The New York herald., 1921-06-04
GOVERNMENT SEEKS
PEGGY JOYCE'S GEMS
Treasury Agents Suspect That
She Did Not Pay Duty on
Many of Them.
S5O0,0OO rs INVOLVED
Gowns and Automobiles She
Purchased Abroad Play Part
in U. S. Investigation.
S5OO,OOO rs INVOLVED

Special Despatch to THE NEW YORK HERALD.
CHICAGO. June g. The Government
has launched an inquiry into the affairs
of Peggy Joyce as a sequel to the hight
she is making here against the divorce
suit brought by James Stanley Joyce.
Tha sidelight on the adventures and
misadventures Of the bride who cost
joyce more than a million dollars in six
months developed to-day with the an
nouncement by L. A. Williams. special
Treasury agent, Of the result of an In
quiry two investigators have been maxi
ing.
The huge amounts OF jewelry which
Mr.. Joyce purchased for Peggy to keep
her in good humor constitute the basis
for the Governments sudden interest In
the case. The agents, Mr.. Williams
says, have checked up with Mr.. Joyce
and have found that nearly g. half
million dollars worth OF the fortune in
gems was purchased in France and Eng
land. When Peggy came to America
October %, the customs records show,
she declared only a small amount of
property. Now the Government wants
to know what she has done with the
rest.
The class OF property involved carries
q co per cent. duty. The bill cited by
Mr.. Joyce in his recent answer to
Peggys alimony demands shows that the
lumberman purchased more than $4,000
worth of jewelry, gowns. automobiles
and other knicknacks for his wife while
they were residing abroad If these
tt,tA Ar,on nrtO will
paying duty, as the special agents be-
lieve, this leaves a debt to the Govern
ment of $500, 200. With go per cent. PEN
atty, which Is added in such cases. there
would be the tidy little sum of 100000.
with an opening for criminal prosecu-
ton In addition.
When Peggy was here she was some
what reticent concerning the jewels
purchased for her by her husband. She
not only admitted, however, that they
totalled q huge amount, but cited the
fact that she had been habituated to
such a lavish style of living as reason
why she was entitled TO the 10000
monthly alimony she asks. However,
none of the jewelry was in evidence
except diamond lavalliere which might
have been worth about $4,000, and
huge square diamond which glittered on
one finger
A diamond tiara. for which Mr.. Joyce
paid Cartier, Paris jeweller, $4,000. Is
one of the items in which the Federal
gents are interested. They seek bar
pin from the same source which cost
$4,000 and a pearl necklace valued at
$4,000. All of these, IL is stated, with
other gems reaching total of $4,000,
were delivered to Peggy by the Paris
establishment. and presumably are still
In her possession. Additional jewelry
purchased of Spaulding & Co. in London
and billed through their Paris and Chi
cago branches is occupying the attention
of the agents.
Under investigation also are other re-
ported purchases by Peggy of evening
gowns said to have been bought from
Nine. Hayward, Paris; Asprey, London,
and Lewis Wilton, Paris.
She also Is suspected OF having
brought three Renault automobiles to
America without paying duty Accord
ing to the agents, she told port officials
she was merely bringing the cars back
to this country