The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1884-07-12

STORIES or rnE CUSTOM HOUSE.

I viii -whoh.ho' llOl llclp' Police! buF-
n J. mrle,ie. IN ttlcr tb'eucr
- . -
STORIES or THE CUSTOM HOUSE.
Custom llo lso officers are not often
loqtlacous. When they board ~ IN
coming steamer from Liverpool they
are usually reserved and do not allow
themselves TO be nOlcd by any pleas
antries Of the passengers They scarce.
~ notice anything that Is said TO them,
aud hide their vigilance under II quiet
demcanor. meanwhile, however scru-
tiuzing each person with impartial sus-
piclon.
At no time Is the smugglcr so likely
TO bctray himself rs during the period
between the coming on board Of these
officers and the arrival II the vessel nj
her wharf. However confident he may
have been while nj sea, he now feels
that within few hours nll his carefully
hatched plans may bo frustrated, all
his valuabcs conliscntud. and he
himself put In prison. The tedious
process nj steaming ut half-speed up
the channel, the inspection by thu med
ical officers at quarantine, and the de-
lays In bringing the big steamer 10 her
moorings, cha'e him; aud remembering
how much he has at stake, he must be
possessed Of great powers of dlsslmula-
iions in order Ia conceal his anxiety
Tho strain IL severe for many, who
would succeed In escaping with their
contraband articles II by their nervous
ness they did not attract tho attention
of tho Custom House officers.
Some time ago n passenger landed
from steamer in New York aud sub
mittnd his trunks To tho inspector.
Nothing duliablo was discovered IN
them, and they were at once passed by
the officer. But the owner could not
control himself, and he broke into n
profusc perspiration. Ills person was
then searched, and two valuable watch.
cs wcro found concealed unhcr his arm.
pilsl
On another occasion. n lady succeed
I'D in getting her trunks passed. but no
sooner had tho chalk.mark, thai would
have cleared them, been put upon them
than she tainted. The tension on her
nerves hal been greater than she could
endure. and when u second oxamina-
tion was made. each Of the trunks was
found To have n false bottom In which
diamonds 10 the yaluo ~ twenty thou
sand dollars were hidden.
Tho officer who related these incl
dents 10 me was sitting before his own
fire. with his slippers ON. and was less
iacitum than ho would have been on
duty.
''Ycs. sir" no said, "thoy give them.
selves away, especially when they arc
inexperienced and unused 10 doing dis
honorable things. Folks who would
never dream Of cheating a neighbor.
will not shrink or blush IN defrauding
the revenue, and the way they will lie
Is the pitiful part Of II.
"We'rc not disposed IN 90 as far as
the law allows us, aud willingly pass
some articles on which duty should be
charged, provided we feel sure they are
not imported 10 bc sold. but In nine
cases out Of ten when we ask passen-
ger II he has anything dutiable. he will
declare positively that he has nothing
Mt all, though he may have Saratoga
crammcd with articles liable TO soialr,
jewelry. bric-a-brac, and unworn
clothing.
"ln order 10 save duties which would
not amount 10 more than fifty or hun
| dred dollars, n man 10 whom that sun
Is of little account, will perjuro himself
and fret himself for days with tho feal
Of discovery. Even Il no escapes dc
lection, he can not escape his own con
science.
Zone curious thing about Il all. v
added the officer. ais that when n mar
Ia discovered he Is abashed and con
tritc. but when n woman II found out
even In the most barefaced attempt u
smugglc. she Is always saucy and de
iiant: she will not admit that she 4
wrong, and will weep and protest tina
she Is the victim of monstrous injus
iico. When chlgnons were worn. vi
once took ono on woman's head nm,
found several thousand dollars wortl
of precious stones concealed In IL Shl
was n buxom person. but when hun
droi yards Of Brussels laco hnd beet
unrollcd from her she was not 80 fat ~
she had seemed ,o be-. Even while thcs,
proofs Of her guilt were before us. shl
protested that she was innocent. and de
clsred that we were no better thai
| thieves and rut-thrpats"
The idea Of n chlgnon being used 70
the concealment Of contraband article
amused US 80 much that the Office
added Stranger things than the
worc have been used. What do yol
think ~ baby?
"Tnerr was millner who used :,
cross the OCEAN very often milliner
are frequently smugglers aud she gen
orally brought back enough lacs an'
fine dresses for her customers 10 max
her summer vacation q very profitable
ope. A. she became reckless, we n
last caught her. aud seized tho whole o
her baggage. This seemed 10 discour
agr her, aud the next summer she diI
not cross, but the following year sh
resumed her voyagcA
Meanwhile she had been marrfe'
and had baby. which she took to ~
rope with her. When she returned sh
was In high spirits. and was not NJ n
put out when we examined her hagRag
with unusual thoroughness. indeed. 81,
secmsh to regard u ~ jots. and eve
pruposed that one of the women ron
nectnd with the Custom HOUSE shuul
sesr,h her person Nothing that sh
vas not ehlillcd 10 have could be foun
about her.
"As she was leaving the wharf i
great gDoi.humor. however. ! locke
n the baby which she was carrying I
her arms. A fine child. | said. Al