Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-17

tune failing to pay duties was that con-
nected with the Leeds necklace. This
case came up shortly before Collector
Loeb got his appointment w. b. Leeds,
one of the millionaires of the tin plate
trust, had gone to Paris to live, and
while there Mrs. Leeds had bought ia
nous necklace at cost of s340.cO0. She
wore the necklace in Paris, but part of
her bargain was that it was to be deliv-
cred to her i'm Newport without duty
within a certain time. If she desired.
In order to escape paying some of the
duty the syndicate took the necklace
apart and shipped 1t in as loose pearls,
in which shape it was invoiced at $780,
UO. The tariff upon loose pearls was ID
per cent, and, as [ understand it, at that
rate the necklace WIS passed
In the meantime however, the special
customs spies at Paris cabled New York
that the necklace had been worn by Mrs.
Leeds before 1t was shipped and that it
should therefore pay duty as a necklace.
Upon this the matter was again taken up
and the duty raised to Sl32,Oj0, or S11U,GO
more than the original sum. TO this the
importers objected, and the court then
fixed the duty at the loose pearl rate of
$4,000. This decision was appealed from
and, | understand it. the case has
gone to the United States Supreme Court
and it has adjudsed that it must be re-
considered
In the past much of the petty SNUG
Cling has been done by dressmakers and
tailors. 1t used to be customary for
English tailors to take orders in New
York and make clothes to measure,
agreeing to deliver them to the customers
free of duty. Dressmakers' sample
gowns were brought in personal eff
fects. and orders for gowns made in Paris
were taken the same way. This was d
regular business. Only last January
twenty-seven dressmailers were fined
from $500 to $1,000 for being implicated
in it, and one of the great surprises
sprung by the present administration was
WI
class. One of the first cases mentioned in
the list given me by Collector Loeb is
that OF Elizabeth kilgannon, who had to
paw SJ,UO Mrs. kilgannon and her
husband and a man named White We're
partners in smuggling. Mrs. kilgannon
was known as Mime. Loran, millner. and
her husband and White were classed as
silk importers. Others We're Implicated in
the transa ction, and when the suit was
brought it is said that the lawyers offered
to pay more than quarter of million
dollars if the government would drop the
matter. That. however, is not the way
Uncle Sam is doing business. The SNUG
glers were arrested. Mrs. kilgannOn was
fined $1,000 and her husband was sent to
prison on Blackwells Island for year.
White was given two years, and went to
the federal prison at Atlanta.
But 1 might fill a page of this news
paper Win the Stories VI SmuSSlcIS
who have been fined and with those
who have come forward upon being
caught and have compromised by pay
ing the duties. Take the wife Of a
millionaire ship owner of Boston who
tried to sneak in a pearl necklace via
Canada. The necklace was valued at
$4,000 and she paid $4,000 fine. Ex-
Gov. Rollins paid $4,000 and Jules and
Hugo Rosenberg gave back to Uncle
Sam $4,000 each. The wife Of for
mer head of the Panama canal work
made an underdeclaratiOn Of the stuff
she brought in. and her husband
coughed up $4,000 to settle the
trouble. A prominent woman Of Wis
consin had $4,000 in jewelry in her
baggage. 1t was all new and she did
not declare it. She was compelled to
pay 500 fine and forfeit the goods.
With the other seizures made was
one of two 42-karat diamonds which
belonged to the Princess Montylgen
She claimed they had been in the fam
lily for years, and were not subject to
Paris finery which was valued at $780,
900. and a third was one of sleeper
trunks which contained $40. 900 more.
This sleeper-trunk game is one which
was worked very largely before the ad-
vent of Collector Loeb. 1t consisted OF
leaving trunks on the dock and Of sneak
ing them off after the inspectors and
other customs officers had left. Some OF
the custom officials were in this con-
spiracy to defraud. but when Mr.. Loeb