A NEW ORLEANS RING.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 290, 17 May 1875, Page 3

A NEW ORLEANS RING.

' The operations of a smuggling ring are thus described by the New York Times of January 39th ;—“ Some time since the firm of Brannin, Summers, and Co, of Louisville, sent a petition to the House, asking to be reimbursed for duties on imported sugars, which they were compelled by fraud to pay. The petition was referred to the ways and means committee, where the whole subject was thoroughly investigated, and to-day the committee agreed upon a bill granting the relief prayed for. The amount involved is between 50,000d0l and 60,000d01. The investigation brought to light the following facts In 1868, while Perry Fuller was collector of the port of New Orleans, a ring was formed for i the purpose of smuggling .sugar, composed of J. S. Clark, a notorious gambler, of that city; W. C. Gray, special deputy collector of the port; J. C. White,, deputy naval officer; S. H. Brown, storekeeper; and R. L. Reams, superintendent of warehouses, all of New Orleans. The mode of procedure was to import sugar and place it. in bonded warehouses, whence it could be taken only upon payment of duties in gold or upon transportation bond, setting forth that it was to be transported to some interior port of delivery, where the duty would be paid. Tho sugar would be taken out of ; warehouse by means of the transportation bond, but instead of being shipped as stipulated in the bond it would be sene to the store of one Soria,a merchant of the city. The transportation bond, and all papers connected with the importation were then destroyed, and the sugar sold in the regular course of trade passed to dealers in Louisville, Cincinnati, St Louis, Chicago, and other interior cities. The ' result was that in many cases revenue detectives, following the matter up, would compel the purchasers in these interior cities to pay the duties that should have been paid by the New Orleans importer. The ring continued its operations for a year or more, till in April, 1869, Casey took charge as collector of the port, and a change in the minor officers destroyed the facilities for carrying on the business. During the time that the ring flourished they made a great deal of money. Subsequently Clark, Grey, White, Brown, and Soria were indicted for their fraudulent acts, but the cases have never been pushed. Brown and Soria made a full confession, hoping thereby to escape punishment, Brown is now dead. The case against Clark was ‘ nollied ’ on the ground that he was dead, while, in fact, he is now a tax-col-lector of the first municipal district of New Orleans, and Kellog’s chief political manager. The office he holds is by appointment of Kellog, and is variously estimated to be worth from 50,000d0l to 100,000dol annually.