St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-06
sMUGGLERs DEVICES.
A't attempt to EUade the Duty on SiiE
Stockings.

A't attempt to EUdde the Duty on SitE
Stockings.
''You will be surprised to hear Of the
curious assortment of dutiable articles that
are intercepted in the steamship mails from
foreign postotiices," said prominent Off
cial of the custom-house to q reporter for the
New York Morning Journal.
''The post is favorite medium with
persons in Great Britain, France, Germany,
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 customs laws and regulations
presents of merchantable value are classed
as dutiable, like goods imported in the regu-
lar way. Tradesmen in London, Paris,
Berlin, and other European capitals use the
mails pretty regularly to send samples Of
goods OF small bulk to American customers.
Ladies' find easy, cheap, and safe way
OF putting into letters and newspapers
articles Of fashion, knick-knacls and me-
mentoes from the old world. The mails are
also used for intentional smuggling, but it is
difficult to distinguish between smuggling
and legitimate importations. Diamonds,
watches, and precious stones and jewelry of
all kinds are int rcepted by Mr.. j. NJ. Will
son, of the postofiice bureau. Not long ago
package which was directed to by a Maiden
lane diamonddealer was found to 0ntain
several thousand dollars worth of uncut
dilmOnds. He paid $500 duties on them.
Hundreds Of packages containing cat's-eyes,
rubes' cameos intagllos, emeralds and
sapphires sufficient to stock a 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 news
paper were discovered ladies' silk stockings,
one black and one red. According to the
revenue law these might be taken samples
and entered free. A trick was suspected
and the articles were detained. The next
steamers mail contained newspaper ad-
dressed 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 Journal re-
porter 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 Struggled articles. One book arranged
in this way disclosed, on being opened,
three gold bracelets, two watch-chains. two
lockets, set of seeve-buttons. five gold
pins and two necklaces. This collection
was on its way to a lady in Cincinnati. 1t
was appraised at 1884. One mail will bring
the first part of book and the next mail
the rest of it, but this trick for getting books
in free is rarely successful, 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 advan-
tages of putting goods through the postoffce
over the regular way of importing is that no
brokerage. warehouse, carriage or entry fees
are required.