The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-10-11
HOW HE FOOLED THEM.
| Diamond Smuggter "a Shade Too
| Smart for the officials
washington Star.


POSSIBLY there are no professional sus-
poets said treasury official to a re-
porter, but there are many suspected
was IN that branch of the service a dozen
years ago, and began to think before I
had been on the docks a year that every
traveller from abroad was prepared to steal
ana lie out of it if he had a fair chance
OF those who did that sort of thing az a
business we had not a few, and one of
them was the hardest old customer I ever
knew He used to make about four trips
q year, and we suspected him from the
nrst, but there wasn't any good reason for
US making search, and to suspect a man
wrcngfully is dangerous if it is carried to
the extreme.
One time we felt pretty sure our man
had diamonds concealed about his per
son, but we didn't know, and we put up
a JOB by, getting deck boy to make a
grab at his watch and run with it, The
BOY did, and policeman caught him az
the gate. The passenger was much excited
oyer his loss, and was anxious to have
the watch, an enormous gold one. restored
to him at once. To this we objected until
the policeman had opened it. The passen-
ger protested and then the copper was GU
rious and opened it and found its
works to consist entirely of uncut dia-
monds OF course, that was bad on our
friend, but somehow he got off, and the
next we heard of him he was having fun
with the other fellows at other ports. Then
he came to US again, and we caught him
He had simply tossed them that way in
his trunk and taken the chances on our not
looking there for them j am pretty sure,
now, that once or twice, possibly more
times than that, he got by US in disguise
and once I'll swear he came over as q
Storage passenger, and to save my neck /
couldn't recall the familiar features until
he had got clear in the crowd and was lost
The last time / met him. which was ten
years ago q don't know whether he is still
at it or noD, he came off the ship with the
air of man who was not only under sIs-
picion, but had lost his nerve. He had
with him a dozen boxes at least. two big
trunks and whole string of bags and
small receDtacles.
In each of the boxes were smaller
boxes and in the trunks were dozens of
packages of ili-smelling old clothes ara ~
stuff of that kind. IL the most sus-
picioUs-looking lot ! ever saw. and we were
all sure that our man was on a big lay
out this time, for when we first recognized
him he was disguished as a peddler. Well
we jumped him as a suspect at once and
the first thing we did was to fish half
dozen diamonds, and beauties. too Out of
his vest pocket. That was enough Then
we detained the whole outfit and took n
where We could get at it. Such job ii
was, too: hundreds of boxes to omen. dozen
of packages of bad smells to rifle. old
clothes TO shake out. and so on for al
least two days. We held him in custody
in the meantime and gave him a search
every few hours
After it was all over and we were hot
enough to throw the cuss off the dock he
gave us the laugh and told us ne would
thank us TO restore his diamonds to him:
and. by Jove. we had to do ii. They were
his. and he proved that he had been wear
ing them for ten years and we had to sur
render. lie also requested his release. and
told us he would see what ii would cost
US to detain a free white citizen in the
manner of his detention and a lot Of
suggestion that we could keep all the old
boxes and trunks and packa ges we had
been rummaging through for two days as
peasant souvenirs of him. Then he haw-
hawed at US and went away with a friend
la carriage hands0mer than any Of rs
would ever be able to ride In Ii we stayed