The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1885-02-26
DEVICES OF SMUGGLERS.
Dutiable Articles that Are In
tercepted in the Mails.
A Sharp Trick Frustrated to Evade the
Duty on Silk Stockings

the curious assortment of dutiable ar
ticles that are intercepted in the
steamship mails from foreign post
offices" said prominent official of the
custom-house to reporter for the New
York Morning Journal.
"The post is favorite medium with
persons in Great Britain, France. Ger
many and other countries for shipping
presents to friends in the United
States. The senders probably do not
think of the duties to be paid when
they forward their packages, but under
the custom laws and regulations pres
ents of merchantable value are classed
as dutiable. like goods imported in the
regular way. Tradesmen in London,
Paris, Berlin, and other European
capitals use the mails pretty regularly
to send samples and goods of small
bulk to American customers.
"Ladies find an easy, cheap and safe
way of putting into letters and news
papers articles of fashion. knick-knacks
and mementoes from the old world.
The mails are also used for intentional
muggling, but it is sometimes difficult
to distinguish between smuggling and
Legitimate importations. Diamonds,
watches, and precious stones and
jewelry of all kinds are intercepted by
Mr.. j. NJ. Wilson, of the postoffice
bureau. Not long ago a package
which was directed to a Maiden
lane diamond dealer was found to con-
tain several thousand dollars worth of
uncut diamonds. He put $500 duties
on them. Hundreds of packages con-
tanning cat's-eyes, rnbies, canoes,
intaglios, emeralds, and sapphires suf-
fcient to stock good-sized jewelry
store are constantly received.
"Laces. kid gloves, silk stockings,
silk handkerchiefs, and other light
articles are inclosed in newspapers
and pamphlets, They are inclosed
so that it is hard to detect them.
A pair of silver sardine tongs going to
California was recently found hidden
in a package of pamphlets. In an
English newspaper were discovered
ladies' silk stockings, one black and
one red. According to the revenue
law these might be taken as samples
and entered free. A trick was sus-
pected and the articles were detained.
The next steamers mail contained
newspaper addressed to the same per-
son. In it were folded one red and one
black silk stocking to match the others.
The lady to whom they were address,
ed lived on Murray Hill. She was
sent for, and paid the duty
The genial official also told the
Journal reporter that old bibles and
books were used to send watches and
other jewelry, the leaves being cut out
and spaces followed out and used to
hold the smuggled articles. One book
arranged in this way disclosed, on be-
ing opened, three gold bracelets, two
watch chains, two lockets, a set of
,leeve-buttons, five gold pins, and two
necklaces. This collection was on its
way to lady in Cincinnati. 1t was
appraised at 1884. One mail will
,ring the first part of book and the
lext mail the rest of it, but this trick
sor getting books in free is rarely sue
,essful, and many authors, clergymen,
and other professional men have come
to grief in their efforts to secure
valued volumes at slight cost.
About the holidays the mails are
heavily burdened with dutiable goods.
The advantages of putting goods
through the postoflice over the regular
way of importing is that no brokerage,
warehouse, carriage, Or entry fees are
required.