Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-06-02
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

az much worse than q man as pos.
siblc. The women were marched
to a boat and their profanity was
something wonderful. Their first
exploit was an attempt to drown an
obnoxious officer, which they nearly
succeeded in doing, and they sailed
away singing the most horrible trav'
estes of the most sacred hymns.
One woman of sixty, named Elkins
il the mother of eight children, all
of whom are Mt this time in prison,
and there has never been u time
since tho youngest was ten that five
of them have not been in cOnfine'
ment at the same time. The old Ia.
dy was, in her youth u pickpocket.
and the most skillful one in the city,
but of late years her fingers lost
their nimblcness. and she has con
fined her attention to shOp.litting.
The little freedom of the boat, rous.
ed all the old enthusiasm. elbow !
wish | was out" she said. "Couldn't
| work The second floors of the stores
on Sixth Avenus, where their amt
but one clerk! It's too bad" And
the old harridan sighed to think of
the opportunities she was missing.
One beautiful girl of not more than
twenty-five, belonged to one of the
best families of the city. She fell
in love with a moustachcll pickpock'
ct, who married her, her family cut
her off, she became an adrOit tibet
herself, and went down, as women
do, like shot. She became aban.
doned, and utterly reckless. her fam.
lily count her as dead, aud she is
one of the worst and most unruly
of the prisoners. Another is wO.
man of good connections, who is a
confirmed klcptomaniac. She was
well enough off, having husband
in a good business, who was very
liberal with her. But she could
not avoid theft. She would steal
the most useless articles, things that
she could not use, and that were Of
no possible account to her. Shop.
keepers dreaded to see her come in.
to their places, for it became neces-
sary to detail a clerk to watch her,
and even then, so expert had she
become, that she would get away
with plumber. She was arrested Il
great many times, and was saved
from punishment by her husband
going to the expense of saving her
every day or two. Finally it broke
him up, and he was compelled to
let the law take it's course. She con-
tinued her operations in the prison.
She would secrete needles, threads,
dishes from the table, food that she
could not use, everything that could
be concealed and carried. 1t is an
incurable mandess, and she would
be better in an Insane Asylum, al
though in all other respects she is
perfectly sane. The others had
histories, but there were sixty.eight
Of them.
SMUGGLING.
Women have been for many years
in the habit of smuggling laces,
silks, &c., but it is only recently
that men have tried the smuggling
Of wearing apparel. The famous
London tailor, Poole, male an ar
rangement with the officers of
Cunard steamer, to get goods thro'
without paying duties, and then
sent a man here to canvass for or.
ders. Without paying duties he
could undersell the Broadway tai
lors, and besides the swells never
consider themselves dressed till they
have a pair of POOLS pantaloons.
The New York tailors got wind OF
it, and were ready for the Cunarder
when it landed. The detectives
spotted and seized thirty suits of
clothing, the most of them for the
best. known men in the city. The
extent of smuggling is little under
stood. There is house in the city
in the book trade, who have print.
ing establishment just across the
line, near Rouse's Point, in Canada.
1t is in the woods and remote from
everything. The moment success
full American book makes it's APP
pearance, it is stereotyped, printed
and bound on the other side Of the
line, and carted to the nearest rail
road station by the thousand, and
sold at prices that no American
publisher can compete with, for
they have no copyright to pay, and
their labor and material are cheaper.
Some of our best-known authors
have been nearly ruined by this
smuggling of Canadian printed
books. The smuggling of cigars
from Cuba is a very large trade.
The incoming vessel having cigars
on which no duty is to be paid, dis
plays a peculiar signal when APP
preaching the shore, and she is
boarded by men from small boats,
who take off her cargo and land it
on the coast anywhere. Or the ci
gars are packed in oilclOth, and
when the vessel is coming up the
bay the Captain throws them over
board to the boat making the prop
er signal. Liquors come down lake
Champlain, and over the great lakes,
and find their way to the city. duty
free. 1t is an immensely profitable
business, and, so long is our front
Ter, attended with very little risk.
wOMENs RIGHTS,
The National WOmens Rights
held its annual meeting
in this city, Thursday last. These
used to be very large and
enthusiastic, but the interest I'M
them has perceptibly declined. This
year Masonic Hall was not ne-quar- .
ter full. and it was hard work to
get up any steam at all. Isabella {
Beecher Hooker was there, aud so, i
;Iyou;co pInLo on6 AuSCin IOZipr