The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-04-11
SMUGGLER'S TRICKS.


Diamonds are being struggled into this
country at such rate as to startle the
Treasury officials. What to do the Treas
ury does not exactly know, inasmuch as
this particular sort of fraud on the
Government is almost safe from detect
| ion.
Diamonds may hidden in many ways so
as to escape suspicion by the most vigilant
customs inspector. Women conceal them
+; in their hair sometimes. They have been
discovered in hollow bootheeels, in cakes
OF soap in rife c1rtlidges, and even he
tween a porous plaster and the skin of the
wcarer. They have been fed to dog be-
fore landing, the animal being subsequently
killed and cut open. One passenger
swallowed a diamond worth 81 ,000 and a
detective having administered an emetic,
was obliged to sit down and wait.
The whole customs business may be
likcned to n financial institution that is
ti'''NA ~ p'oTip uhAioNo
to rob it. Few people have any scruples
against cheating the T,elsury. No woman
and scarcely Il ~ man hesitates to beat the
ta'iff if he or she thinks ho or she can do
so without being suspected. Inspectors
are led to many discoveries by the nervous
ness of amateur smugglers. Women en-
| ,rn,,oI s,,Ih mi l,rnn email
very commonly give themselves away"
to the stewards or stewardesses OF. board
ship>. These employees, no matter how
heavily feed, are always on the watch for
smugglers. Their interest in passengers
relates only to the money they can get out
of them, and they are sure of n substantial
reward in cash for every smuggler detected
through information given by them.
One of the customs officials, now station
cd in Washington, tells story of lame
man whom he met while he was on his way
from Nova Scotia to Boston on steamer.
lie Glanced to occupy a stateroom with the
lame man. The latter took eff his cork
joked him about thu advantage of being
able to take off ones legs on retiring. The
lame man replied that there was another
advantage, and thereupon exhibited the
leg, which was hollow, and contained
$4,000 or So, 600 worth of jewelry. lie ex-
planned that he was in the jewelry business
Nm, ,pu of Rnotpn ha .hnr !,
a ragged hand satchel and behaved quite
insolently to the customs officials, throw
ing down the satchel and saying they might
look it overif they wanted to. The officers
were Disguised, but they permitted the
fellow to limp away without interier-
ence.
The same official tells another story
about wink that cost an ingenious individ
ual $4,000. The smuggler had arrived at
New York, and his trunks had been eN-
amined and marked as o. X. He walked
up the pier after them, and was perfectly
safe from detection, seemingly. But an
officer at the gate through which he passed
| SitW Illih WlUk MS Icit eye. InlS WIDE,
as a matter of fact, was addressed to Il
partner who was standing in some anxiety
of mind on the further side of the gate.
1t was enough for the officer, who sad
Immediately: ''Stop, SIR" want to look
at your trunks again." He did So and
| found that one of them had a false bottom
beneath which $40, 600 worth of contraband
goods were hidden They were coniis-
Gated.
On one occasion the inspectors at New
York had news of a brig that was going to
fetch a large quantity Of struggled cigars
When the vessel arrived they went aboard
OF her and made thorough search, but
without finding anything contraband. The
laugh was on them, and they had a drink
with the skipper before leaving. But as
one of them was going up the gangway he
CHANGED to spy about half an inch of ribbon
sticking out from between two planks
This seemed odd, and deserving of investi
CATION. One Of the planks was removed
and 80, 900 fine cigars were discovered care
fully hidden away between the planking
and the outer skin of the ship.