts. now the Duchess de
! Chaulnes had arrived from Paris in
/ September. 1907, with many gowns. all
of which had been examined on the pier
A discharged servant subsequently in
! formed New York newspaper that the
| women in the Shonts household had
brought over many gowns upon which
/ no duty had been paid. This informa-
ton was turned over to Collector Fowler
! and he sent inspectors TO the Shonts
| home. where they held further exami-
nation of the goods that had been
! brought in from Europe four months be-
! fore by Mrs. Shonts and her daughters
The case was later settled by the Secre-
tary of the Treasury
! When seen at the Hotel Plaza last
night Theodore P. Shonts said:
| Several years ago-I can't remember
the exact time-I bought my wife sew
eraI strings of pearls in this country
Since that time Mrs. Shonts has seen
Jewels that she liked better. She wanted
TO exchange these antiquated pieces for
modern pieces. and when she went
abroad recently she took the older jew
eIrv with her to exchange ii in Paris.
II should say that the jewels I bought
for her were worth a little more than
500 600. She exchanged part of them in
PARTS for three or four new pieces and
brought them back The amount she
hrought back was much less than that
which she took abroad. I was surprised
IN learn that the customs officials had
held the new iewelry. 1t seemed TO me
to be all right 10 exchange old Jeweiry
for new am not worrying about IT."