Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-11
SEARCHING WOMEN.


a QUEER COURT PLASTER.
From the New ork Mercury.
Mrs. Marie Louise Ellis, one of the
keerest and most successful of female
custom house inspectors in the United
States. was buried on Thursday last
from St. Paul's p. +. Church, Hobok-
en-. The deceased was once very we'll
off. and mixed with the upper ten of
Jersey City society. Her husband,
who is dead over twenty years, was a
we'll known and prosperous physician,
and Mrs. Ellis belonged to n wealthy
Virginia family. Except Mrs. Fer
ris, who is detailed at Castle Garden,
Mrs. Ellis was the oldest and had the
most experience of all the lady inspec-
tors employed. Being detailed to the
Bremen, Hamburg and Rotterdam
steamers docks, she went to reside at
No. II, Hudson Terrace, Hoboken,
some ten years ago. A large amount
of millinery work was done at Hobok-
en- some years ago and the surplus
product brought over to New York
for sale. The Hoboken milliners
could sell their goods made up cheaper
than the New York people in that
trade could procure the material, and
hence they always found ready mar
ket Mrs. Ellis soon possessed herself
with this fact, and determined to espe-
cially watch the German and French
miliners who resided in Hoboken and
who made frequent trips to Europe.
THE FIRST FRENCH PANNIERs,
which afterward became so fashionable
part of woman's dress, that appeared
in Hoboken, were worn by two millin-
ers on their return from Europe. To
Mrs Ellis keen eyes their capabilities
for smuggling were simply immense.
Mrs Ellis mentioned her suspicion to
the deputy appraiser, and the women
were detained. She then boldly tack
led one of them, who protested loudly
both at the indignity and the suspicion
that it conveyed, and having worked
herself up to a high state of virtuous
indignation, positively refused to allow
herself to be searched. 81 will give
YOU three minutes TO decide" said
Mrs. Ellis, deliberately taking out her
watch, "and if you don't allow me then
to search you, l vii call in one of the
men and he will
PERFORM THE OPERATION,
forcibly if necessary. Would it be
more agreeable to you for a man to
examine you?" she asked rather sar-
castically. The indignant and pseudo
honest milliner was cornered, but it
was hard struggle for her to give in.
She talked excitedly in broken Eng
lish, and denounced everything and
everybody connected with the customs
revenue until the three minutes had
expired. "Now," said Mrs. Ellis in a
decisive tone, "will / call in one of
the men ?" 1t was not until man had
actually entered the room that the
milliner suddenly signifed her inten-
ton to submit to the search of Mrs.
Ellis. The latter then made the pro-
mberant pannier the first object of at
tack, and she soon began to diminish
its proportions. She pulled out
BTLLows OF RICH LACE
and rolls of costly silks; piles of feath-
rs and any quantity of other ''trim-
nings." She took the stuffing out of
hat pannier with vengeance. She
bund the other milliner freighted with
somewhat similar cargo, with the
iddition of chatelaine and silk, watch
Aains and other jewelry. Mrs. Ellis
made the Hoboken milIiners familiar
b herself, so that she knew any of
hem as soon as she saw them on a
teamer that had just arrived. About
bis time she realized very handsomely
On the amount of goods she thus found
% the person, being allowed large
percentage. At the same time she fer
Fted out a veritable band of
FEMALE DIAMOND sMUGGLERs,
no had long been almost wholly sup.
wing the market with costly Jewels
)Hd gems, and who had defed all pre-
ous efforts to find them out. This
ade her a great favorite with the
oyernment, and made herself secure
her position, no matter how often
CntlcS might change the powers that
at the custom house.
aE HAD THRILLING ADVENTURE
m Miss Thompson, the celebrated |
eentrlc Scotch woman, about whom |
much has been written and publish
on the old-world side of the Atlantic.
f ihompson's eccentricities were as
larkable as she was herself in per-
al appearance and manner. 1t is
short time ago that the papers
laIned accounts of how she bought
house in Edinburgh, and had a set |
lolid gvld shoes made for her by the |
- prominent ieweler of that quaint |