The Press., 1883-11-08
Tag TRICKS or. CLEVER smUGeLERs.

1.-The trouble aDOut INIT. I.1TNMSS prop critics" said a custom house offieial the other day, ssreminds me of a curious case which came under my notice some few wears ago. was an examiner in those days and cultivated that sixth sanse, which all capable examiners acquire, whereby they can tel at a glance whether or not the homeward- bound traveller is trying to 'brat' the government One day my attention was called to a remarkably well dress d and rather attractive-looking woman who arrived on Cunarder. No, sir F I am a married man and 1t was. not her looks, as you suggest, but Der trunks which attract ed me- They were numerous and capa- cious and when opened displayed garment after garment of the richest materials and most fashionable design. To my mute glance of astonishment at her declaration that no dutiable articles were among them she calmly took the ground from beneath my feet by saying that she was an actress add her wardrobe was, therefore, exempt from duty as tools of trad. I must con- fess that still felt dubious, but my doubts were dissipated when, with much lndlgna- ton at my repeated hints, she produced a contract signed by one of the leading New York managers engaging her for season of sorty weeks, I apologized as we'll as could aud she departed with an indignant whirl of her petite oats.
 s'That night chanced to be standing in the lobby of the theater owned by the manager whose signature was at the bot tom of the contract l had scanned Ill the morning. sFine-looking woman, your new actress ? I. What new actress 1? said he. Why, Miss - said I, mentioning the name of the lady with the trunks. What are you giving us ? retorted the manager. T never heard the name in my life.' l turned hot and cold by turns for a humll- far1ng sense of the plan by which had been done for flashed across me. went behind the scenes and saw the manager S partner to make sure, and then l started off-10 o'clock at night and raining cats and dogs. .-..-
 'sIt would not do to tell you the means I used to obtain my ends, for those are of ficial secrets it is enough to 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. She was one of the leading dressmakers of this city and would have netted by her clever little scheme good many hundred dol lars if it had only worked-but 1t didn't, so she got six months and fine of $5,O00 instead. She dikn'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 occasionaD. Cor instance, we received word from Europe about two, years ago that man, of whom an accurate descrip- ton was given, would leave England on a certain steamer and probably would at tempt to smuggle large quantity of dia- monds over here with him. He would travel with 8 female companion, we were teld, but her description was not sent to us. The case was one which promised good results, so and an inspector weat down on the revenue cutter and boarded the ship at quarantine as private citizens. We soon spotted our man and kept an eye on him and watched all his movements and the movements df the fair haired dam sel whose shawls he was carrying, as a cat watches a mouse. When we landed every article was turned out of his trunks and closely examined. The trunks them selves were measured and prodde1 and tapped and still no diamonds appeared. In spite of his struggles and far from bib. hcal language he himself was searched in the most thorough manner. Then came the lady's turn and she was put through precisely the same process with the same ungratifying results, though the language she used, if as pointed as his, was less strongly compounded. As no diamonds or anything else of a dutiable nature was found we had to let the pair go, though I was convinced that in some inscrutable manner he had succeeded in hoodwinking us. So indeed it turned out. We had done all we could and save for trifing error, as we afterward discovered, would have prevented jewels worth $85, 900 con- ing into this country free of duty"
 "What was the error ?"
 "We searched the wrong woman. His real companion had slipped quietly away unrecognized by him while we had sub jected to, from her point of view, unpar- alleled indignities, the wife of prominent actor whom our smuggling friend had shown some slight attention to on the voy- age" ---. yssg.sssss4E
 ''Did you hear anything more of them ?"
 ."Yes, her husband threateIed to bring suit.''
 "Of the diamonds, mean" .rs >'Oh, yes, I am wearing one now. The jeweler I boug Int 1t from told me the whole story after had made my purchase P