Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-08-03
OCEAN BUNCO STEERERS.
PEOPLE WHO ACT AS lNFORMERS
UPON SMUGGLERS.

They Make ~ Good Thing Out OF 1t,
Though the Calling Is Rather Con-
temptibie-Merchants Who Put u Fly
In Their Rivals Coffee.
There are scores of men and women in
this city who make a large income every
year by acting as informers upon snug
glers. Sometimes they take a trip to
Europe themselves. They are generally
well supplied with money, and to the
majority of their ac~quainGances their
source Of income Is "A mystery.
For years past it has been the policy Of
the government, through the secretary
OF the treasury. TO award % per cent.
Of the value received from the sale of
Struggled articles to the party who dis
covered the smuggler, or who gave in
formation leading to sucn discovery.
1t Is estimated that in this manner the
government pays out the sum of 500, 600
a year.
BETRAYING FRIENDS
In some cases the special deputy Off
GERS employed III the custom house are
given a percentage of the seizures which
they make, and this is the principal rea-
son for their vigilance toward incoming
passengers, which has In many cases
been very offensive.
The stewards and stewardesses Of near
ly all the big steamships are among the
most active informers, and they fire.
quently make a lot Of money through it.
"They have not the slightest compunc-
ton in betraying their best friends" said
a special agent. '"They make a practice
of finding out which of the passengers
have diamonds, or silks and satins, or
other valuable articles that they hope to
smuggle through, and 10 these they init
mate that smuggling Is the easiest thing
In the world. AS soo as the vessel ar
rives the inforlner PUSHES TO a special
agent with the information, and the
would be slnuggler loses his OF her goods
as a result of listening to the talk Of the
tempter. There Is not a trip made by
oneof the great steamships when this does
not occur. An exception was noted the
other day when the stewardess Of one Of
the French line vessels was herself caught
smuggling, and goods valued at 81, 900
were taken from her"
Milliners and tailors do not hesitate to
turn informers in order to get a rival
into trouble, although they do not often
ask for n share of the reward.
1--WE often receive n cable from Paris
reading: Look out for milliner Miss
Smith on Etruria,'" said the special
agent, cor some similar wording. The
cable is sent by some rival milliner who
knows that Miss Smith is to sail on the
Etruria, and that the chances are ten to
n that she will endeavor to smugglei in
a trunkful Of gewgaws with which to
ornament her stock of headgear. Poor
Miss Smith seldom learns how the GUS
toms officers learned of her attempt,
while her stealthy rival probably comes
in on the following steamer and escapes
through the lines without suspicion being
attached to her."
American tailors and cloth importers
who visit England for goods are inveter-
ate informers upon their rivals In bust
ness, and most Of the tips upop which
the special agents act are cabled across
by some anonymous sender who does not
care for the reward, but who wants to
get q rival into the meshes Of the custom
house.
Jewellers stick together better than
any other class of men who smuggle,"
said a customs official yesterday. 1T Is
rare indeed that n jeweler will inform
upon another, and when one Is caught
smuggling the others flock around him
in sympathy. and sometimes combine to
make good his losses"
There are several professional inform
ers who make it their business to travel
almost constantly on the ocean steamers,
where they lure amateur smugglers into
their net.
These men arc well dressed and pose
as business or professional men who
have been abroad on "a vacation.
On the voyage from Liverpool n Of
them makes himself agreeable to the
men on board, and as the steamer nears
New York he boasts of his ability to
smuggle anything through the custom
house, from a diamond pin to au ele-
plant.
II always do it," he exclaims, con-
fidently. Il never make a European
trip without bringing back several hun
dred dollars worth of goods free Of
duty"
Then he urges his friends to mako the
attempt also, and one or two ut least
always do SO.
OF course they are caught, while the
gentlemanly informer makes the price
of his passage and considerable spending
money as the result Of his work.
Such informers are well known to the
custom house people, who designate
them as ocean bunco steerers."
No attempt is made by the steamship
authorities to prevent the work Of the
informers, some of whom pick out a
good steamer upon which to employ
their talents, and practically live for
years upon it.-New York Journal.