The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-27
BETRAYAL.
HOW THE NEW YORK CUSTOM HOUSE
INSPECTORS MADE $4,000.
How an Old Germans Effort to Smuggle
In Lot of Diamonds Was Frustrated.
Conditions Which the Son. In law Inform
er Had Not the Nerve to Face,

er Had Not the Nerve to Face,
Years ago, " said an old secret service
man, II was in business In New York.
Men ut my trade as u detective hear all
sorts of stories, some of them long after
the knowledge will do any good. Never
theless now and then these yarns form
curious bits Of history. Not long ago a
gentleman from the inside was telling me
"A bit of the unwritten history of the New
York custom house. What no related took
place over 20 years ago--in fact not long
after the war. He was explaining how
money was made inside the customs lines.
" A friend of mine said that gentle
man, was one OF the inspectors in the
New York office. His business was 10 go
aboard boats, ransack tho trunks of pas
songers and overhaul the effects of immi-
grants. In other words, he was &c look
out for smugglers. Ehis was in 1869.
One day his chief came to him and
said: lyon meet such and such ship
when she comes in. She's mt the Narrows
now. axe with you one of the women of
our Office, because you will have TO search
n German girl who Is aboard the boat.
This girl will bo with her father, whose
name is Schmidt, and who comes from
Bremen. He has nothing on him or about
him that is wrong, but the girl has a
whole handful ofdiamonds done up in her
back hair. You have the inspectress who
Is with you TO search the girl and have her
finally find the diamonds in her chignon.
Don't bungle the job nor go straight TO
the diamonds as IL you knew where they
were want the discovery TO come along
In u regular way and nothing done to in
dicate that we have had any pointer MS to
the folks and their diamonds.
There was no time continued my
friend, TO ask any questions as TO how my
chief knew OF the whereabouts of this
plant Of diamonds. / took the woman in
spcctor as he directed me, and we went
aboard the boat ana quickly found our
passengers from Bremen. This Schmidt
had been further described TO me by my
chief rs having only one eye, so NE was
easy TO pick ont. / searched the old man
In careful way, and the woman with mo
took the girl into stateroom, and after
fooling away tyn minutes in pretended
search finally discovered tho diamonds in
her waterfall, as the peculiar coiffure of
that day was termed
OF course we took possession OF the
diamonds and put the old German and his
daughter under arrest. II was a sore blow,
and they walled and wept and beat their
bosoms nightly.
As we alYays did at that time we
contcnted ourselves with connscating the
diamonds. OF course made bluff. 1
told the old man and his daughter they
were under arrest, but that would lot
them go for the night. The next day they
must return at 10 o'clock 10 the customs
office when we would send them To the
penitentiary for anywhere from 10 TO 90
years
"'This last, say, was only bluff,
however, and the people never came back,
as we had every reason To suppose would
be the case. We had no time to try Grim
inals and usually contented ourselves with
coDfiscating the goods which they Mt
tempted TO smuggle, and as these were
generally very valuable IL was punishment
enough.
"when found my chief, told him
had the diamonds all safe enough and
had given the old German and his daugh-
ter such scare that none of us need ex-
pect To SEQ either OF them again. Then
asked him how ho knew so accurately
about tho diamonds.
"My cLSof told mo that his informa-
tion came from the sor.in-law Of the old
man. It seems that the old German had
two daughters Tho elder one was mar
ried and already In this country, living In
New York city. The younger girl, when
she and her father got ready TO come over,
wrote the other how they had turned all
OF their property into diamonds, which
could be bosght at low figure In Europe
and ON account OF the tariff sold for double
the money here, ami now she proposed TO
conceal them In her hair In order TO Snug
gle thom ashore.
" Naturally the elder sister told her
husband, and II was he who informed my
chief. What was his object Why, the
Internal rasoal expected 90 get a. per cent
Of tho proceeds Of the confiscated property
when sold, being the amount which, In
that day we' tbs infOrmcr.