United States v. Thirty Quarts of Roederer Champagne

HAMILTON, Judge,

delivered tbe following opinion:

1. A libel was filed in this case seeking tbe condemnation for revenue purposes of certain wines and other things imported *586without payment of duty. Under the tariff law the suit is brought' in the shape of an admiralty libel. A demurrer has been filed, however, raising the question of whether the defendant or claimant of the articles is or is not entitled to have the issue tried by a jury. In admiralty there would be no jury, but the question is whether the court should read into the statute the right of a jury trial. It seems that this has been…