The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-28


IN THE DEPTHS OF THE CUSTOM HOUSE. !
some man. | went there to his Office
rather prejudiced against him, for had
seen published portrait which did not
do him justice.
Mr.. Wilbur looks to be little over
80, perhaps, and has a steady, clear eye,
like a startled fawn. On examining the
other and adjacent eye it will be found
to very closely resemble the one 1 have
just referred to. And yet this good look
ing and rather poetical looking young
man can, with smile on his face and
vet slight air of earnestness and pre-
occupation, seize $780, 900 worth of ballet
costumes that have evaded the duty and
carry them home in pillow case.
1--WE Go not want to annoy people" he
said the other day 1--WE do not care to
be a nuisance, and anybody who does
that in this department gets a sharp re-
Duke or worse. We are here simply to
see that the spirit of the law is carried
out and placed in a cool spot
well, suppose case" said. Now,
if l go abroad in June and see some
good, cheap clothes in Peccadillo street
and buy ten or eleven suits, would l
have any difficulty in bringing them in?
Would there be any duty"
There would be, yes. 1t would be
stern duty, and | would have the
burden of it to perform. You have a
right, and so has every one, to bring in
x--aoripp o7,7,a,.aI oaoo,.di,,or 70 1-o17,. c4o
ton in life. Mr.. Vanderbilt could run
in a small clothing store, of course, be-
cause as the law has been construed
man in his position needs good many
clothes, especially if the winter be
severe. But you would find great
difficulty in coming in here with
whole lot of clothes which did not
fit your station in life, nor anything
else, for that matter. People who
know that one good working suit of
clothes, and then another one to do
chores in, have been about your size,
would hardly permit you to run ten or
eleven suits of rectangular clothes from
Cheapsides into this market, even if you
afterward gave them to your coach
man"
s'How about theatrical costumes and
tights"
''Well, you can bring them in if they
are your personal property, but you can
not under the law furnish large thea
ire or stage big opera that way. The
duty is placed on these things in order
to protect American costume makers
who employ good many people"
MIR. Wilbur did not commit himself
regarding tights, but l am told that a
great many of those useful articles are
now brought in by non-professional peo-
pie, and that if the rage continues petit
coat or underskirt hanging on the clothes
line at home viii some day arouse moth
ing but derisive laughter. / am rather
glad to notice what looks like sensible
change to a more compact costume for
women, and trust that the time is COM
ing when the graceful and rather SYM
metrical tight will not be entirely mo-
nopolized by the stage.
Smuggling, according to the best rec
ords in the Office of the special agent,
has peculiar fascination about it aside
from the profits, which are largely out
of proportion to the risk Sometimes a
person weakens at the last moment and
shifting his brow declares on what he
has spent months in trying to skip in
free with.
A wealthy New Yorker went to Berlin
or some other suburb of his own town
and bought about $50, 900 worth of dia-
monds He prepared everything SO that
on his arrival in the midst of his joyful
situations, huggings and various goings
on at the wharf he should slide the
jewels quietly into the possession of his
wife and other female relatives The
officers got word of it and stood by the
gangplank when it was hove to, I think
they call it.
Mr.. S. Alick, the returned tourist
with the pleasing diamonds, was first to
glide gladly down the plank. All was
as arranged, but at the Last moment his
heart failed him, and he smote upon his
breast and declared the jewels.
Frequently employees on the European
steamers get scared, thinking they are
discovered-as they frequently are-en
route by an agent, and throw overheard
valuable goods rather than take chances
of arrest. Valuable silks have been put
in the furnaces under those circum-
stances and costly cigars prematurely
consumed Sometimes, however, these
extra fine cigars are put in rubber sacks
and thrown in the bilge water of the
hold to wait till the clouds roll by.
But altogether we cannot but exclain
he "a h.
tlansgressor is hard"
The saddest case, perhaps, is that of the
unjust steward who hires out for mere
song-to which he has to play his OWL