St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-10-06
ABOUT SMUGGLERS.
How Women Cheat tho Customs
O@cers.
Usual Places Of Concealmeat-Lsco oaa
JeWelry In the I.iniag oe Dress
4 Real C1stom.House
Tragedy.

In the custom-house Of this city
there is a veteran whom every body
knows. He has searched more trunks
in more parts OF the world than any
of Uncle Sans officials. He has served
on revenue cutters innumerable. He
can tell OF bouts with cigar smugglers
on the coast OF Jersey and Maine. He
knows every trick that the ingenuity
of the contrabandists can devise. He
is Jonathan Wild. the NJ LecoQ of
the business.
"rhe principal smugglers Of to-day"
he said, ''are women. The daring Of
other times is unnecessary now. A
Saratoga trunk properly prepared is
worth more than all the dirks and cut
lasses that a smuggler ever wore in his
belt. l remember. when last came
from Europe, a fine young woman. ex-
ceedingly plump. whom every body
admired. The young fellows on board
were infatuated. especially those who
liked q stout, well-rounded girl. All
the way over she wore tho same dress
blue cloth. tailOr-made. It fitted
her. If possible. just a little bit too
well. Said l: L can imagine q belle
rigging herself like this when on
parade at Newport. but for the deck Of
a Cunarder. it Is q trile too chic said
l."
What did you suspect"
Suspect? Bless you. didn't sus-
pect-I knew. At quarantine, after
the health officer came aboard. boat
pulled out from Fort Hamilton and
wanted to take my charmer of. 1
touched her on the shoulder, You
can't leave this vessel said I. until
we reach the battey.' Who are you?'
she demanded. turning pale. I'm q
custom-house officer. said /, and a.
soon as we land l shall have you
searched She hadn't the heart to
say much. Still pale. she sat down.
biting her lips and looking round to
see that no body had heard us. On
cer.' she said at length. how much
will make it square" Well said I,
with a sly glance at her shapely figure.
Il don't know how much il took to
make it round; but guess there il
about 5000 worth of lace and iewelry
in the lining in that dress of yours.
And go it was. When the women.
searchers had undressed her she
looked like a scarecrOw-old, haggard.
a regular skeleton. The haul Just
doubled my estimate"
where are smuggled articles usu-
ally concealed?"
Everywhere. Any thing will form
a hiding place Fruit is perhaps the
handiest covering. Who would look
for cigars in pumpkin or for snuff in |
a turnip' Yet pumpkins and turnips,
carefully lined with wool. have brought |
any any amount of tobacco into this |
country"
'.And jewelry:"
mo. Jewelry generally travels in
boot heels. The boots are specially
made in Paris. remember unscrew.
ing one OF those heels in New York. A
shower Of brilliants fell all around
me. There was fortune in that little
shoe"
''And gloves?"
There was a famous lawsuit, YOU
recollect. against Frenchman who
imported gloves in his long Hessian
boots. For my own part l have gem
orally found gloves in trusses OF hay.
A tin box can lie snugly in the center
OF big truss Of hay. Indeed. there
Is no article Of merchandise which the
smuggier can not turn to his purpose.
AT Liverpool they told me how, on a
vessel coming from Stettin in the Bait
ic. they found cigars in casks of camo-
mile h0Hers; and elsewhere, cigars in
cases OF glue: tobacco in potatoe sacks,
tea lying on furze bushes waiting to be
shipped; tobacco slowed away in loaves
OF German bread; to say nothing Of q
boat drifting in the harbor with fifty
barrels of snuff in it,"
Are the purchasers usually aware
OF the smusgling:-
"They are generally proud of it.
Enter a club smoking-room. Note with
what pride your juvenile host offers
you cigarette Of the finest Turkish
tobacco. Tobacco, dear bows he
says. that would be cheap at ten dol
lors n pO,,nI ID.