Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-10-26

How the ArtfuI Moguls Deceive Uncle
Sam's Custom OficerA

The custom officers of San Francisco
| have TO deal with some Of the most art
| full smugglers in the world. The
/ Chinese are race of smuRglers, and
| there is not people on earth more
| fertile In expedients TO evade the rev.
enue laws. Their stolid, impassive de-
meanor serves them admirably 10 their
contraband operations, for their actions
| seldom afford, as is the case frequently
with white people, any ground TO sus'
peCt they are trying to practice fraud
| They have taught the sailor men or the
white race the shrewdest trick prac-
| ticed on Uncle Sans taX-gatherers and
are never caught in one device without
being ready with another one equally
as hard 10 detect.
Before the influx Of Chinese laborers
vas stopped, a Mongol, looking as II all
his years were acquainted with only
poverty and toll, would sometimes try
TO sneak ashore with dirty ola blouse
/ stuffed full OF fine silk handkerchiefs
and scarfs and Indian neck ShaWIs.
| The Chinese garment for cold weather
| is quilted blouse or tunic, with a
heavy filing Of cotton. Silk handker-
chiefs being light and fine, a single
blouse would sometimes contain q val
liable invoice.
Sometimes demure Chinese maiden
would step ashore with the thick soIes
! of her shoes stuffed with silk. A whole
covey arrived some years ago with their
| shoes stuffed in this fashion. An In
ouisitive inspector had his attention at
| tracted to the extraordinary thickness
| OF the soles and made an investigation,
| which resulted in a valuable seizure.
To man the Chinese crews on the
steamers plying between San Francisco
and Mexico, South America and the
Orient are smugglers, they hide their
contraband goods In the oldest places
imaginable and get them ashore past
the ewes OF the customs officers In ways
that almost battle detection.
They have brought opium skillfully
stuffed In bananas still hanging to the
stalk and In oranges. One day about
six wears ago Chinese dressed as a
cook walked l,isurely down the gang
plank OF Pacific Mail steamer with
basket on his arm containing several
loaves of bread. He shU1isd right
bv customs house officer and
would have got away all right, but on
the wharf came into collision with a
drunken sailor. The sailor, who was TO
blame, gave the Chinese violent shove,
sending him sprawling aud scattering
his bread loaYeS. A policeman inter-
iered and noticed that one Of the loaves
had broken open. He started TO exam
inc and the Chinese started to run.
Every loaf was filed with opium.
Chinese have been detected with
boxes Of the drug deftly bound up in
their Queues or tied under their arms.
Every biz Of baggage and every article
they take ashore is hiding place.
Beams on ship aud table legs have been
followed out as receptScles for contra
band opium. False bottoms are put in
cubby holes and pantry drawers. Hid
ing places are sought In coal bunkers
and under the engines and boilers.
The methods OF secretion are so varied
and ingenious that frequently the Of
frers are unable 10 find smuEgled
opium, even after they have definite in
formation that IL is aboard a vessel.
! ONLY recently the officers failed to fad
a lot, although they knew positively
that il was on board. However, keep
ing the closest watch on everything
that left the ship, they finally intercept
tad the opium as IL was being taken
sshore.-San Francisco Examiner.