The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-25
tFrom the Boston Commercial Bulletln.l
a SHARP DIAMOND SMUGGLER.
How a New York Operator Fooled
the custom House Searci,ers-TyyO
successful DOdges-s.augbing at
the Snnrchcrs.

There is very important traffic carried
on in diamonds over the various European
lines to this country, and as the duty upon
them is ten per cent ad valorem the sharp
est watch is kept upon those suspected to
be engaged in 1t. BY means of agents
abroad the collectors office has often infor-
nation by cable Of the departure from the
various ports Of suspected diamond smug-
glers, and is prepared to intercept them.
In nine cases out of ten the stones are con-
cealed upon the persons of the passengers.
When this becomes a certainty, or what is
supposed to be a certainty, the passenger is
arrested aud taken to the searchers bureau
in the custom house. Here, if found neces-
sary, 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 combed, and
every means taken to discover the hiding
place of the secrcted treasures. Once this
mode of search used to be tolerably sue
cessful, but now it rarely serves any pur-
pose 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, III the part of the season. he was
seized upon his arrival and taken to tho
searcher's room. Nearly q thousand dollars
worth Of precious stones were found Sc
crcted in the lining Of his boots. lie re.
turned to Liverpool by the steamer, ant
four weeks afterward again landed upor
the company's wharf On North river. He
was again seized and subjected to the same
rigorous search, but with no success Tho
jew tool; it smilingly and phllosophcally
| When he took his leave he said: "Bct
ter luck next time, gentlemen. | shall &c
back by the same steamer on business, ant
when | return you can try 1t again
The officers mentally determined if he
did they would try it again. Upon inquiry
it was found that he really had engaged q
return passage, having held his stateroom
for that purpose. Two hours before the
| sailing of the steamer he was driven down
to the pier in his carriage, his wife and
daughter with him to see him off. When
they returned they carried with them over
ten thousand dollars worth of diamonds
which had lain secreted III his stateroom
during the whole time the steamer had re-
NAMED in port. 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 October %, with
several thousand dollars worth of dia-
! monds. In due time the jew arrived. md
| for the third time escorted before the
searcher He was evidently not prepared
for such persistent attention. He seemed
nervous and agitated, and finally attempted
to compromise. lie was politely informed
that that was out of the question. lie
was again put through the searching pro.
cess. His pocketbook. which was first in
vestigated, revealed a memorandum show
ing the purchase of eighteen diamonds of
various sizes and prices, amounting in all
to about $4,000. When this came to light
the jew begged with tears to he allowed to
compromise. A deaf ear was turned to his
entreaties. His coat was removed and the
lining examined. Nothing there. Then the
waistcoat. As the searchcr passed his
practical fingers along the lining his heart
gave tremendous thump.as he recognized
'ic lccl vi something peDDly, ike little
rows of buttons. The garment was hastily
ripped, a strip of channels skin withdrawn
and unrolled, and there they lay, one. two,
three-eighteen All there.
" You can put on your coat and waist
coat again, Mr.. Fischer" said the searcher,
blandlY, "Good day."
Without a word the Jew departed took
n horse car home, kissed his family, ate a
rousing dinner, repaired to the bathroom,
and after soaking rather capacous plaster
across the small of his back for few min
utes in warm water, peeled it off, and with
1t ''ei5 hteen diamonds, of various costs
and prices" What the searchcr and col
lector may have 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
seizure was loudly heralded, the finale was
never made public.
A lady in this city, moving in fashionable
circles, wears valuable diamond which
was imported in the cavity of double
tooth, said tooth being in the mouth of an
lsraelliish gentleman of New York. 1t was
placed IN its unromantic hiding place in
London, and safely covered with bene fill
ing, which was displaced after the arrival
in New York.