The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-05-24
FREAKS OF SMUGGLING.
QUEER ARTICLES SENT BY MAIL
FROM THE OTHER SIDE.

Women Find It Difficult to Resist the
Desire to Bring in Presents FREQ OF
Duty-PeopIe Who Are in Other Re-
spects Honest, Cheat the Government.
Women are especially susceptible t,
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 a custom
house officer, and it is a statement made
by certain officials in the customs service
that if every passenger on board incom-
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 trihing 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 We're 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 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-cl 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 I'M
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
hcity as possible to the details of thecase.
A CURIOSITY IN BOOKS.
81 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
a 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
postofIice, sent from foreign countries,
which were not altogether intended for
reading purposes. Several months ago
there was received at the New York post
Office handsomely bound volume Of
Italian poetry. The book was printed on
high grade of paper and bore the date
"Padua, 1888" Its title was lie 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 OK 200 leaves
was cut out, through the book, and n
the cavity thus formed was placed q
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 IL
not been mutilated j, would have readily
been worth 500. 1t was addressed TO
Judge William Allen, OF southampton,
Mass, but Judge Allen has never read IL.
OTHER VOLUMES
Lately this volume has been followed
BY a volume OF the Report OF the Brit
ISL National Fisheries Exposition
which was not all report, fer quite a
collection OF jewelry was placed IN a
neatly scoopad out orihce IN the center
of its leaves Extremes me. when
Latin dictionary was put IN Use as
carton for Transporting a pipe. and the
'sOdd Fellows Quarterly Magazine did
duty as packing case for TWO razors-
4 novel called The Great Tonrane"
he'd two dipinutye and yeY pTetsly