Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-06-24
SMUGGLING DIAMONDS.
SOME CLEVER TRICKS AND
STRANGE HIDING PLACES.
A Portable Footbath That Fooled All
the Inspectors, and q Treacherous
WooIly Dog.


Successful smuggling is immensely
profitable, especially in the diamond
business. There are many hundreds OF
men and women engaged in this line,
and they are the most dangerous and
slickest of all smugglers, while the loss to
the Government is something enormous.
These industrious people are mostly OF
the hook-nosed class. You would not be
able to distinguish one from any other
of your fellow passengers on the steamer
coming over the ocean; in fact, you
would be more likely to be impressed
with his modest and retiring demeanor,
to say nothing of his mild suavity, than
by any other passenger, for they are
great students of human nature and
never use superiuous word No clam
shuts tighter than smuggler on sus.
picion of danger. He is not to be inter
viewed, for there are dogs at his heels,
faithful dogs of the Government.
was once so fortunate as to
meet Government customs inspector on
friendly terms who had paid particular
attention to the diamond smugglers
Aoi many yOaiS' 1Hlo Is WudI uc tolu
me:
Diamonds and rubies, beings so small,
are easily Struggled. l don't believe
the Government gets the duty on one
quarter of them that are sold in this
country, after all the expense it goes
to in trying to suppress the business.
We have agents all over Europe, and
pay employees in the brokers' offices,
who give information of all sales to
people they do not know and those
smugglers whom they do know. Some
of the ships officers on every steamer
coming to this port are constantly on the
watch, and all that But what's the use
if you can't find the goods on them
when they are searched2
'Many's the time I've been dead sure
of my man and could swear he had the
sparklers somewhere about him when
searched him, but I've gone through
everything and cursed the rat to his face,
but it was no use. Then other officers
take him up and keep their eyes on him
as long as he stays in port, and they
really have better chance of finding
something, but they seldom do.
Women are generally the worst and
most dexterous smugglers of stones, on
account of having SO much upholstering,
but there are not many women in the
business now. | don't know why, but
they seem to be leaving it. Diamonds
have been found all over women-sewed
up in seams, in hens and tucks and cor
sets, waists, wraps and muffs, and
secreted in their hair, which is favorite
place. We have found them in parasols
and on the baby, in hats and bonnets,
tied up In the corners of handkerchiefs
and wells, and even woven into their
carriers, besides in everything you can
think of in their trunks, some of which
have false bottoms. You may be sure
that when we once are satisfied we have
caught smuggler we do not stop at
anything in the way of searching. We
men search the men and there are rwo-
men to search the females.
why, we've found diamonds in UNI
brella sticks and in the heels of Shoes in
covers of books and behind coats and
pants buttons, in hollow rings and in
pewter cups with false bottoms. The
round handle of palm leaf fan was the
favorlte hiding place for precious stones
for some years, and it was a long time
before we dropped on the hollow cane
trick, and longer still before we caught
one old smuggler with hollow crutch.
One old soldier of the Crimean war had
an artificial leg. and he couldn't get
enough diamonds to fill the interior of
it, so he filled the remaining empty space
with fine laces to keep the stones from
rafting and giving the snap away. One
old codger used to work the sweat-leather
OF his hat with great success, and an
other always carried a revolver of home
manufacture loaded with cartridges
full of diamonds Another fellow
had the biggest hollow tooth YOU
ever saw, and there was always a dia-
mond in it, nicely tucked away and COW
cred with wax, when he got on shore.
Toe and finger nails grown very aristo-
cratically long have hidden precious
stones fastened in with fine silk threads
and sleeve buttons have been brought
into requisition successfully in the SNUG
Cling of diamonds. You wouldn't think
1T, but little terriers have been loaded
down with diamonds You've heard of
the four and twenty backbirds baked in
pie, of course, but you never, probably,
heard of diamonds baked in cake or
made into chewing gum or black cough
drops. You never heard of cigars 'in.
laid" with diamonds and other precious
stones, or of match boxes and snuff and
tobacco boxes with false bottoms
full of them. | have. I've found
precious stones secreted in shawls and
steamer rugs, and once in the followed
out legs of steamer chair. Once
found the silk cord that goes round the
waist of dressing gown filled with
them, and only discovered it by a mere
accident, as nearly all our discoveries are
made. One fellow had removed the
works OF his watch and thrown them
overheard after he had filled the ease
with valuable rubies, and once lady's
bracelet contained $40, 600 worth Of
sparklers on one voyage, and We didn't
get onto It until too late. one woman
smuggler, who was so disguised we did
not know her, had little girl with her
when she landed, and the little eiH Of 3
years bad = dell in her arms. Tho I'm
speetot wanted 90 look 80 tbe dall. but
The child held 10 Il lie grim death ami
oct up such a vail that ho Ia iehsd and
SAIL De haU lfftIu utrl Hf h.,a. ..lsl .