The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1879-06-27
Curious Stories of Smuggling.
Leisure Hours.I

|
| (for smuggling it really was) was patent
| in practice which prevailed for several
| years in Dover, and was carried on openly
| in full view of the preventives and all the
| inhabitants of the town. About 1919 90
| the fashion came up of wearing Leghorn
| bonnets of exorbitant dimensions. They
were huge straw plaits, nearly circular,
| and averaging about yard in diameter
| they sold in England at two to three or
| quality, and nearly half their cost was the
duty paid on importing them. Now, ac-
| cording to the law, duty is not demanda-
| BILE on any article of dress worn by trav-
elers. A clever dealer in Leghorns con-
trived to profit enormously by this law.
| He hired numerous troop of the poorest
| women and girls, ragged, squalid, and
misunderstanding creatures they were, to
| be sure,-and paid them almost nominal
fee for accompanying him daily, in his
voyages to and from the French coast,
| contracting with the captain of one of the
steamers for season tickets for the whole
of them. The troop regularly left Dover
| in the morning with scarcely a handful of
| bonnet on their heads they dined at
Calais, if they could afford to dine, and
came back in the afternoon, two or three
score of them, each with brand-new
Leghorn of fullest dimensions on her
head the rag of bonnet worn in the
| morning being stuffed in her pocket. On
landing they were all marched to the
speculator's warehouse, denuded of their
luxurious coiffures, and dismissed for the
| day. A hundred times at least have
seen these forlorn and tattered purveyors
of fashion both going out and coming in,
| and could tell the boat they travelled by
while it was yet miles away, by the straw
| colored amber line which under cloudy
sky would glimmer like streak of sun
shine ere the hull of the vessel was dis
| tinctly visible.
"a form of smuggling" says writer in
| the Pail Mall Gazette, which is not likely
soon to die out. is that practiced by tour
lists, who think it allowable to shirk pay
| ing duty on things which they have
bought for their own use. Public morals
on this point are slightly elastic, and
| those of the gentler sex especially are
apt to think that nothing compels them
| to declare volumes of Tauchnitz, cases
of eau de Cologne, yards of Lyon silk, OF
pieces of Brussels lace. Here is story
which will illustrate feminine notions on
| this subject, and perhaps convey moral
| A Belgian bridegroom, being about to
start for Paris on his bridal tour, was in.
formed by his bride that she thought Of
| concealing several thousand francs worth
of lace about her, hoping by its sale to
pay the cost of their journey. The bride
| groom was not smitten with this frugal
project, and pointed out that there were
| Custom House officers and female search.
ers at Ercquelines who were sometimes
| struck with an accountable fancy for ex-
amining passengers pockets. This he
said, being timid man, and his bride, te
humor him, promised to give up her plan,
but then she secreted the lace at the same
| time without telling him about it. Now
| as the train approached the French from
| tier, the husband reflected that if his wife
were not searched his fears would be
Knocked at as having been groundless, and
he would start on his marriage career
with prestige impaired. This was not de.
sirable; rather it was essential that he
should from the very outset assert his in
| Ercquelines and the passengers alighted
the Belgian bridegroom left his brides
| arm for moment, and, siding up to a
douanier, whispered, I think if you
| search that lady yonder you may find
some lace The douanier winked; the
| happy bride was accosted with the invita-
4 ton to walk into the female searcher's
room. She turned pale, tottered, but was
| led away, and five minutes later dismai
sounds of Mysteries were heard. Then
! the douanler reappeared, and said to the
Mortified husband, Thank you, sir; it's a
good capture. The lady will be taken to
prison, and half the fine will go to you
This was painful adventure, but it does
not follow that all husbands are so incon-
siderate. nor that all ladies who smuggle
lace are caught"
A more amusing anecdote on this SUBJ
| iect was lately told at a public dinner by
| M. Ferdinand Duval, Prefect of the Seine.
| He said that the octroi men of Paris, who
| fI,o iniy horr