The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-05-28
Henry G. Stuart Is Held
Blameless by Collec-
tor Of Port.
ACTS ACCORDING
TO HIS ADVICES
Disagrecable Incident Mars Re-
turn Of Prominent Virginian
and Wife From Paris-Bag-
gage Seized, but Released
on Explanation and Pay
ment of Duties.
Special to The Times-pispatcn.l j

. e. V A. E
Especial to The Dispatch.l
New York, May 27.-Henry c.
Stuart, of ELK Garden, va.,f a for-
n1er member of his States corpora.@
tion Commission, and at present Dem.
ocratic candidate for Congress from
the Ninth District of Virginia. said
something of what he thought of the
United states customs laws and OF
some customs officials this afternoons.
after he had appeared before Deputy
Surveyor Smythc to explain why his
wife had not declared the dutiable
goods in fifteen trunks and ten satch-
els. which came over with them on
the Nrauretania- NIr. Stuart's opin-
ions were more forceful than parlia-
mentary.
AS it turned out Mr.. Stuart is
not in the plight of Ex-Governor Ro1-
| lins. of New Hampshire. who Just a.
week ago pleaded guilty to having at
| tempted to defraud the customs and
paid a $4,000 hne imposed upon him by
a Federal Judge. The customs people
have decided that Mr.. Stuart was
guilty only of misrepresentation of the
mysterious workings of customs regu-
lations, and that when he pays the duty
on the large wardrobe Of foreign man
ufacture which Mrs. Stuart brought
be absolvcd OF all debt to this govern
/ ment
Change Brought Confusion.
| 1t was recent change in the Gus
! toms regulations. under Section 100 OF
the tariff act OF 1909, which brought
confusion to Mr.. stuart and his
wife. American citizens who live
abroad more than two years cannot
now claim exemption nonresidents
as they could only a few weeks ago.
Deputy Surveyor smythe accepted tho
i Sirsinian's word for II that the
very best information that .he could
| obtain at the American consulate In,
\ Paris gave him no hint of this change
in the customs regulations, and that
i when he had listed Mrs. Stuart as a
i nonresident in making out tho declar-s
alton of her baggage on the Maure-
4 tania, 1t was because she had beon
two years continuously abroad. and
both the Paris consulate and tho
|! American Express Company's Paris
Office had vouehed for her immunity
from taS on this status
/ Mr.. Stuart is counted wealthy
| man in Virginia. He is nephew OF
the late General j. L. g. stuart. the
famous cavalry leader of tho Confed-
crate Army. and his family holds a
@. -
art had been in Europe since two
years ago last March, so AR stu
Srt said to-day. and durins.5 the last.
sixteen months shc had been so serI-g
ohslN III that he had gone over
| three times TO he Will, her. !, Mr..
Mrs. Stuart, their cight-year-ol,r
I daughter govcrness and maid took
passage on tho Manret,nia at Liver
pool last Saturday Most OF tho bas-
rro 100 -to -
Sase slowed away IN the hold under
their name belonged to Mrs Stuart
When the party's baggage vas
dumped on the wharf after the landinr,
OF the Mauretania this morning, m
| snector George Han,isch, who has an
| eye for dapper gowns and Parisiar
millinery, thought ii wise to devote
! especial attention to tho numerous
locked and strapped trunks and satcf-
! els. He had looked at Mrs. stuart,
who was gowned snusly In a. very
handsome creation of black and violet.
and he asked her deferentially II the
/ gown had been bought in Paris. Mrs.
Stuart told him that 1t had been res
modelled there.
True to His Instincts.
4 The Inspector was true to the in-
i sttncts Of his profession He took a.
long plunge into the bottom of ona
trunk. and came up with double
handful of something very slken, very
! sheer and pink.
/ "Oh, do you have to exhibit those
things right out herc?' Mrs. Stuart
cried. "of course wear them; have
/ to wear them with this style of gown.
\ Certainly; look further and you wilt
lind more of them" S
/, There were several painful moments
on the dock while the inspector uncov- a
cred large array of new gowns. IA
dozen and more. many pairs of silken
| hose, some very handsome jewels--the
| thought that one necklace
would assay a about So, 000--and other
articles of apparel and adornment.
| Mrs, Stuart had declared six gowns
as dutlable and on these her husband
| paid s3o0 duty on the dock, because
! Mrs, Stuart wanted to use them inlu1a-
diately. and she did not relish the pros
pect of having all Of her clothes sent
Ito the public stores building.
4 Deputy Surveyor John O'Connor took
| a look at the contents of those trunks
(which had been opened and decided that
The would seize them ALL Then he told
Mr.. Stuart and his wife that then
had better. go before Deputy Surveyor
Smythe and have a little talk with him
In the deputy surveyors office Mr..
EStuart told why he had made out his
wife's declaration as that OF a nom
resident. while he had put himself
down, very properly. as a resident OF
| ELK Garden. Va 8 #
When the deputy surveyor asked
Mrs. stuart for the bllls OF her pnr-
chases abroad she said that she did not
know Just where 10 put her hands of
them II she had brought them oyei
with her at all. II would be necessary
for herto go through all of thetrunks
she said. TO find the Ellis. and II shi u
| could not find them she could at lea
1 remember what she had paid for eacl 2s
article as II Was disclosed
Mr. smythe told Mr. Stuart and hif
lNifs that tho question az iha GalsAattol