The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-22
Smuggling Diamonds.

At-S ~ ~ WA
relates the following story:
There IS Q very important traffi
carried on in diamonds over the vari
GUS European lines to this country, an,
as the duty upon them is ten per cent
dd fGtOrem the sharpest watch is KEEP
upon those suspected to be engaged il
1T. By means of agents abroad tn
collectors office has often information
by cable of the departure from the vari
Gus parts of suspected diamond SNUG
glers, and is prepared tointercept them
In nine cases out of ten the stones ar
concealed upon the persons of the pas
sengers. When this becomes q certain
ty, or what is supposed to be certainty
the passenger is arrested and taken f
the Searcher's Bureau in the custom
house. Here, if found necessary, TIL,
party is stripped to the skin, and hi
clothes examined inch by inch and sean
by seam the heels are taken from hi
boots, his hair and beard is combed
and every means taken to discover TIN
hiding-place of the secreted treasures
OOnCe tins n1Ude Of search used III Ii
tolerably successful, but now it rarely
serves any purpose, except in the cast
of raw recruits to the smuggling ranks
An old bird is caught with chaff bu'
once.
"a New York Jew, who was reputed
to be i'm the business of smuggling dia-
mOnds, 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 Il thousand dollars worth
of precious stones were found secreted
in the lining of his boots. He returned
to Liverpool by the same steamer, and
| four weeks afterWard again landed upon
the company's wharf on North river.
He was again seized and subjected to
the same rigorous search, but with no
success. The jew took it smillingly
and philosophicaily. When he took his
leave he said: Better luck next time,
gentlemen. I shall go back by the same
steamer on business, 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 a 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 e.
uuEGtu bAEGH CbILICu lbI1 UIISHI OfCt UCH
thousand dollars worth of diamonds,
which had lain seereted in his state
room during the whole time the steamer
had remained in port. Before his re-
turn to New York, the collector was
notified by one of the revenue agents
abroad that Max Fischer would return
by the, which would leave Liver
pool October 20, with several thousand
dollars worth of diamonds. In due
time the Jew arrived, and for the third
time was escorted before the searGher.
He was evidently not prepared for such
persistent attention. He seemed nery-
ons and agitated, aud finally attempt
ed to compromise. He was politely in
formed that that was out of the ques-
ton. He was again put through the
searching process. His p0eket-book,
which was first Investigated, revealed a
memorandum showing the purchase of
eighteen diamonds of various sizes and
prices amounting in all to about $12, 900.
When this came to light the jew beg
ged with tears to be allowed to cOmpro-
mise. A deaf ear was turned to his en-
treaties. His coat was removed and
the lining examined. Nothing there.
Then the waistcoat. As the searcher
passed his practical fingers along the
lining his heart gave a tremendous
thump as he recognized the feel of
pebbly, like little rows of
buttons. The garment was hastily
a strip of chamois skin with
and unrolied, and there they lay,
one, two, three-eighteeni All there.
{ You can put on your coat and waist
coat again, Mr.. Fischer said the search
er, blandly. Good day
Without a word the jew departed,
took a horse car home, kissed his family,
ate a rousing supper, repaired to the
BATHROOM, and, after soaking a rather
capacioHs plaster across the small of
his back for a few minutes in warm
water, peeled it of, and with it eigh-
teen diamonds, of various costs and
What the seareher and collec-
tor 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 seizure Was loudly
heralded, the finale was never made
A lady in this city, moving in
fashionable circles, wears d valuable
diamond which was imported in the
of a double tooth, said tooth be-
III the mouth of an Israelitish gem
of New York. It was placed in
it's rather nnromantic Iiding-place in
London, and safely covered with bone
which was displaced after the
in New York"