◆ SpookStack

NHILDREN who “tattle” are ostracized by vir playmates; gangsters who “rat” on other gunmen meet certain death at the end of a one-way ride. But “squealers” who inform the United States Customs offichals about smuggling activities get a bonus. For more than 100 years, the Treasury “De- partment has paid such rewards to “squeal- ers.” The practice of paying the rewards— Rearly $100,000 in the past two months— started as a bonus system to encourage in- formers. At Present, the amount of the re- wards are based upon the grand total of the fines and penalties assessed each convicted smuggles. The “squealers” get twenty-five per cent of the entire sum, providing that the reward he not more than $50,000, - Latest to garner the bounty ofthe govern- ment in a smuggling case was the pro-Nazi maid, Rose eber, who supplied Customs agents with the information that led to the Conviction of Mrs, Elma N.{ Lauer, wife of Su- Preme Court Justice Edgar J.\lauer, who re- signed from the bench; Jac Benny and George Burns, radio comedians; and Albert N\ Chap- erau . (or \Shapiro) for smuggling. \ Miss Weber will eventually be handed a govern- ment voucher for a sum amounting to’ ap- Proximately $20,000 for her “services” jn earing out an affidavit and testifying to th effect that Mrs. Lauer had smuggled mote than $25,000 worth of jewelry and personal items into this country since 1933, Personal prejudice on the part of the in- former doesn’t make any difference to the government. The fact that the “squealer” di- vulges information to the Customs agents to get even” does not prevent payment of the reward, provided the victim is guilty of the chs, ges. Miss Weber was the Lauer's maid. Sht “‘squeated“—on—Mrs. Lauer with malice afdrethought. | fi German ci zen, Miss Weber was serving dinner at the Lauer's one, night wheh some of the guests, includ- ing Chapersu, made remmarks that the maid considered deroga- tory to Hitler. Interrupting the meal, Rose Weber shouted: “Iam a citizen of the Father- land. {f love Hitler and I won't ferve any more of this dinner if you go on talking about him!” ; When former Justice Lauer im- | mediately discharged the girl, she cried: . “I'll get even with you all for this!" : She did. Another disgruntled employee who put her boss “on the spot” and collected “blood” money from the Treasury Department for smuggling information was Chris- ; tine \Drouadaine. She was em- ployed formerly in the stock tooms of exclusive Marcel Rochas, Inc, Parisian dress importers. At work, Christine saw the trunks of lovely models, who had just returned from abroad, opened and emptied of smuggled, costly gowns, Fired Jast year from her job, Ciirctine didn't know that this country Bays informers in smug- gling cases. Her whole attitude - was one of pique against Guy worin de Font-Joyeuse, manager of the dress importing firm, who discharged her. When dismissed, Christine lost no time in telling her story to agents of the U. S. Customs House. By furnishing agents and the United States At- torney’s office with names of customers of the shop she en- abled them to obtain all the evi- dence necessary for a conviction. Duties owed by the dress firm. amounted to $30,000, the fines imposed, $1,000; so Christine’s cut, figured at 25 per cent, amounted to approximately $7,750 for squealing on her former em- ployers. THE top reward of $50,000 for information in a smuggling case has been paid out by the . Treasury Department only once in recent years. That was in 1937, when the sum paid to “Mary Doe,” the fictitious name behind which the “squealer” hid in a diamond-smuggling _ case. The identity of the informer was never divulged by the Customs agents who arrested and caught Mrs. Pearl; Weinberg with $286,- 346 worth of smuggled diamonds as the Bronx housewife descended the gangplank of the liner Nor- mandie. ‘Acting upon information gained from the informant, Supervising Customs Agent John W. Robberts stumbled against Mrs. Weinbberg as she walked down the gang- plank When he bumped into her, he knocked from under her arm ¥ an overnight bag, which fell, broke open and disclosed a faive bottom compartment wherein r- posed the smugeled diamonds, less than three days, forty pel> sons connected with the smug- gling ring were arrested, Only iast month, another un- identified “squealer” caused the penthouse anartment of Mrs. James C.*Ayer, wealthy socialite widow of the noted surgeon and painter, to be searched. A squad of Customs agents trained to spot & gown designed by Molyneaux without seeing the label rum- maged through the apartment and seized a large quantity of jewels, fowns and lingerie suspected of aving been brought from abroad without payment of duty. The raid was made apparently on the tip on the informer, whose iden- tity has been carefully guarded. The search warrant was based on a detailed affidavit signed in a small neat hand. The signature was merely “Mary Doe.” According to the affidavit, Mrs. Ayer’s alleged contraband was tentatively assessed as worth between $20,000 and $29,000. Thus, if Mrs, Ayer is convicted on a smuggling charge, her nemesis, the informer’ who “squealed” to the Customs agents, stands to receive at least $5,000, a not insignificant sum for an act frowned upon by children and punishe? by gangsters,