The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-09-29
A Sharp Smuggler--HOw he fooled Chsl
tom House Officer.

lines to this country, anu aS Jne uuby upOh
them is ten per cent. ad valorem the sharp
est watch is kept upon those suspected to
be engaged in it. BY means of agents
abroad the Collectors Office has often infor-
nation by cable of the departure from the
various ports of suspected diamond Snug
glers, and is prepared to intercept them. In
nine cases out of ten the stones are conceal
ed upon the persons of the passengers.
When this becomes a certainty, or what is
supposed to be certainty, the passenger
is arrested and taken to the searcher's
bureau in the Custom House. Here if
found necessary, the party is stripped to
the skin and his clothes examined inch by
inch and seam by seam the heels are taken
from his boots his hair and beard are comb
ed, and every means taken to discover the
hiding place of the secreted treasures.
Once this mode Of search used to be tolera-
bly, successful, but now it rarely serves any
purpose except in the case Of raw recruits
to the smuggling ranks. An old bird is
caught with chaff but once.
A New York Jew, who was reputed to
be in the business of smuggling diamonds,
used to cross the water on the Cunard line
from three to four times season. Two
years ago, in the early part of the season,
he was seized upon his arrival and taken to
the searcher's room. Nearly thousand
dollars worth of precious stones were
found secreted in the lining Of his boots.
He returned to Liverpool by the same steam
er, and four weeks afterward again landed
upon the comp&ny's wharf on North River.
He was again seized and subjected to the
same rigorous search, but with no success,
The Jew took it smilingly and philosophic-
ally. When he took his leave he said :
"Better luck next time, gentlemen. l
shall go back by the same steamer on bust
ness, and when return you can try it
again"
The officers mentally determined if he did
they would try it again. Upon inquiry it
was found that he really had engaged re-
turn passage, having held his stateroom for
that purpose. Two hours before the sail
ing of the steamer he was driven down to
the pier in his carriage, his wife and daugh-
ter with him TO see him off. When they
returned they carried with them over ten
Thousand dollars worth of diamonds which
had lain secreted in his stateroom during
the whole time the steamer had remained
in pout. Before his return to New York
the Collector was notified by one of the
revenue agents abroad that ''Max Fischer
would return by the which would
leave Liverpool, August 25, with several
thousand dollars of diamonds" In due
time the Jew arrived, and for the third time
was escorted before the searcher. He was
evidently net prepared for such persistent
attention. He seemed nervous and agita-
ted, and finally attempted to compromise.
He was politely informed that that was out
of the question. lie was again put through
the searching process. His pocketbook,
which was FIRST investigated, revealed a
memorandum showing the purchaseof eigh-
teen diamonds of various sizes and prices,
amounting in all to about $4,000. When
this came to sight the jew begged with
tears to be allowed to compromise. A deaf
ear was turned to his entreaties. His coat
was penoved and the lining examined
Nothing there. Then the waistcoat. AS
the searcher passed his practiced fingers
along the lining his heart gave q tremen-
dous thump as he recognized the " feer' of
something pebbly, like little rows of but
tons. The garment was hastily ripped, a
strip of channels skin withdrawn and unrOll-
cd, and theuela one, tive, three-eighteenl
All there.
''You can put on your coat and waistcoat
again, MFR. Fischer" said the searcher,
blandly. '4Good day"
Without a word the Jew departed, took
horse car home, kissed his family, ate a
rousing dinner, repaired to the bath room,
and after soaking rather capacious plaster
across the small of his back for few min
utes in warm water, peeled it of, and with
1t " "eighteen diamonds, of various costs and
prices" What the searcher and collector
may have said or thought when they found
their seizure to be nothing but clever glass
limitations worth from ten TO thirty cents
each, nobody knows for although the seiz-
ure was loudly heralded, the finale was new
er made public. A lady in Boston, NOV
ing in fashionable circles, wears valuable
diamond which was imported in the cavity
Of double tooth, said tooth being in the
mouth Of an Israelitish gentlemen of New
York. 1t was placed in its rather unro
mantle hiding place in London, and safely
covered with bone filling, which was displac
ed after the arrival in New York,