West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-12-25
FEMALE CUSTOMS INSPECTORS.
Something Concerning This work in the
Detection OF Fraud.


Meeting lady employed in the
custom-house, l asked her TO give me
an idea OF her pay and duties. TO
which she consented. She said: 1t
is generally supposed that the pay of
lady in the custom-house is so large
AS to enable her to retire wealthy in
the course OF few years, but. the
truth is, we receive about seventeen
dollars week. upon which we must
maintain ourselves and families. Hus-
bands? Oh, no, there are no husbands
allowed us. No married woman
could obtain n situation. i'm the Gus
tom -housc, and single woman would
be dismissed II she were to marry
while in the service OF the Govern.
ment We are obliged TO pay our own
car-fare, although when we are re-
Qnlred very late at night, or in very
bad weather, Il carriage is frequently
sant for US, We are often on duty far
away nom homo at meal times. and
on such occasions are compelled To
patronize the restaurants, which makes
quite an item in our expenses.
1--WE are given percentage upon
any contrabaud goods seized by as.
What makes these Government posi-
Jions So much I'm demand is the abSo-
hItc certainty OF the pay and the al
! most equal certainty that the employ
ment, once obtained, will be perman-
ent. There are eight only Of us lady
inspectors in New York, aud among
us we divide the work Of inspecting
every vessel arriving on this coast, so
you may believe none OF us are idle.
1T would be dangerous for woman
| TO go alone at one or two o'clock i'm the
morning TO some OF the docks we have
To go to, therefore Il man is always sent
TO take us to the vessel and accompany
rs home again IL we go back before
daylight. The most irlsome part OF
the duty Of lady Inspector is tl,at she
has never an hour that she may call
hor own. She never dare make an ap-
! pointment to go out over an hour, or
| go Ia matinee, or even TO church, for
fear that a dispatch may arrive in her
absence telling her 10 be at such dock
TO inspect namcd) vessel. I'm thirty
| five minutes after receiving the tele-
| gram she must be nc the place indi-
| Gated.
1--WE are rowed out to the vessel, and
as i'm winter the weather is cold and
often stormy, the exposure is trying to
the health, and disagreeable task
| even 60 the most robust Nevertheless.
| once "A lady gets into berth i'm the Gus
tonr-housc-- most difficult thing to
accomplished stays There are no
designations aud very rarely death,
so that 10 may be said that there are
never any vacancies.
"a woman must be born detective
In In s.I II.
know almost the first time she laws
eyes upon lady whether or not she
mas any smuggled goods i'm her posses
sion: Then, when it comes to search
ing woman, it requires great deal
Jt tact and delicacy TO carry Your point
and yet give no just cause for com
| plant. The frmness! dear mel Some
| Of them beg so hard not To be entirely
lcnuded that IL would melt heart OF
stone.
"What are usually secreted in n lady's
iress? Oh, diamonds aud other precious
tones. They conceal these everywhere
in the hair and in the paddings of the
lress; in the seams Of the clothing and
N the shoes They have shoes made
Is If for large buniOns, which they ill
With precious stones. The Italians are
natural born smugglers, and smugglo
oral chiefly. First and second-cabin
passengers smuggle by proxy now
more generally than in person.
''Steerage passengers are not re-
Wired 10 declare their goods, so that
many people who want TO smuggle
ight bat valuable goods like lace and
liamonds pay the passage over OF
tcerage passenger on condition Of his
= her getting through certain contra
jand articles. IL is rather risky. be-
ause the trusted person may walk of
With the goods, and the owner can not
ecOyer them. or if he docs, 10 is only
have them nabbed by the custom
Ouse officers, but there is less risk Of
election in the Storage than in the
lbin.
Il remember an amusing incident:
gentleman returning frOnt Europe
rOught back half dozen gold watches
presents To his family. How 10 es-
ape paying duty on them tOrRented
is mind until he was nearing his ma
We land. Having become we'll ac-
uainted during the voyage with six
snticmen who had no watches. he
5ked each one TO wear a watch until
q got ashore. They all consented.
our Of them brought the watches
>fOre unchallcngcd by the officers.
ut the other two vamosed with the
5atchcs, leaving the gentleman to
rake the best Of his loss.
"Had he made any row or arrested
ne thieves he would have betrayed
nat he himself was trying 10 defraud
ne Government
Among the other accomplishments
Il lady Inspector must be- a knOwl-
dge Of languages, unless she wishes to
. put 10 great Inconvenience and con-
iderablc expense in feeling interpret
rs. Immigrants arrive here from
very place under the sun. a lady
sarcher has got 90 converse with them
IT. Among the -teeraQc passengers a
knowledge Of the various p0tois Of a
anguage is as necessary as Of the pure
tongue itself ~ T. EOTld
Violating His Contract