The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-08-10
TRICKS sMUGGLERS PLAY.

/ DhHm0U0H NtN0 IN DuNGu Nneeatf HuO t3Ihhh
in Bales of HOps-Susceptibie Customs
Inspectors who Yield to WOman's Wtles
--Queer Receptacles for Struggled Cigars
"A Chase after Conn.
"There is no end to the means snug
glers employ in their business" one OF
the Oldest custom house inspectors
said. "I have known them to bring
diamonds from Holland nicely packed
in the center of the celebrated cheese
of that country, and silverware, silks,
laces and diamonds from England
packed in bales of hops. Laces and
diamonds have also been brought into
this country tightly packed in the Gen.
ter of iron tubing.
"What goods can be most easily
smuggledT
"Laces and diamonds. There is
nothing that occupies less space than
hey do. They can easily be concealed
in false shoe soles and heels and in
wigs. Netice of the sailing of snug
glers from the other side is often re-
ceived here. In such cases they seldom
evade having their stuff confscated on
arriving here. The professional, as q
rule, has a confederate, who is ready to
Jump aboard at the first opportunity.
The two meet, go to the stateroom, and
while they are to all appearances effu-
sively showing. their gladness at meet
ing each other again, one is passing
laces or diamonds to the other. 1t is
as often done while surrounded by a
crowd"
"Who are the best smugglersY
Women as q general thing. Why {?
Because the manner in which they clothe
themselves enables them to conceal
many things from the most Argus eyed
searcher because they can call tears to
their aid at will, and tears, as perhaps
you know, are a mighty powerful argu-
ment with men, and, for that matter,
also with women because they are full
of Establishments and taking little ways,
which, particularly if they are pretty, a
fellow with any kind of soft heart
can't resist. Now, just you take O
handsome woman, handsomely dressed,
with fascinating conversational powers
and manners. By Jove! if she doesn't
get the best of a male inspector I'll
give it up. She'll first deny she has
any contraband goods, and play sweet
on him. If he proves obdurate, and,
for example, insists on examining her
trunks, she'll begin to cry, assert her
innocence of anything at all underhand,
and tell him how distressing it is for
lady to be subjected to such an indig-
nifty. What does he do? It all de-
pends upon the man. If he is hard
hearted and insensible to the charms of
a woman he will proceed with his ex-
animation of her luggage, and turn her
over to female searcher. If he is sus-
ceptible the fair one will gain her point.
''Cigar smugglers are troublesome A
great deal of ingenuity was displayed
some ten years ago by some profession
ais managed to catch. One day what
purported to be dead body was re-
moved from one of the Havana steam
ers. 1t was stated that the dead mans
relatives were Americans, and desiring
to have him buried here, had gone to
much expense in having the body
brought to this country. This state
ment was made by one of two men who
had the body in charge. have splen-
did memory for faces, and recognized
one of the two-or thought did-as a
man / had caught smuggling cigars
about five years before. At any rate,
my suspicious were aroused. came to
the conclusion there was something
wrong about the body. When an un-
dertakers wagon containing the body
drove away from the wharf jumped
into a cab and followed it, directing the
driver to keep it in sight, but to drive
right past it when it came to q final
stop. The cabman had done such work
for me before. and knew Just what was
wanted of him. The wagon pulled up
at house in Greenwich street. The
body was taken into the house, and l
drove down to the custom house. Ac-
companied by two inspectors, Ireturned
to the house within two hours. We first
represented ourselves rs health officers,
who had heard there was O man in the
house whe had died in Havana of yellow
fever. They said it was untrue, that he
had died Of h art disease, and refused
to allow us to examine the body. Then
/ told the two smugglers that we were
government officials, showing my badge,
and that believed the coffin was packed
full of cigars. They finally caved in.
another ingenious ruse was discov-
cred few years ago. AS I presume
you know, cedar is quite largely i'm
ported from Cuba. Small-sized logs
of this wood were procured by the
smugglers, which they sawed, or had
sawed, into boards, leaving, however,
one end of the logs uncut, so that the
planks were carefully removed, leaving
hollow space. This space was filled
with the finest kinds of cigars packed
in boxes, and the logs then carefully
tied together, giving them the appear
ance usual to cigar-box lumber sawed
into planks. The nature of this cedar
would not have been discovered had it
not been that while being removed from
the vessel here one of the logs was
thrown heavily on the pier and its con-
tents dislodged. If 1 remember cor
rectly there were fifty such packages.
Since then inspectors have always care
fully examined Cuban cedar imported
in such a shape. ."-Neto York Sun.