Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-07-24
AMONG SMUGGLERS.
RARE AND LuDIcRous ATTEMPTS TO
CHEAT UNCLE SAM.
Wearing Fur Goats In summer-A Queer
Use for Valuable shswl-The
Seizure Room.
(New York Press.)

(New York Press)
The temptation to smuggle seems to be
irresistible. When one has been abroad
and returns home full Of good feeling
and loaded with presents for friends.
It does seem like imposition to be COM
PEELED to pay sometimes twice and three
times as much duty AS the presents cost.
II is with such people that the custom
house officials have the most trouble.
Merchants, as a rule. expect to pay duty.
Not 50 with the tourist. He may be man
who would never be guilty Of doing an
otherwise dishonest action. Still he rarely
declares he has anything dutlable among
his effects
Can tell you any stories about people
who try to avoid paying duty repeated
handsome Colonel ]. II. Storey, CHIEF IN
| spector OF the United States Barge ONCE
TO a Press reporter. II could tell you so
many that 1t Would be impossible for you
to remember one half of them.
WEARING LONG FUR COATS.
zone Of the funniest things in my ex-
perience happened few days ago. ii was
i "A
came in. j was at the docks. Coming To-
ward me at great speed. and followed py
| a smiling lot Of tourists and gamins were
/ two ladies, attired from their ears 10 their
heels in sealskin listers ! stopped them
| and requested them to remove thelr COATS
| but they smilingly refused. You see they
| knew the law. and as long as they We're
| wearing the coats they were not duuaDie'
| "But couldn't you make them take them
pan .Irr H..
| '''Thls is a free country" answered the
| Colonel. smiling: land If : woman wants
| to wear sealskin with the thermoi'e'e'
| at 100. there is no law 70 prevent heF.
"Another recent case was that OF lazy
| VIM wore an India shawl as a Jlstle
| Several years ago that would not nave
| been noticed, but fashions have chaheeu'
| and the Colonel blushed. The lady nus
! band. who is a reputable stakeholder, at
| tracted attention to the existence Oh t"e
| stawl by asking her where 1t was. Her
| cndeavors to silence him attracted sus-
p,rion When questioned by an nspec-
| iress the woman confessed where she hdd
| concealed the shawl. and the mort''cu
| husband paid the duty. When she was
examined she had on three coats Desiue
the shawl.
SOME TRUNKS.
II felt very sorry for a pretty young
woman who came over on La Iouralne Oh
| her last trip She was such fehhed
| little body, but she had fourteen trunks
! Although she was a woman OF some posi-
| ton. il was simple enough mat All the
min g IN those trunks were never in
| tended for her own personal use. There
| were twenty dresses. all Of the finest ma
terial; a hundred par Of gloves. corsets
galore. TO say nothing Of lingerie, hand
kcrchicfs, stocking. and bonnets.
Are all these things for your own
personal use?" / asked her.
Yes, sir she answered. demurely'
"'Au these dresses made and fitted for
you
YES. sir just bit anXiously.
- suppose a comparison by measure
menl viii show no unaccountapie dlier-
ences|
"Her face flushed bright crimson.
".\yell. there are a few that / bought
inst before / left Paris which | didn
have time to have ntted,' she replied,
ncryOusly.
The investigation showed that the
dresses were Of all sizes, and III design
some were ssltablc for slim-"aist girls
while others were intended for poruy
matrons. The gloves, stockings, lingerie,
and corset4 differed likewise. Inc ohly
thing W. couldn't prove were not IoI
herself were several dozen manufacturers
SMUGGLING RARE LACE.
"a wel-known woman in society VINO
| has lust returned from Europe attrdct'u
my attention on the docks by the great
| care she manifested IN holding up her
| skirts. An inspecress requested the lduy
10 step into a private office. In her sh'I'
securely sewed under the lining were
| thirty yards % almost priceless lace.
Ia. mo "A
man exclteA suspicion by showing an
unreasonable haste to get his baggage out
| of the custom-house. When asked II he
| had ANYTHING dutiable to declare he IN
| sisted he had not.
| ".Do YOU wear these asked an in
| spector bringing up trimmed "o-
mans undergarmcnt from the bottom oil
one Of the mans trunks.
| ono stammcrcd the man; but | nave
| lust "A trine like that. Really nothing
| more ne said anXiOusly. as the Inspector
proceeded 10 empty the trunk. lie pdlu
| $3.50 duty on wOmen's garments
FOOLED BY \ FRIEND.
"Iast November the sister of a friend
! Of mine came home from Europe she
| was a stranger in New York ana went
| with her in a carriage To a MOTEL IL"
DAVIS after. when the lady had started for
|
mine asked me If had noticed his sister
nrrearance the day | rode with her in
| the carriage.
...yVhat DO you mean | asked.
| Didn't you notice anything "bunchy
| about her? he replied
| '''Bunchy. no. Why"
| "'Oh. because she had sable-llned
! rlster Tor her husband on under her cir
cular She WAS dreaifully nervous lest
YOU would discover it,
| women generally have not the
slightest scruples about Smuggling \
few nights ago a friend OF my "ile' VINO
| has been living abroad for seFer@i years
| WAS dining with us.
Ion Mrs. storey she said how sorry
am | didn't know the size glove you
| wore when | was abroad
".Whyg | asked, curiousiy.
because could have kept her In
gloves. | have become quite an adept al
wrapping things in newspapers. WINE
| was away / kept my family supplied
with gloves. stockings, and hahdNeT-
! chiefs
Considerable smuggling Is done through
| the mails. and il is impossible To stop H.
| \ petp into the seiZure-rOom IS interest
| ing All the things which people are
caught trying to smuggle are Kept mere.
! Four times a year they are auctioned
on. when Worth gowns sell for SO and
| French bonnets for 81.
The seizure-room contains enough dia-
monds and other precious stones To start
"A icwelry shop. There are trunks hHed
with dresses, linens, laces. gloves. ana
silks paintings worth thousands OF dol
lars. bric-a-brac and rugs. There are
cases OF wines, cans of opium. ana boxes
Of cigars. toys. and books. Ihey all De-
long 10 Uncle Sam.