Bob Peers...
I was given a cardboard box in Winnipeg, and I asked the guy, “What’s that?”
He said, “They’re Biltmore Stetsons.”
At that time Biltmores were made in Guelph, Ontario and they had a junior hockey team that had won a couple of championships and they were called the Guelph Biltmores. Murray was a Western Distributor in Canada for Biltmore hats.
He would bring a bunch of these hats down to Denver to give to all of his cronies, friends and everything like that. So I inherited these hats. Here I am a kid of 18 and didn’t know what the hell was going on.
I get on this train going down to Denver thinking that I was going with two buddies and ended up going all by myself. In those days they would check customs and immigration right on the train. I’m sitting in the train and this guy comes by and asked me where I was going.
I showed him my student visa and then he asked, “Do you have any luggage?”
I said, “Yes, it’s back in the luggage compartment.”
He asked if I had anything to declare. Being naïve I said, “No, but I’ve got a bunch of hats.”
He asks, “What kind of hats?”
I said, “I don’t know. I’m taking them for the coach.”
He says, “Oh, lets go down and have a look at those.”
So I said OK and we walked down to the baggage car there and he opens up the box. Then he says, “Oh, they’re nice, expensive hats, but you can’t bring those in (to the US).”
I said to him, “But they’re not mine!”
He says to me, “When you get into the Denver. This guy that you’re talking about, this Murray Armstrong is going to have to pay duty on them.”
I said, “Fine, I don’t care.”
When the train arrives at Union Station in Denver, Murray’s waiting there.
Murray says to me, “Bob, how was your trip down?”
I told him that it was great.
Then Murray asks, “Did you bring my hats?”
I said, “Yeah Murray, but I think there’s a problem.”
He said, “What do you mean?”
I said, “Well, I got stopped and you’ve got some paperwork to do.”
He says, “Well, we’ll see about that!”
Murray goes over to the customs clearinghouse area. Murray was quite loquacious.
The next thing I know, this guy at the baggage claim was saying to Murray “yes sir, yes sir, I’m sorry sir” and then he just gave him the hats! (Laughs)
I don’t know what the heck Murray had said to him, but he got his hats.
So that was the first time that I knew this guy has something to offer. He was obviously well known and articulate. He was able to finesse or whatever without being dishonest. He wasn’t dishonest, but I think he said that they were gifts. So by the code and everything, you can bring in gifts.
He said, “I’m not reselling them or anything like that. I paid for them, so these are for my friends.” I think that’s how he got around it. He’s quite a guy.”
Your welcome to see the research which was mainly collated from Harvard University Archives (a fairly credible source), but looking at your response I think your content floundering in your mid life crisis.
