SMUGGLING MILLINERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6255, 3 December 1881, Page 7

SMUGGLING MILLINERS.

The New York Times of August 29 says :— A group of five milliners and modistes came into this port on Saturday afternoon as cabin passengers on board the steamship Britannic from Liverpool. No one on board, or at least very few persons, knew that the ladies were milliners, but soon after the steamer's arrival in port the Customs inspectors paid their respects to the milliners, and it is no mere figure of spech to say that "they made the leathers fly." Three of the milliners were inclined to give the Government a fair chance for existence, and when asked if they had any dutiable goods in their trunks they said they might have, and promptly revealed the contents. There were found sundry silks, ribbons, feathers, and things, and the ladies paid 300 dollars and 400 dollars each to the Government, and took their goods away with them. Each of the five milliners were registered on the passenger list as '• Miss" So-and-so, without any initial letters. One of them was Miss Mac Donald, of Baltimore. When she was asked concerning her baggage she said she had no dutiable goods. Then the inspectors administered to her the usual oath on her "declaration," and tile lady declared on that oath that she had no goods liable to pay tribute to the United States. For some reason the inspectors were led to doubt the lady's statement. Miss Mac Donald's three trunks were accordingly searched, and when the inspectors got their arms in them up to their elbows they fancied they had struck a section of a Parisian fancy bazaar. They shut down the lids hastily, and seized the trunks. Then they turned the turned their attention to Miss Denning's trunks, and in them they found more wonders in feathers, silks, satins, laces, and fancy goods. The matter looked so very suspicious that it was decided that Miss Mac Donald and Miss Denning should undergo a personal search. Of course, Inj spector Edgar, who is bold enough to chase

a pirate all over a ship's deck if need be, could not very well search a couple of ladies, so Mrs. Gennie Ferris, a female Customs Inspector, undertook that task. She found a few articles, pieces of lace and silk, concealed on the ladies, but when she began to examine the other goods in the trunks she seemed like a magician from the manner in which she brought forth rare fabrics from places where they did not seem to be. The trunks were sent to the seizure-room in the Custoin-house, and the milliners went away from the pier crying. A table 20 feet long was not large enough to hold the contents of a sinele trunk belonging to Miss Mac Donald when it was unpacked in the seizure-room. There were ten splendid dresses of silk, satin, velvet, and brocade, two or three of them trimmed with fine silk Spanish lace seven or eight inches deep, and all worth 1500 dollars. Mrs. Ferris began to look at the dresses, and from beneath the flounces she drew whole pieces of black Spanish lace 20 or 30 yards long, neatly folded and sewed under the flounces. Inside the bosom of a beautiful white Cashmere dress she found several pieces of Duehesse point lace. She picked up a lady's black chip hat trimmed with the head, breast, and tail of a goldenbreasted heron, and in live minutes she held five herons of different metallic hues in her hands. They had been fastened one over the other on the liat. Mrs. Ferris actually discovered and uncovered things so fast in this way that it seemed as though she was j;oing to make a waggon-load out of a trunkful ox goods. When they were all exposed

they made a gorgeous display. Among the most delicately beautiful things were a dozen or more silken chenille mantillas, in exquisite shades of white, pearl, blue, salmon, pink, and cardinal. Then there were superb ostrich plumes, worth £3 or £4 apiece in Europe, and handsome ostrich ponpons. About one of the black lace dresses there was draped a flounce or sash made of rich black brocade silk. Mrs. Ferris unpinned it, and found it uncovered something like 25 yards in a single piece. There was gold thread and iridescent braids and fringes in whole pieces, silk and satin corsets, jet beads, jet and iridescent bead passementerie, silk stockings of magnificent quality and colours, rare handkerchiefs, velvet t rocades, feather-trimmed velvet mull's, a "perfect duck" of a brown silk plush "poke" bonnet, and a very handsome fawn-coloured felt bonnet, both elaborately decked with plumes and bead trimming. There were, besides, dressing-cases, choice toilet powders, velvet brushes, tortoise-shell back combs, and scores of other ai tides. The contents of Miss Mac Donald's trunks are roughty estimated to be worth 3500 dollars, but no inventory or appraisement has yet been made. Miss Denning is said to be a milliner doing business in this city, and known as Susan J. Denning. Her trunks were also richly laden with goods quite as elegant and costly as those in Miss Mac Donald's trunks, but there were not so many articles and less of a variety. They were roughly valued at 1200 dollars to 1500 dollars. Before the milliners get their beautiful goods out of the hands of the Government they will find it would have been cheaper to pay the duties. Furthermore, they have rendered themselves liable to civil and criminal prosecution for penalties and imprisonment.