Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-09-05
DIAMOND SMUGGLING.
Professionals in the Business Find 1t
Easy.


Easy.
From the Buffalo Express.
Diamond smuggling from Canada to the
United States Is harder to stop than the
Illegal entry of Cinnamon. An occasional
brilliant seizure of smuggled jewels by
treasury officers always gets into the news
papers. The failures the public seldom
hear of. Yet the records of the Treasury
Department are full Of the history Of
months and even years spent by the bright
est of the government agents in efforts
to catch and convict diamond smugglers,
and nearly every case has failed. For
years thousands Of dollars worth Of gems
have come into the United States without
paying duty, and by far the greatest num-
Der have come by way of Plattsburg, N. Y.
Government agents have devoted thou
sards of dollars and their best energies
to trapping smugglers only to fail, and
today the older agents fight shy Of detail
to this class Of work, and look upon at
tention to it as time thrown away. To
the younger men in the service there Is
always temptation to take up this work.
In addition to the glory of making brill
liant capture the selling officer gets % per
cent Of the value of the goods seized, when
they are forfeited and sold. Diamonds
are stable, and when sold at auction gen.
orally fetch somewhere near their value.
Urged by these considerations the officers
new to the service enter upon their inves-
legations with ardor and zeal, only to find
themselves up against insurmountable OBJ
stacles at the end.
The key to the whole situation Is found
IT the fact that diamonds are on the free
list or Canadian customs regulations. The
importer is presumed to make a declara-
ton OF his imports, whether free or other
wise. but this rule is not rigidly enforced
as regards goods free of duty, and MANY
importers of precious stones take an ed
vantage of this laxity. The diamond
dealers In this country have brokers in
London, Paris, Vienna and Amsterdam
who buy for them regularly. BY far the
greatest number OF the purchasing houses
are located in Paris. Dealers in New
York who make business of evading the
customs laws and the duty have a resu-
lar system of running their goods into
the country. The jewels are sent to Mon
treal by parcel post. and held at the post
office until called for. There the agent
OF the purchaser or consignee secures
them and takes what seems to him the
best and safest method of running them
smugglers have found the shortest and
most direct route the safest although thew
must run the gauntlet of the custom house
at Plattsburg. and Of late years the Gus
toms TOMS force on the New York frontier has
Deen greatly strengthened. In ten years
there have not been half dozen nota Bile
seizures OF gems smuggled through Can
ada Into the United States.
In 1886 the treasury authorities made a
determined effort to stop this smuggling Of
diamonds by way of the Montreal post Of
flee, and the Canadian customs officials
extended to this government every aid in
their power. The case was placed in the
hands of Special Agent F. D. Howells. now
DEAD, who was then stationed at Platts-
burg. He was big, round-shoul6ered, en-
ergetio fellow Of great courage and consid-
cradle detective skill. A special agent at
tacned to the New York Office with wide