The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-18
DETECTING SMUGGLING.
rHE ELABoRATE. SPY SYSTEM ON
BOTH SIDES THE ALL ANTIC.

BOTH SIDES THE ATLANTIC.
From PIacs CT Buying In Europe to
New York P or the emugzIer is
Watched snd Reported-Clerks, Bar
bers, Ships Oficers, All are Alert to
Discover and Betray Him.
From the Nelo York Sun.
On the second floor OF the custom house ia
= room which IS rarely seen by visitors. It's
massive mahogany door opens very seldom.
and always closes with snap and bang.
The gloomy old pile OF gray stone from
which Uncle Sam trensacts his business
with importers and smugglers has many
mysterious looking hooks and craunies in its
Ill lighted interior. but this particular room
which is used by the special inspectors, Is
the secret chamber par excellence, which
few learn to know, and these mostly regret
their knowledge. .....-.....
On a recent morning theirs sat in this
room a tall, strongly built man with
silvered gray hair and closely cropped
nustache of similar color He had sharp
blue eyes ana an air of alertness which
gave the impression that he did not like TO
be Inactive. AT the time mentioned he was
busy looking over some mail. One of his
letters Interested him particularly. 1t had
. foreign postnark, but was written in
English, as follows:
LONDON. Dec, 1892
DEAR STR-Look out for tall. fat Frenchman,
who will arrive by Etruria ton her next sailing
He calls himself Henri Blanc. He he's black
Enustache and imperial and can converse in
French, Russian. German and English. He is
going to try and pass 5000 worth of unset
peSrIs bought az our house. viii not fl you If
oho Gait
truly, WE.
The reader looked up from the letter with
SMILE Then he tossed the letter over to
the reporter, who hal be3n SEATED at his
SIDE with the sententious remark:
"Rea it,"
There is from $500 to g, 900 in that
for me If catch the fellow" he addeu, ''al-
though I'll have to give up some of it to the
writer of this letter. You see the law al
lows customs officer reward for seizing
struggled goods. provided he secures the
information on which the seizure is made
himself. If seize these pearls they will
probably be appraised at 5000. Then they
will be forfeited TO the governmsnr
through action brought by the United
will he sold at auction, and as such property
usually brings all it is worth, the govern
ment will have in hand IS 900. OF this
81, $50 will be used to pay the duty of IS
per cent. OF the appraised value. Then the
expenses of the sale, a small amount, will
also be deducted. Upon my fling my
claim with the Secretary of the Treasury
will receive oae-quarter Of the balance.
VERY few persons have any idea of the
special customs inspectors work. The men
who see US around here or at the docks &C.
Casonally imagine that we are gllt-edged
detectives, with somewhat greater abilities
than Mr.. Brynes' men, and that mysteries
impenetrable TO ordinary mortals are clear
as day to us. The paragraphs which appear
IN the newspapers from time to time give
the general public like impression. The fact
is. however, that we do not pretend to be any
marvels in the detective line. We have all
had as much experience as detectives as
most of those in the police department, and
can follow clew as we'll as any of them
but, for all that, we would be able to make
mighty few big seizures L. we had nothing
else to rely upon. will defy the greatest
detective that ever lived to catch profess
sionel smuggler by standing on a steamship
pier and Watching 300 or 400 people get off
& steamer. The newspaper paragrapher
writes frequently of this inspector or that
who detected'a smuggler in the crowd of
diseinbarking passengers by his nervousness
or the bad fit OF his clothes. The
shown by the fact that the discovered
smuggled diamonds in the toes of
a mans unnaturally long shoes, or in his Ok
ceedingly long and thick hair. or in his
puffed out cheeks. How many times have
you read of the clever way 10 which
women smuggers have been caught with
laces sewed inside of vouminous skirts. or
of silks wrapped around their hodiesa The
impression which the reader of such yarns
he's is that she wonderful eye OF the in
spector immediately detected the struggled
goods by the unnatural size OF the smug-
giers. Inasmuch as the inspector never
saw them before. and did not know
whether they were naturally fat or lean,
that is a likely theory! 1t must not he
supposed that slnugglers of this class are 80
awkward and bungling as to make their
persons appear dlsproportioned. No, in
deed, notwithstanding stories OF snug glers
whose clothes stood out in humps, the trade
OF smuggling is not carried on by nervous
or bungling people. An ordinary citizen IL
like y Co be nervous when he tries to pass in
ring or two, or q watch, or even a few
clothes, but the persons who try to bring in
quantities of jewels or anything else are
adopts at deceiving. Their plans are too
well calculated TO fail because of any atten-
ton attracted to their appearance.
THE fact Is that the inspectors have to
rely upon tips to large extent. The same
thing is malnly true of the police detectives.
lift were not for informers very few crooks
"SuiA 10 uihOOFOhONAs ouN yOu Wa hAN eA11
the crook who works alone and has no mis-
fress or other confdant is rarely caught
The only men whom | ever knew 20 trace
criminals without some external as iistance
are the newspaper reporters. They work on
theories suggested to them by the circum-
stances of the crime. but mighty few pro-
fessional detectives have brains enough fol-
that. was on the police myself for years
aud know whereof | speak. In spite OF all
ths fancy yarns, the chances are ten 20 one
that when burglar is caught after the act
1t is because pal. dissatisfied with his share
OF the booty, or jealous mistress has
squsaled.
The special customs inspector differs
from the regular customs Inspector in that
&c has no regular daily duties, but Is as
signed to some special department, aud
works only on special cases. To be success
tul 1t is very necessary that be should have
numerous friends among those who have
tne opportunity to learn about snug
Cling. These include American consulS
10 the leading European cites. clerks
Ia Jewelry and dry goods houses
foreign police, hotel employees, BARRIERS and
otncers OF the tran atlantic steamships. Tho
friendship of these people is formed on the
Sold basis OF dollars and cents. The IN
spector is always on the lookout for such al
may give him valuable information, and Is
ready at all times to pay commission &c
tnem. The commission varies with the i'm
rFar. r + g.