Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-18
By NY. Customs Officers
For Struggled Diamonds.
Nothing Found-.Some Articles
Held for Under valuation.
Head Of Family Threatens TO
Garry Matter 10 Court.

New York, March 1.-THE wife and
q daughter of Joseph Hull of Savannah,
Ga, one of the wealthiest and most in
flucntial men in the South We're re-
uuired to disrobc i'll their Stateroom
aboard the steamship Lusitania today,
while a customs inSpectrcSS, acting on
a mysterious tip, subsequently found to
be false, made q vain search for Il
diamond necklace thought to have been
purchased abroad. The search proving
futile, Mrs. Hull and the daughter,
Eliza Lamar Hull. were allowed to
proceed to their hotel, where another
daughter. Nina W., recovering from an
attack of typhoid fever. had preceded
them without having been subjected to
search.
The necklace rumor having been cx
ploded. customs inspectors scrutinzed
the family baggage. and, charging un-
valuations in the case of Mrs. Hull
and the daughter, Eliza l., seized the
articles in question, Mother and daugh-
ter maintained they acted in good
faith, but their explanations were not
considered satisfactory to Collector
Loeb and the articles We're seized.
They consist entirely of wearing ap-
parcl and will be held until the home
value, that is, the foreign cost plus
duty. is paid.
Joseph Hull, the husband and father.
was on the pier to greet his wife and
daughter as was a son, Daniel. a cotton
broker in this city. All were Indignant
at the proceedings and threaten to car
ry the matter to the courts il neccs-
sary.
we were made to take off even our
stockings" said Mrs. Hull. Every
stitch of our clothing was searched and
even our hair did not escape. | con-
slider this treatment an outrage and |
had no idea such thing could happen
on American soil
1t WAS explained for the family, that
the report concerning the necklace
probably came from Savannah where
there was jealousy" over the fact
that the Hulls We're fortunate enough
to enjoy foreign luxuries and finery.
AS to the under-valuation charges.
Daniel Hull said:
my sister Eliza was the only one
of the three who had previously been
abroad. so yesterday my father sent
wireless message warning mother and
the girls to be very cautious and par
ticular in making their declarations
As to the alleged under valuation the
total can be no more than $50 and
that was due to the ignorance of my
mother and sisters and was done with
no malicious intent.
My sister has a diamond necklace
which she purchased five years ago in
Savannah. Customs inspectors there
heard OF this and got the mistaken i'm
preston that she bought it in Paris
and was bringing it with her On this
trip. OF course she had no such jew
els
1t was pointed out at the Law de-
partment of the customs house tonight
that federal laws give the authorities
full power to search passengers sus
pected Of having dutiable articles con
cealed about them. and suit has ne"-
er been brought as the result of such
a search.
Joseph Hull is one of the wealthicst
men in Savannah. being president OF
the Merchants National Bank of that
city. chairman of the board OF direc-
tors of the Savannah Trust Co, d-
rector Of the Central Railway of Geor-
sid and president of the Prairie PeO-
BILE Phosphate CO. He is credited with
having made millions out of phosphate
DrorertieS