The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1886-08-07
Diamonds i'm Her Teeth.

| mysterious DclngS. lney QlSllKe to talk,
but the word smuggle often sets their
tongues a-wagging.
will relate an experience myself
and three assistants once had with an
expert diamond smuggler some time
since, gray CUSTOMS man,
'and then you'll see both how easy and
difficult it is to smuggle.
The story was told in graphic man.
ner, as follows: Three large diamond
dealers in Chicago employed a young
Frenchman, who was considered an ex-
pert at smuggling, to procure for them
$42, 900 worth of the finest first water
gems. In some way the heavy purchase
| became known to a detective in Paris,
who cabled to the officers here to watch
for the smuggler. The purchase con-
sisted of Io7 fine stones, and the detec-
tive in Paris had straight tip from
shoemaker that the Frenchman's high
| heels contained the gems.
He arrived and was politely conduct
ed to private examination room. Off
came the boots and the Frenchman
grew pale as pearl. The heels were
sounded and in minute later one
thickness of leather was taken off. Out
rolled piece of tissue paper and fifty
eight fine white stones. The French
man appeared crazy. He fumed, swore
and almost wept. In the other heel the
remaining gems, forty-nine in number,
were found. The Frenchman put on
his boots, and seemingly dazed, walked
away.
He was 'cute 'un.' The gems
were the finest 'Parisian, worth $40 a
peck, and the real article was snugly
encased in his big box toes. He paid
his shoemaker handsomer price than
the sharp detective. Those gems are in
Chicago now, and the bogus ones adorn
| hundred shirt fronts in the custom
house.
Women Yes, they are the best
smugglers of all; any custom-house Of
ficer will confim this fact. They have
more ingenuity than men and more in
nocence wherewith to look the examiner
calmly in the eye. How many ladies
who 60 regularly abroad and pay their
expenses by smuggling is not and never
will be known. They are many, never
theless.
SOME OF THE CITE -noDcEc surE--
on the tariff enforcers is related of
young and pretty lady who lived and
probably still lives in Boston. She had
gone to Berlin on visit during her trip
abroad and while there saw four beau
tiful diamonds. Her means would just
allow her to purchase them and pay her
way home. In her dilemma she con-
ceived plan. Four large cavities were
bored into her four largest teeth, the
gems covered over and she departed
The duties would have cost her $o7o,
but she smiled on the officer who made
the examination and passed innocently
| from the wharf.
Large quantities of diamonds, pearls
and rubies are frequently baked in bread,
sold with an understanding to the stew
ard, who sees that they are so dry and
hard at the end Of the voyage that he
must give it to 'longshoreman who has
a large and hungry family. AS long
shoremen don't feed their families on
| -AL-L-a-.-.---------- -.~-S-
its contents placed in little chamois-skin
bags and carried to the honest dealer in
gems.
When the gems are hidden in trunks
| false bottoms are never resorted to.
The dodge is too old and transparent.
A regular line of small auger-cells are
made in the sides and bottom. These
are filled with the gems and new paper
inside cover pasted neatly over. Woe
to the smuggler who happens to have
one Of those cells cracked open. The
eagle eye of the law is always looking.
only one professional smuggler in
hundred is ever caught. They make it
a study, science and business. They
pass right under our noses and in front
of our eyes with hidden fortunes. Ac-
cident or information from the other
side are our only means of hauling 'em
in
| So said an officer who considers him.
self one of the sharpest in the service.
Lady examiners in the employ of the
custom-h house are equally as cute as the
smugglers sometimes, and are frequently
the captors of big government hauls.
She knows where in woman'S apparel
is the most likely place to find smuggled
goods. They are sometimes mistaken,
however, as VI as men. Not very long
ago a German woman was reported to
arrive on certain steamer with for
tune in Jewels on her person. She came
and was duly examined. The scrunity
she underwent was so severe that the
lady custom-house officials apologized
over and over again.
The foreigner smiled and said that
she did not blame them for doing their
; dnty, and supposed some malicious per-
; son had sent the dispatch to annoy her.
She entered cab and the hat she wore
: was decked with a fortune in gems
They were covered with wax and repre-
! sented bunch of grapes. These the
official ladies had admired when they
, examined the hat-lining and cover.
The ways and devices for smuggling
are almost as numerous as the stars, anC
: the jewels brought to America wltnou
3 paying tribute to Uncle Sam are fire
!, quently as bright.
BG Strive everywhere and in al
4 things to be at peace. If ftrouble come
: from within or without, treat it peace
v fully. If JOY comes, receive it peaceful
= ly, without excitement. If we mus
> needs flee from evil, let US do it calmly
without agitation or we may stumbl
and fall in our haste. Let us do goo
W peacefully, or our hurry will lead us ir
is to endless faults. Even repentance
x work which should be carried on peac,
re fully.
B@ Contentment is good thing u
he til it reaches the point where it sits
the shade and lets the weeds grow.