Los Angeles herald., 1891-06-11
FREAKS OF SMUGGLING.
QUEER ARTICLES SENT BY MAIL
FROM THE OTHER SIDE.

Women Find 1t Difficult to Resist the
Desire to Bring in Presents Free of
Duty-People Who Are in Other Re-
spects Honest, Cheat the Governments.
Women are especially susceptible to
the enticements of smuggling. 1t has
been said that no woman can resist the
temptation to make an effort to carry
goods subject to duty past custom
house officer, and it is statement made
by certain officials in the customs service
that II every passenger on board incoln-
ing ocean steamers were thoroughly and
completely searched as he might be, it
is probable that not one out of fifty
would be found to have resisted the al
lurements of just a trifling bit of SNUG
Cling to add romance to the home COM
ing. Oftentimes such carrying in Of
dutiable goods is merely inadvertence,
lack of knowledge or oversight
Presents bought for the "dear ones at
home" have been overlooked when an es-
innate was made of the dutiable goods
and were only recalled to memory when
found by the customs officer. Many a
name high in society and well known in
religious, financial or professional circles
has been upon the books of the special
treasury agents Office, but it is fact
worthy of note, and which reflects much
credit upon the department, that such
matters are kept as secret as any portion
of the work.
"There is no necessity" said a man
who had made smuggling the study of
his life, and who is employed by the
custom house, "for dragging these legal
and governmental skeletons-in- the-closet
into the light of day. Oftentimes it is a
sad fact that they have occurred, and for
our own satisfaction for we are, withal,
at times, men of some sensibilities) we
prefer to let them drop and remain un-
mentioned. Then, again, there may be
certain arguments used of more or less
persuasive value which would naturally
induce the inspector to give as little pub
licity as possible to the details of the case.
A CURIOSITY IN BOOKS.
II do not mean by this to imply that
the practice of bribery is in vogue to any
extent. This fact may not be due to
original lack of sin, but it is true, never
theless, although honesty is enforced to
certain degree by the remembrance of
the previous good record of the special
treasury agents department.
Perhaps the most novel and popular
form of amusement for the smuggler
nowadays is to use Uncle Sans post
bags for his exciting trade. A number
of books have lately been entered at the
postofice, sent from foreign countries,
which were not altogether intended for
reading purposes. Several months ago
there was received at the New York post
Office a handsomely bound volume of
Italian poetry. The book was printed on
high grade of paper and bore the date
"Padua, 1733." Its title was ''Le Trege-
die Di Giovanni Delfno." 1t was prob
ably supposed that the postoffice author
tiles would "pass" the book on looking
at its title on its examination. Unfort-
unately in this, as in all cases where
books are in the mail, the volume was
opened and carefully examined.
a section of the center of 200 leaves
wasscut out, through the book, and in
the cavity thus formed was placed a
green table spread, with cotton embroi-
derry, upon which an extreme valuation
of three dollars could barely be placed.
Buyers of antique books who have ex-
amined the volume, which is now in the
customs seizure room, say that had it
not been mutilated it would have readily
been worth $100. It was addressed to
Judge William Allen, of Southampton,
Mass, but Judge Allen has never read it.
OTHER VOLUMES.
Lately this volume has been followed
by volume of the Report of the Brit
ish National Fisheries Exposition"
which was not all report, for quite
collection of jewelry was placed in
neatly scooped out orifice in the center
of its leaves. Extremes met when q
Latin dictionary was put in use as
carton for transporting a pipe, and the
''Odd Fellows Quarterly Magazine" did
duty as packing case for two razors.
A novel called 1.-THE Great Tontine"
held two diminutive and very prettily
decorated Chinese vases, but the height
Of ineongruities was reached when the
Sermons of Bishop Rrookfeld, of Lon
don," drifted into the New York post
office artfully surrounding several sets
of false teeth
tits not generally known that no mer-
chandise otherthan books can be shipped
through the mails from foreign coun-
tries. Cigars, cutlery and chinaware,
jewelry and fabrics of cotton and silk
are often started ON their long journey,
with notations accompanying them stat
ing that they are samples or gifts, but
these casual remarks never save the
goods. They find their way to the
United States custom house seizure room,
and there remain until the yearly auc-
tion.
Steerage passengers of the kind who
seek the services of philanthropical peo-
pie ON landing are 10 freer from the
taint of smuggling than their more aris-
tocratic brethren above deck. One of
the customs inspectors saw an italian of
mean dress and poor appearance who
wore on the little finger of his left hand
a diamond ring which glittered in the
rays of the sun shining over Miss Lib
ertys left shoulder as the vessel was
coming up the bay. He thought the oc-
cIrrence unusual and investigated. Two
III >onsand dollars worth of jewelry was