Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-07-12
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Dogs b. Smuggling The Custom HOuse-One
Vanderbilt THE Fourth - The Men0ntes
Business.
New York, July 6, 1877.

business.
New York, July 6, 1877.
Dogs.
The dogs have a hard time of it
here every summer. There are thou
sands, and sometimes at night, by the
bowling, l think millions of homeless
and ownerless dogs, besides the thou
sands that have local habitation and
a name. The city has an enormous
pound, with kennels and stalls; and
all dogs not muzzled and bearing a
tag with the word "Licensed" on it.,
may be caught, put into the pound
and, if not claimed within forty-eight
hours, drowned. Once each year
the mayor divides the city into twenty
five districts, and appoints a catcher
for each, who gets thirty cents for
every dog not licensed and muzzled
that he secures. Everybody who
misses valuable dog goes at once to
the pound, and in nine cases out of
ten finds his pet. The annual catch.
ing commenced July first, and a queer
thing it was. The police found men
in partnership with the catchers, who
mad collected from fifty to two hum
dred dogs, in the country, which
were to be turned over to them, and
the profits of the speculation divided.
Boys of all sizes and degrees of dirt
ranged out into the neighboring vii
lagos, captured every dog possible
and dragged them into town, for the
fifteen cents per head that the catch
er would allow them if the property
could be delivered where no one could
see the transaction. The regular
catcher has a female dog trained, and
dozen other assistants. Immediately
that he appears, dogs of every posi-
BILE kind issue from the alleys and
courts, and by skillful manipulation
they are caught and thrown into a
wagon with wire net, until it is full,
when they are driven to the pound
and incarcerated. There is a season
of CONSERVATION among the owners OF
dogs. The catchers, who are as re-
CARELESS of the rights of owners as
any other highwaymen, boldly de-
mand of nervous widows and ancient
maiden ladies who have pets, price
for immunity, and if the price is not
forthcoming, the pet somehow turns
up missing. 1t is some consolation
to know that they get bitten in doing
their work, and that there is chance
of their being taken with hydropho-
bia, though it is doubtful whether the
poison of mad dogs bite would have
any effect upon New York office
holder. The unclaimed after twenty
four hours, are drowned, and their
bodies are melted up, and fine so aps
''for the toilet" are made of the
grease.
Smuggling.
An immense smuggling ring has
been broken up, by Capt. Bracket, OF
the custom house. The officers of the
national line, eight years ago, went
into partnership with one Scott,in the
smuggling of silks and laces. The
method was very simple. The goods
were brought in the cabins of the Of
fcers, and by collision with people in
the custom house they were permit
ted to be landed without examination,
as personal property. Where there
was too much, these valuable goods
were packed in barrels of plaster or
salt, or something of a similar nature,
that was presumed to have come out
as ballast, and convenient stores in
the city were provided for its recep-
ton. Several heavy merchants in the
city were in the trade i'm fact, there
was great deal of money in it, and
the business was as regularly carried
on as any other. 1t is estimated that
Scott and his partners have struggled
goods worth two millions of dollars
within the eight years the business
has been running, which, as the tariff
on the goods Struggled was very high,
has made rather comfortable thing
of it. Ten culprits are now in the
hands of the police, and other arrests
will follow.
The Custom-H House.
The work of clearing out the Gus.
tom-house is progressing satisfacto-
rily, to everybody but those who find
themselves short head. One hun
dred and seventy-five men were dis.
charged this week, and fifty more are
being prepared for sacrifice. The un-
lucky ones are making fearful out
cry over it, and are trying very hard
to make a war upon the president.
OF course they tell all sorts OF
stories, but they all need to be
taken with many grains of allowance
The greatest care has been taken
in making this reduction of the
force. A committee of experts
made q careful examination, and
dismissed all who could be spared,
retaining the best in every instance.
When you hear q howl about one
armed soldiers being dismissed, you
must remember that one-afmed SOL
diers do sometimes drink, and some
of them have been known to stain
their remaining hands with brides
At least this was the case with two