One Hundred and Ninety-Nine Barrels of Whiskey v. United States/Opinion of the Court

by Morrison Waite

United States Supreme Court

94 U.S. 86

One Hundred and Ninety-Nine Barrels of Whiskey  v.  United States

The first ground of forfeiture in this case is based upon sect. 45 of the act of July 13, 1866, 14 Stat. 163, which provides, that, upon seizures made for the causes there stated, the burden of proof is on the claimant to show that the requirements of the law have been complied with. It is contended, however, that the passage of the spirits through the custom-house, even though it be duty free, establishes a prima facie case in favor of the claimant, and throws the burden of proof upon the United States. Without stopping to inquire whether this is to or not, it is sufficient to say that as between these parties the prima facie case made in this way has been completely overcome, and the burden again fairly cast upon the claimant.

The prima facie case depends upon sustaining the statement made by Andre in his entry, that the identical spirits seized were exported from New York and New Orleans to Matamoras in the vessels named, without drawback for taxes paid. If this is disproved, the prima facie case as made has been met, and the burden placed where it was before.

The certificates of exportation furnished by Andre to the collector in support of the entry do not identify the spirits exported with those seized, any further than by showing that the marks on the barrels exported correspond with those on the barrels seized. The shipments were all made late in 1864 and early in 1865, and from New York, except five barrels from New Orleans. Against this it appears that nearly or quite all the barrels when seized had upon them the inspection marks, 'manufactured prior to 1st September, 1866,' though the law requiring such marks was not passed until July 13, 1866; that many of the barrels appeared to be old molasses barrels; that many had upon them the inspection marks of revenue inspectors at New Orleans and at Cincinnati; that one witness has sworn that the spirits were actually exported from New Orleans to Matamoras on the British schooner 'Village Belle,' June 20, 1866; and that Andre purchased them at the price of fifty-five cents per gallon.

With this evidence before us, it is impossible to believe that the spirits mentioned in the several certificates of exportation are the same as those that were seized. True, the inspection mark as to the date of the manufacture is as much inconsistent with an exportation from New Orleans June 20, as with the exportation as claimed; but it shows that, if the statements of Andre are true, the inspection marks have been tampered with, and that he may properly be called upon for explanations which he has not given.

The evidence, therefore, as we think, clearly justified a decree of forfeiture upon the first ground alleged in the libel. It is true that the inspection marks, if spurious, may have been placed on the barrels while they were in Mexico, and that, so long as the spirits remained in Mexico, they could not be seized for any violation of law previous to their removal; but it is equally true, that, although there could perhaps be no forfeiture for spurious brands affixed in Mexico, such brands may furnish evidence to be considered in determining whether the goods were subject to seizure for what had transpired in respect to them previous to their removal, and, that when brought again into the United States duty free, they were subject to seizure for any cause that existed before their exportation.

In this view of the case, it is unnecessary to consider the objections raised to a recovery upon any of the other charges in the libel.

The sworn and examined copies of the papers on file in the custom-house were admissible in evidence. So far as the bond and entry are concerned, further proof as to them by the United States was unnecessary, because they had been already sufficiently established by the testimony in behalf of the complainant. The cancellation certificates were admissible as declarations by the complainant in connection with the entry and the prima facie case he insists he had made, and they were required by law to be taken and filed because they were the identical papers Andre was to produce and deliver to the collector in performance of the conditions of his bond. 1 Stat. 663, sect. 28.

The decree of condemnation was rendered in the District Court July 21, 1868, and under the rule in The Diana, 3 Wheat. 58, the interest upon the appraised value was properly calculated and adjudged from that date.

Decree affirmed.

NOTE.-In One Hundred Barrels of Whiskey v. United States, which was argued at the same time and by the same counsel as was the preceding case, MR. CHIEF JUSTICE WAITE, in delivering the opinion of the court, remarked:--

This case differs from the preceding one only in the fact that the barrels were seized at Indianola instead of Galveston, and in that the marshal, instead of delivering to the claimant the whole one hundred barrels upon the order of delivery, handed over only fifty-five, and paid him the proceeds of the sale of the remaining forty-five barrels. As these proceeds amounted to more than the appraised value of the property, for which alone the decree below was rendered, we cannot see how the claimant can now object, because he did not receive the spirits.

For the reasons given in the other case, the decree in this is

Affirmed.

Notes