Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-11-25
nd Defroif.

The Tribune, of Detroit, gives an inter-
esting outline of the manner in which
goods are Struggled from Windsor, Can
ada, to that city, and states that the prac-
tice has become SO general as to excite
marked attention. Late in the afternoon,
it says the smugglers set out on their
errand, hoping on their return after dark,
the more readily to evade the custom
house officers.
AT about three o'clock in the afternoon,
perhaps little earlier, the dock at the
foot of Woodward avenue may be seen
crowded with passengers for the ferry
boat. Nicely dressed women and we'll
clad men, though there is always a greater
prepOnderance of the former class, fill all
available space on the different boats o
after they touch the dock; cabin and deck
are alike filled with impatient ones wait
ing to reach the other shore. The mo-
ment the boat touches the dock at Wind
sor, the passengers all s~trivetO see who can
first reachthe " stores where goods are sold
so cheap Let us follow them. Lady
No. l rushes into the first store at the head
of the street where dry goods are for sale,
and finds the store already crowded with
anxious customers. After she has waited
some time, one of the many clerks finds
time to display to her greedy eyes the
goods which lie in confusion all over
the establishment. After some delay. a
piece of silk goods, perhaps, is found which
answers her wants. 1t is priced and found
to be only 50 per yard, American currency.
She assures the salesman that "they charge
in Detroit 50 IS for the same a%rticle;h she
knows 'there is no difference" Question
ing the clerk as to how much the duty will
be, she receives as a reply, ooh, never
mind the duty; smuggle it. You will have
no difficulty in keeping out of sight only
seventeen yards of silk. You can step into
hat room, - pointing to a door at the rear
of the store, 'and make the necessary ar
! rangements." If she is willing to risk it,
the silk is measured off, she retires to the
room aforementioned, and the conceal
ment is effected. II, however, the lady is
unwilling to attempt the smuggling oper-
alton, the clerk Immediately changes his
tactics, saying perhaps that the duty is
only half what it really is, or something of
the kind, and the lady is induced to .pur-
chase the goods and pay the tariff, the re-
suit being that after the tariff and the
various fees are settled with the custom
house authorities, she finds that the silk
has cost her about o~ne-fourth more than
she could have procured it for in De
trOit. But the purchasers are generally
willing to take the chances of being de-
tected, Often when the timid purchaser
remarks to the loquaoious salesman that
"they say that everF one must be exam
ined at the custom house, to see if thew
have e%Ontraband goods on their persons
a reply is given to the effect that they
think there will be IA fine time then, for
people won't stand anything of that kind, -
and assuring the hnYer that no lady has
yet been detected in smuggling; and fire.
9uently the clerk, in his willingness to as
slst the person who is celebrating whether
she had better try to take aeross some
small article, like ribbon, or a silk scarf,
without paying the duty, instruets the
purchaser how it may be concealed under
the sleeve of the cloak, or in some other
manner. Dress goods, cloths, linens,
sheetings, and all kinds of goods are bought
and concealed, in some such way as the
above. OF course, the system is at times
varied q little, butalmOst always it closely
resembles the mode which We have de-
scribed.
The male members of the profession sell
dom do their own smuggling themselves,
but simply are measured for their gar
ments and leave them to be delivered on
this side of the river bysome employe of
the merchant who sells the goods. The
day which is generally selected for this
branch of the business, /. G., delivering
goods to parties residing in Detroit Is
Sunday, as but few of the custom house
officials are on guard that day. Frequent
ly, however, these men are seen wearing
an overcoat which singularly contrasts
With the rest of their dress, and several of
them have been arrested by the authori-
ties, and have then exposed the system.
Many men on this side seem to consider
that if they can purchase their clothing in
Windsor for two-thirds whatit costs them
in Detroit, and then have it delivered to
them at their own houses, by simply leav-
ing the number and street of their resi-
dence with the merchant on the other
side, that they run no risk whatever; but
VT assure them hat they are liable as ac-
completes, and when the indictments of
the grand jury are all made public, many
will find out to their sorrow that this is
the case.