Evening star., 1896-09-26
HOW HE FOOLED THEM.
Diamond SmuRgler n Shade To
Smart for the ORcinls.

A Diamond SmuEEler Shade Too
Smart for the Omcinls.
Possibly there are no professional sus-
pects," said treasury official to a Star
| reporter, ''but there are many suspected
1 was in that branch of the service DOZEN
years ago, and 1 began to think before 1
| had been on the docks a year that every
traveller from abroad was prepared to
| steal and lie out of it If he had a fair
charce. OF those who did that sort of
thing a business we had not few, and
one of them was the hardest old customer
| 1 ever knew. He used to make about four
| trips year, and we suspected him from
the first, but there wasn't any good rea-
| son for us making a search, and to suspect
a man wrorgfuly is dangerous if it is
| carried to the extreme.
! zone time we felt pretty sure our man
| had diamonds concealed about his person,
but we didn't know, and we put up a job
by getting dock boy to make a grab at
| his watch and run with it. The boy did
and policeman caught him at the gate.
! The passenger was much excited over his
| loss and was anxious to have the watch,
| an enormous gold one. restored to him at
once. To this we objected until the po-
liceman had opened it. The passenger
protested, and then the copper was curious
and he opened it and found it's works to
consist entirely of uncut diamonds. OF
course, that was bad on friend, but
somehow ne got OH, ana 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 with
| a lot in & collar box.
He had simply tossed them that way
into his trunk and taken the chances on
our not looking there for them. 1 am
pretty sure, now, that once or twice, pos
sibly more times than that he got by us In
disguise, and once I'll swear he came over
as a steerage passenger. and to save my
neck couldn't recall the familiar fea atures
until he had got clear in the crowd and
was lost. The last time I 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 a man who was not
only under suspicion, but had lost his
nerve. He had with him dozen boxes at
least. two big trunks and a whole string
of bags and small receptacles
TN each of the boxes were smaller boxes
| and in the trunks were dozens of package:
Of ill-smelling old clothes and stuff of tina
| kind. 1t was the most suspicious-lo -lookins
| lot I ever saw. and we were all sure tina
cur man was on big layout this time, fol-
gU!sed as a peddler. Well, we jumped hin
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
! | whole outfit and took 1t where we could ge
: at it. Such a job it was, too; hundreds o
> toxes to open; dozens of packages of bat
| smells to rife: old clothes to shake out, an
, in custody in the meantime and gave hin
+ | search about every twelve hours.
AFTER it was all over and we were no
r | enough to throw the cuss off the DOCK h
gave us the laugh and told us he woul
thank us to restore his diamonds to him
and. by Jove. We had to do it. They wer
his, and he proved that he had been weal
iEg them for ten years, and we had to SUI
render. He also requested his release, an
/! told US he would see what it would cost u
tc de.ain a free white citizen in the mar
: | ner Of his detention and a lot more lfk
that, winding it all up with the suggestio
. that we could keep all the old haxes an
Trunks and packages we had been run
maging through for two days as pleasar
souvenirs of him. Then he hawhawed at l
and went away with friend in carriag
handsomer than any of would ever /
able to ride in If we stayed in the govern
ment employ for a thousand years."
Wasn't he really smuggling that timei
ir quired the reporter.
Not at ALL He just did 1t to make
| pleasant for US, which shows that q ma
who will smuggle viii do anything"