Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1885-02-25
DEVICES OF SMUGGLERS,
Dutiable Articles that Are In
tercepted in the Mails.
A Sharp Trick Frustrated to Evade the
Duty on Silk Stockings

ou VIII De surprised W near Vi
the curious assortment of dutiable ar
ticles that are intercepted in the
steamship mails from foreign post.
offices" said prominent official of the
eustom-house to reporter for the New
York Morning Journal.
1.-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 sonders 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
smuggling, 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 postollce
bureau. Not long ago a package
which was directed to Maiden
lane diamond dealer was found to con-
tain several thousand dollars worth of
uncut diamonds. Heput $500 duties
on them. Hundreds of packages con-
tanning cats-eyes, r1bies, canoes,
intaglios, emeralds, and sapphires suf-
Gcient to stock goodsized 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 rcd and one
black silk stock ing 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
Jomnal 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 Struggled articles. One book
arranged in this way disclosed, on be-
ing opened, three gold bracelets, two
watch chains. two lociets, set of
sleeve-buttons, five gold pins, and two
necklaces. This collection was on its
way to lady in Cincinnati. 1t was
appraised at 1894. One mail will
BRING the first part of book and the
lext mail the rest of it, but this trick
ior 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 postotlice over the regular
way Of importing is that no brokerage,
warehouse, carriage, or entry fees are
required.