Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-06-04
FREAKS OF SMUGGLING.
QUEER ARTICLES SENT BY MAIL
FROM THE OTHER SIDE.

Desire to. Bring in Presents Free of
Duty-PsopIs Who Are In Other Re
spects Honest. Cheat the Government.
Women are especially susceptible 70
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 a trifing 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.
eThere 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-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 theca
A CURIOSITY IN BOOKS.
lido 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 smuggle1
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 fol
reading purposes. Several months ago
there was received at the New York post
office q handsomely bound volume O.
Italian poetry. The book was printed OF
high grade of paper and bore the dat
'Padua, 1733." Its title was Gle Trege
die Di Giovanni Delfno." Tt was prob
ably supposed that the postofice author
tiles would ''pass" the book on looking
at its title on its examination. Unfort
unately in this, as in all cases wher'
books are in the mail, the volume wa
opened and carefully examined.
A section of the center of 200 leave
was cut out, through the book, and il
the cavity thus formed was placed ;
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 tn
customs seizure room, say that had
not been mutilated it would have readil,
been worth 800. 1t was addressed t
Judge William Allen, of Southampton
a Mass, but Judge Allen has neverread il
f OTHER VOLUMES.
Lately this volume has been followe
a 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 oriice in the cente
= of it's leaves. Extremes met when
: Latin dictionary was put in use as
" carton for transporting pipe, and th
t "Odd Fellows Quarterly Magazine" di
: duty as packing case for two razor
8 A novel called 1.-THE Great Tontine
held two diminutive and very prettil
decorated Chinese vases, but the heigl
of incongruities was reached when th
$ Sermons of Bishop Rrookfeld, of Lol
n don," drifted into the New York pos
J. Office artfully surrounding several Sc
l. of false teeth.
= It is not generally known that no me
# chandise other than books can be shippe
v through the mails from foreign coul
70 tries. Cigars, cutlery and chinawar
}, iewelry and fabrics of cotton and 81
il are often started on their long journe
J. with notations accompanying them sta
1T ing that they are samples or gifts, b.
n these casual remarks never save Il
3 goods. They find their way to Il
1T United States custom house seizure roor
and there remain until the yearly au
y ton,
le Steerage passengers of the kind wi
T. seek the services Of philanthropical pc
ut pie on landing are no freer from tt
" taint of smuggling than their more ar
Y, tocratic brethren above deck. One
is the customs inspectors saw an Italian
lis mean dress and poor appearance w
wore on the little finger Of his left hal
a diamond ring which glittered in t
rays of the sun shining over Miss Ii
IF erty's left shoulder as the vessel W
II. coming up the bay He thought the {
ty cnrrence unusual and investigated. T.
re Thousand dollars worth of jewelry W