News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-11-08
ABOUT SMUGGLING.
SOME OF THE DEVICES USED no
HOODWINk CUSTOMS OFFICERS.
The Tricks OF Clever Sm uggIers-An In.
>pectGr's Recital.
from the New York Tribune. !

LFrom the New York Tribune
1.-The trouble about Mr.. Irving's prop
critics, said a Custom House official the
other day, ''reminds me Of Il curious
c2Se which came under my notice some
lew years ago. | was an examiner IL
those days and cultivated that sixth
sense, which all capable examiners &c.
quIre, whereby they can tell Mt a glance
whether or not the homeward- bound
traveller Is irving to beat the Govern
ment. One day my attention was called
to remarkably well dressed and rather
misunderstanding woman who arrived
on CUnarder. No, sir an mar
rled man and IT was not her looks, as YOU
suggest, but her trunks which attracted
me. They were numerous and capaciOus
and when opened displayed garment
after garment of the richest materials
anst most fashionable design. To my
mute glance of establishments Mt her dee
laratiOn that no dutiable articles were
among them she camly took the ground
from beneath my feet bv saving that she
was an actress and her wardrobe was,
therefore, exempt from duty as tools
of trade | must confess that I still felt
dubious, but my doubts were dissipateJ
when, with much indignation at my re
peated hints, she produced q contract
signed by one of the leading New York
managers engaging her for Il season OF
forty weeks. L apolOgiZed rs well rs I
could and she departed with an indig-
uant whirl of her petticoats, which spoke
volumes.
''That night I CHANGED to be standing
in the lobby of the theater owned bv
the manager whose signature was at the
bottom Of the contract l had scanned
in the morning. 'Fine-looking woman,
your new actress, said I. what new
actress? = said he. Why, Miss --,
said I. mentioning the name Of the lady
with the franks what are Won giving
Us ? retOrtcd the manager. 1 never
heard the name in my life I turned
hot and cold by turns for a humiliating
sense of the plan by which I had been
done for flashed across me- I went he
hind the scenes and saw the managers
partner to make sure. and then I started
ott-lO o'clock at night and raining eats
and dogs.
1T would not do TO tell You the
means l used to obtain my ends. for
these are official secrets: it is enough
t. say that shortly after midnight | had
all the goods in the custody Of one of
my men and my lady herself safe under
lock and KEY. Size was one of the lead
ing dressmakers of this city and would
have Melted by her clever little scheme
a good many hundred dollars if it had
only worked-bUt 1t didn't, so she got
six months and fine of s., goo instead.
She didn't pay the fine because she
couldn't, but she was ruined all the
same and has since left New York.
"A man gets pretty sharp, but we slip
up occasionally. For instance, we re-
ceived word from Europe about two
years ago that a man, of whom an ac-
crate description was given, would
leave England on a certain steamer and
probably would attempt to smuggle
large quantity of diamonds over here
with HIM. He would travel with a fe-
male companion, We we're told, but her
description was not sent to us. The
case was one which promised good re-
suits, 50 ! and an Inspector went down
on the revenue cutter and boarded the
snip ut quarantine rs private citizens
We soon spotted our man aud kept an
eye ON him and watched all his move
meuts and the movements of the fair
haired damsel whose shawls he was
When we landed every article was
turned out of his trunks and closely ex-
amined. The trunks themselves were
measured and prodded and tapped and
still no diamonds appeared. In spite of
his struggles and far from Biblical
EHg'LH-. aa himself Es.fs searched fH the
most thorough manner. Then came the
e. ~. .Erf .lss she WAS r,-.r rrr-a7-.-t.
precisely tho same process with tlu Sam,
ttllfEt' 90 ing results though tTr +" ..~rufr
81. ....L IF i,s-5e8 F- Hr- wa. 'r-.
Strongly compounded. A. no diamonds I
or anything else of dutiabIe nature /
was found we had to let the pair go, /
though L was convinced that in some in
scrutable manner he had succeeded in
houdwInklug Us. So indeed it turned
out. Nehad done att we could and save
Tor trltilug error, a we afterward dis
covered, would have prevented Jewels
worth 50, 300 coming into this country
free Of Guty."
W nat was the error 2"
Eve searched the wrong woman. His
real companion had slipped quietly away
unrecoguized by him while we had sub
Jected to, from her point of view, uuDar-
alIeled ndlgntIes, the wife OF a prumi- /
nent actor whom our SMUGGLING friend .
mad shown some slight attention to on /
the voyage.
Did You hear anything more of /
them?"
Yes, her husband threatened to bring
suit.
cot the diamonds, l mean.
'Oh, YES, | am wearing one now. The |
Ieweler l bought it from told me the
whole story GJtcr had made my pur-
chase %