The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-11-06
Tricky Naval Officers.
HOW THEY GET THEIR WINES AND CT
CARS WITHOUT PAYING DUTY
A SENATOR WHO
WAS CAUGHT
SMUGGLING

NAVY, eaiu u IeduinS lTcasuTy oillcial
recently to a newspaper correspondent
"are the greatest smugglers among
American citizens. Go into their
homes here in Washington and you will
find them filled with objects of vertu,
fine pictures, bronzes and Turkish rugs
which they have picked up in foreign
countries and smuggled past the Gus
tom House. Their cellars are stocked
with choice wines which they have
gotten in the same way, and the fine
cigars they smoke cost them about
half price when they come in, as they
often do, on our naval vessels from
Cuba. 1t used to be and not long ago
that naval officers sold cigars to their
friends here, and q curious case OF
smuggling cigars happened year OF
80 ago. A merchant vessel was sent
by the navy to Havana to- bring back
to the United States some ship-wre
ed sailors. While there they obtained
hold'of lot Of. cheap cigars, which they
bought in such quantities that they
corded them up in great pile on the
deck. Over this pile, which looked
very much like cord of wood, they
threw lot of old sail cloth, and when
the Custom officers asked them if they
had any dutiable goods on board they
pointed to this pile, and said it con
tanned cigars. The Custom officer
thought they were being guyed, and
did not look at them.
"Twenty-two years ago. the Treas
ury officer went on, "the Trenton ap-
peared off the coast near Norfolk. 1t
stopped at Fortress Monroe and land
ed wagon load of goods. One of the
officers of the customs Department saw
the landing, but he was unseen by the
naval officers. He suspected that the
boxes and trunks contained dutiable
goods, and determined to be on hand
when they arrived at the express Office.
Fearing the advent Of a Customs Off
Ger, they hurried the goods on to a
wagon that afternoon and rushed them
over to the nearest express office-I
think it was at Newport News. Here
they found theIofficer ready to receive
them. He seized the goods and found
them addressed to leading naval Off
cials Of Washington and elsewhere.
Upon examination the goods were
found dutiable and the United States
was paid $500 in duties before they
were released.
"At the time of the Yorktown cele-
bration it was the Trenton, you will re-
member. which was sent over to the
old country to bring the foreign guests,
While over there the officers in charge
of her picked up great amount If
dutiable goods, and it is said that a
well-known Lieutenant of Washington
stocked his cellars from the trip with
enough wine to last for years.
81 was in Canada not long ago.
continued this officer, " on business
connected with the United States
Government, and while there l sailed
in revenue cutter from Toronto down
to Quebec and landed at Halifax. Here
some of the officers of the cutter want
ed few cigars for present use. We
were directed to very nice establish
ment. AS soon as the owner knew
that we were connected with the gov,
ernment he asked us into very nice
ly-furnished back parlor and brought
us many samples of fine cigars, liquors
and brandies. These | sampled, and
knew they were very fine. The prices
of his old Scotch whiskey and Hen
messy were, l remember, about half
what they cost in the United States.
lie said 4: 'Of course You will want to
load up here. You can get these
good. ..for half what they will cost you
in the United States, and we are doing
big trade with the navy. Four ships
of the United States navy have been
here this season, and | have sold the
officers of all of them large orders. He
then mentioned the names of the ships,
but | cannot give you these. ] rem
ember only that one was the Alliance,
and think another was the.Tennessee.
We told HIM that we were government
officers, and it was against the law
~ suppose, ~ said ], "lhat most of
the smuggling done now is done in
petty way 2
"Yes.' was his reply, "there are few
vessels engaged in smuggling, but
there is great deal of individual
work. Many men in the country get
their clothes from Canada. They send
their measure TO a Canadian tailor and
he agrees to smuggle him the flushed
clothes. Gloves and cigars are Snug
gled in from Cuba, and smuggled ci-
gars are sold in nearly every city OF
prominence in the South. You can
get a Havana cigar at Charleston for
twelve cents which will cost you
twenty five cents in New York. and
wines are cheaper in New Orleans
than anywhere else in the United
States, A great deal of smuggling is
done by European travellers. The
daughter of patent medicine million
aire lately came home from Europe
with forty two trunks, which contain
ed $4,000 worth of new dresses
Under a new ruling of the department
this could not be made dutiable. Had
duty been charged it would have
amounted to about $4,000. But am
speaking of naval officers as smugglors
Mr.. Clark the Chief of the Revenue
Marine, in report upon the subject OF
transferring his branch of the service to
the Navy Department, in 1888, speaks
of the smuggling of naval officers. lie
says that in five years naval office's
smuggled in over 100000 worth OF
goods at their own appraisement, ard
that fifty naval officers were engaged
in smuggling, He saws that duliug
tlis time forty-two packages were sci.
cd at the express offices where they