Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-07

you will be surprised to hear of the
curious assortment of dutiable articles
that are intercepted in the steamship
mails from foreign postoffices, said
prominent official of the custom house
to a reporter for the New York Norm
| ing journal.
The post is favorite medium with
persons in Great Britain, France, Ger
I many, and other countries for shipping
presents to friends in the United States.
The senders do not think of the duties
| to be paid when they forward their
packages. but under the customs laws
and regulations presents of merchant
able value are classed as dut able, like
goods imported in the regular way.
Tradesmen in London, Paris, Berlin.
and other European capitals use the
| mails pretty freely to send samples and
goods of small bulk to American GUS
| toners.
Ladies find an easy, cheap, and
safe way of putting into letters and
| newspapers articles of fashion, knick-
knacks and mementoes from the old
world. The mails are also used for in
territorial smuggling, but it is some
times difficult to distinguish between
smuggling and legitimate importations.
Diamonds. watches. the precious stones
and jewelry of all kinds are intercept
ed by Mr.. j. NJ. Wilson. of the post
| Office bureau. Not long ago pack
age which was directed to a Maiden
lane diamond-dealer was found to con-
tain several thousand dollars worth of
uncut diamonds. He paid $500 duty
on them. Hundreds of packages con-
| tanning cat 's-eyes, rubies, canoes, in
taglios, cmeralds. and sapphires suffi-
cient to stock a good sized jewelry
store are constantly received.
"Laces, kid gloves, silk stockings,
silk handkerchiefs, and other light ar
ticles are enclosed in newspapers and
pamphlets. They are inclosed so that
it is hard TO detect them. A pair of
silver sardine tongs going to Califor-
MIA was recently found hidden in a
| package of pamphlets. In an English
newspaper were discovered ladies' silk
stockings, one black and one red. Ac-
cording to the revenue law these might
be taken as samples and entered free.
| A trick was suspected and the articles
were ueIdlneu- Inc next StedlueT
mail contained newspaper addressed
TO the same person. In it were folded
one red and one black silk stocking to
match the others. The lady to whom
| they were addressed lived on Murray
Hill. She was sent for and paid the
duty"
The genial official also told the Jour
| nal reporter that old bibles and books
were used to send watches and other
| jewelry, the leaves being cut out and
spaces followed out to hold the snug
| gled articles. One book arranged in
| this way disclosed, on being opened.
| three gold bracelets, two watch chains,
| two lockets, a set of sleeve-buttons, five
gold pins, and two necklaces. This
collection was on its way to lady in
Cincinnati. 1t was appraised at 1884.
| One mail viii bring the first part OF a
book and the next mail the rest of it,
| but this trick for getting books in free
| is rarely successful, and many authors,
clergynlen, and other professional men
have come 10 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
reuuired.