St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-05-31
TRICKS OF sMucol ERS.


0sw the Custs IN Lavs Are Evaded bv san.
Ors sud Their O0cers.
Smuggling as q profitable pursuit is
not carried on in this vicinity at the
present time to any very great extent.
Yet the legitimate practice is by no
means wholly extinct The effective
customs force which now exists does not
permit Of any very extensive evasion of
the law; but Of course the inspectors are
not able to prevent thousands of cases
Of smuggling Of . comparatively insig-
nificant nature. Smuggling as now car
ried on is almost wholly confined to
sailors on merchant ships, both steam
and sail, and the big ocean liners offer
peculiar advantages for various little
evasions of the customs law. The Off
,ers of these steamers themselves are
by no means above little private work
In this line, and while perhaps few Of
them avail themselves Of the 0ppor-
tunity for gain, they might do SO if they
wished, with but slight prospects of dis
covery.
Sailors coming from the West Indies,
Manila or other places from which to-
bacco is imported frequently do a little
smuggling with view to making few
dollars In most of these places pcddlers
visit the shops while they are lying in
port, with tobacco and cigars in any
quantity, and the sailor, If he has any
money and is of a speculative turn, will
buy few boxes to bring home with
him. These neatly slowed away in his
chest, his clothing stored in one or two
canvas bags. will easily pass the GUS
tom-housc officers, IS these officers, un-
like England and other European cOun-
tries. seldom 60 to the trouble Of in
specting the personal effects Of the sail
ors. Most sailors, however, after they
have got their goods safely on shore,
either do not know how or can not dis
pose of them, and the consequence is
that not they. but some other party,
generally the boarding master, performs
the work of selling the smuggled goods.
He also takes good care to get the
greater part of the cash for " which they
are sold. Recently it has become diffi-
cult for sailor to dispose of smuggled
property for the reason that he is not
we'll enough known by the purchaser to
be trusted. Under these conditions he
is obliged to either give the articles
away, or let the boarding-master act as
negotiator. In the latter case the board
having the advantage Of
with those who are in the
habit of dealing in such goods. can Sc
cure good prices, Of which he. Of course.
receives the lions share.
In smuggling goods from Europe by
means Of the ocean lines, a good traffic,
considerable profit, might be
worked up. members Of the crews being
as mediums in bringing the
goods over. One favOrite way Of defeat
ing the customs laws, and one which is
practiced to quite . large extent, is the
purchasing Of clothing in England by
persons residing here, through the |
agency Of aa officer or sailor on one Of |
the steamers. A person wishing to
avail himself Of the good quality and
cheap prices Of English goods will 60 to
. member of the crew with measurements
for . suit Of clothes. The latter takes |
the measures and money to an English
tailor ON his arrival. and the clothes
IRE ready by the time the ship is about
70 sail ON her return trip. II the Gus
toms officials look about the cabin at |
Ill it is easy TO deceive them by claim
ing that the clothing Is intended for his |
own use. Then placing the clothing
over suit Of his own the medium walks |
On shore, delivers them to the owner |
and receives his compensation. Thus
the purchasers save from 80 to SO per |
cent ON the cost of the articles. Numer- |
pus other articles are brought over in |
the same way, and some Of them en-
gagged make quite . remunerative busf
ness out of it-Boston Advertiser.