The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-10-28
SMUGGLING GANG IS TRAPPED
EIGHT or WARD LINERS CREW
~ GOt ERNNENT NET.
ships stewards ami Waters Have Been
bringing In Cigars for Three Years
C0ntraband sold 10 New York Tailor.
Also Nabbcd-The Prisoners Confess.

Six seagoing walters, known otherwise
a. stewards. came off the Ward liner
Havana. tied up at the foot Of Wall street,
at noon Yesterday looking a hit stuffy for
ward They were observed and followed
by Customs Watchmen ID. J. Landlands
and !. J. Lynch in plain clothes who were
out on another mission bu( promp lv
abandoned it. The stewards went into
the saloon at Water street and Maiden
lane and sat down at a table. eating an.
drinking. The slcuths sat near by and
overheard the stewards talk about boxes
of cigars that they had smuggled from the
ship under their blouses. After while
two of the stewards. subsequently identi-
fed a. John Scharf and John Hansen,
went into the lavatory and came ont with
eight boxes OF cigars done up in a news
paper. The watchmen went out and
waited for the stewards to come from the
"a loon and ahbed them. They accepted
their arrest with equanimty, and in few
minutes were tumbllng over one another
20 tell what they knew. The watchmcn
took them back to the lie, ana and anot her
waiter. Alfred Ycnsen. wanted TO know
why his friends had been arrested and
q
got into the confessional
All the stewards were hustled TO the
Custom House and before Gen Henry.
the Surveyor, and Special Deputy Sur
| veyor George }. Smyth Solicto, clark
, p. Andrews and his assstan. Edward
Barnes were also called in on tho case.
From the wai,ers ii wss learned tha; they
had been bringing in the finest HavanaS
; 4 .r "a - rul N.na Tor N
vision cf Chief Steward Lawrence "
Nelson of the Havana. 4 customs in
spector brought Nelson to Gen Henry.
Mr. Smyth had arranged the cigar boxes
in an Impressive pile on a table in the
middle of the room and whcn Nelson
declared that he was innocent of wrong
doing he was asked to gaze upon the
boxes and reflect that the men from whom
the: were taken had given him away.
Z Thereupon ne unho>omed himself and
declared that the man who was getting
: the Clgars and had been getting them for
! the last two years or more was Max
Cohen Of ~ Fulton street. a tailor. who
! had larger side business as IA cigar
| dealer.
Cohen was also arrested. He protested
that he was innocent until Mr.. Smyth
! called his attention 10 the pyramid OF
( cigar boxes on the table and remarked
, that Chief Steward Nelson and others had
! given the game away. Cohen then be-
came fearful and offered To give evidence
against anybody and everybody. The
. legal talent and the Surveyors staff
thereupon decided tina, the proper place
for the prisoners was the Office of tEited
I States Attorney Wise. They were taken
| there and later held for examination
Nelson and Cohen We're unable to put VI
s.. 900 bail required Of each and went tc
the Tombs. John Hansen, Frederick
Hansen. John Scharf. Alfred Iensen an,
William Meyer. wa,tcrs also were locke
up. not being able to procure 81 200 bal
each.
The cigars are of the hest quality
priced at from thirty cents TO one dollar
II is said that on each trip of the Havana
twice a month from Cuba the stewards
smuggled about 400 cigars and that the
practice had been going on from thre,
TO four years. Capt, Knight OF tn,
Havana was called to the Custom Hous,
during the examination of the smuggler
and said he was surprised at the revela
tion and that the line certainly would d,
all in its power 10 discourage crookednes
OF that sort