The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1874-10-01

How the custeas OMcers Are Sometimes
1stvittol@N~.
. ga oar.


ried on in diamonds over the various
European lines to this country, and as
the duty upon them is 10 per cent. ad va
loren the sharpest watch is kept upon
those suspected to becngaxeufHff. By
means of agents abroad the Collectors
Office has often information by cable OF
the departure rom Various ports OF sus-
pected diamond smugglers, and is pre-
pared to intercept them IN nine cases
out of ten the stones are concealed
about the persons of the passengers.
When this becomes certainty or what,
is supposed to be certainty. the pas,
senger 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 ex-
amined inch 10y 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 secreted treasures. Once this
mode of search used to be tolerably .suc-
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 chat but once
A New York jew, who was reputed to
be in the business of smuggling dia-
monds, used to cross the water on the
Cunard line from three to four times "a
season. Two years ago, in the early
part of the season, he was seized upon
his arrival and taken to the searchers
room. Nearly thousand dollars worth
of precious stones were secreted in the
lining of his boots. He returned to Liv-
erpool by the same steamer, and four
weeks aftnrward again landed upon the
company's wharf on North River. He
was again seized and subjected to the
same rigorous search, but with no sue
cess The Jew took it smilingly and
philosophcally When he took his leave
lie said: Better luck next time, gentle
men ! shall go back by the same
steamer on business, and when l return
you can try it again"
The officers mentally determined if he
h4a ti1 Nouid u IL again bbu III
quiry it was found that he really had en-
gagged return passage, having held his
state-room 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 car
ried with them over $4,000 worth of
diamonds which had lain secreted in his
state-room during the whole time the
steamer had remained 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
Oct. 25, with several thousand dollars
worth of diamonds" In due time the
Jew arrived, and for the third time was
escorted before the searcher. He was
evidently not prepared for such persis
tent attention. He seemed nervous and
agitated, and finally attempted to com
promise. He was politely informed that
this was out of the question. He was
again put through the searching process
His pocket-book, which was first investi-
gated. revealed memorandum showing
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 be
allowed to compromise. A deaf ear was
turned to his entreaties. His coat was
removed and the lining examined. Moth
ing there. Then the waistcoat As the
searcher passed his practiced fingers
along the lining his heart gave tremen
dous thump as he recognized the "feeln
of something pebbly, like little rows of
buttons. The garment was hastily
ripped. strip of channels skin with
drawn 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 word the Jew departed, took
horse-car home kissed his family, ate
rousing dinner, repaired to the bathroom
and, after soaking a rather capaeious
plaster across the small of his back for
few minutes in warm water peeled it off. |
and with it eighteen diamonds, koi
various sizes and prices.n 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, no.
body 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 Israelitish gentleman of |
New York. 1t was placed in its rather
unromantic hiding-place in London, and
safely covered with bone filing, which |
was displaced after the arrival in New
York.-Boston Commercial Bulletin.
Theory and Practice.