The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-12-15
EIGHT LADY INSPECTORS.
Their Duties in the New York
Custom House.
What the Search for Struggled Goods
Sometimes Reveals.

course of a few years, but the truth is,
we receive about seventeen dollars a
week, upon which we must maintain
ourselves and families. Husbandsp
Oh, no, there are no husbands allowed
Us. No married woman could obtain
q situation inthe Custom-House, and
ifsingle woman would be dismissed if
)Bhe were to marry while in the ser
vice of the Government. We are
obliged to pay our W car-fare. al
though when we are required very
late-a at night or in very bad weather a
carriage is frequently sent for us. We
are often on duty far away from home
at meal times and on such occasions
are compelled to %patronize the restau-
rants. which makes quite an item in
our expenses.
"We are given a percentage upon
any .contraband goods seized by us.
What makes these Government posi-
tions 81 much in demand is the abso-
Lutte certainty of the pay and the al
most equal certainty hat the employ
ment, once obtained, will be perma-
nent. There are eight only of us
lady inspectors in New York and
among US we divide the work of in
speeding every vessel arrivingQn this
coast, so you may believe none of US
are idle.
1T would be dangerous for a WON
an to go alone at l or 2 o'clock in the
morning to some of the docks we have
to 60 to, therefore a man is always
sent to take US to the vessel and &C
company us home again if we do not
go back before daylight. The most
irksome part of the duty of a lady in
spector is that she never has an hour
that she may call her own. She new
er dare make an appointment to go
out for over an hour or go to a matt
nee, or even to church for fear that a
dispatch may arrive in her absence
telling her to be at such and such a
dock to- inspect a named vessel. In
thirty-five minutes after receiving the
telegram she must be at the place
indicated.
1--WE are r9Wed out to the vessels,
and in winter the weather is cold and
often stormy, the exposure is trying to
the health. and adisagreeable task even
to the most robust. Nevertheless
once a lady gets into a berth in the
Custom House-a most difficult thing
to accomplish-she stays. There are
no designations and very rarely a death.
80 that it may be said that there are
never any vacancies.
"a woman must be a born detective
to make a good inspector. She should
know almost the first time she lays
eyes upon a lady whether or not she
has any struggled goods in her posses
sion. Then, when it comes to search
ing a woman, it requires a great deal
of tact and delicacy to carry your
point and yet give no just cause for
complaint. And firmnessl dear me!
Some of them beg 80 hard not to be
entirely denuded that it would melt a
heart of stone. +
What are usually secreted in a
lady's dress? Oh, diamonds and other
precious stones. They conceal these
everywhere in the hair and in the pad
dings of the dress, in the seams of the
clothing and in the shoes. They have
shoes made as if for large bunions,
which they fill with precious stones.
The Italians are natural born SNUG
glers, and smuggle coral chiefly. First
and second-cabin passengers smuggle
by proxy, now more generally than in
person.
"Steerage passengers are not re-
CURED to declare their goods, 80 that
many people who want to smuegle
light but valuable goods, like lace and
diamonds pay the passage over of a
Storage passenger. on condition of his
or her getting through certain contra
band articles. It is rather risky, be-
cause the trusted person may walk off
with the goods, and the owner cannot
recover them, or If he does, it is only
TO have them nabbed by the Custom
House officers, but there is less risk of
detection in the steerage than in the
cabin.
II remember an amusing incident:
"A. gentleman returning from Europe