The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-12-21
EASY TO SMUGGLE.
NO TRICK AL ALL TO BRING DIA-
M0NDs IN FREE.

Dealers In the SparkIers Can Have Things
Pretty Much Their Own Way II They
Wsnt TO, But it Is Claimed, to Their
Credit, That Most of Them Don't Want
io-Carried Loose in the Vest Pocket
They arc Fairly Safe. as Very Few Poo
pie arc Searched Means Taken to Hide
vaIuabIes
New York, Dec. 20.-The Herald says:
The recent arrest of the LasarS on the
charge of being implicated in the big
gest diamond smuggling case in twenty
years, and the statement OF Collector
Bidwell that after the arrest and pun
ishment of several other alleged Snug
glers wi1om the customs authorities
have under surveillance they hope to ef-
factually break up the practice Of cheat
ing Uncle Sam out OF his lawful duties,
have drawn attention to the many arti-
fees for getting contraband goods into
this country. Reputable diamond deal
ers, by the way, do not agree with the
customs officers that it IS possible to stop
this evil.
1t is TIE simplest thing in the world
to get diamonds through without detec-
tion," said a leading importer yesterday.
How? Why, the NOSE ordinary ways
are the best. Carry them in your vest
pocket, IL you like. Not one person in
hundred is examined, and then only
when the inspectors are tipped off by
some enemy Of the smuggler OF by some
agent on the other side who is employed
by Uncle Sam to run down frauds.
when person looks manifestly ill at
ease and acts as il something were
wrong when the inspectors are scanning
every face as tine passengers come of
from the steamship.
Coming through from Canada It Is
clear sailing. One could almost walk
over Suspension Bridge with a basket
ful Of diamonds, and the sleepy officials
wouldn't bother to see what he had with
him.
'1ne most they do Is to run their
hands through the trunks and satchels-
have been to Canada a dozen times.
and the idea of smuggling revef entered
my head at the time, but If had wanted
to be dishonest could bring over what
diamonds 1 wanted in my pockets and
nobody would have been the wiser.
Several diamond dealers m Canada
openly advertise that sell the gems at
just as low prices as they can be bougi1t
en- the other side which, Of course, is an
invitation for local dealers to make the
trip to Canada and bring back fresh
stock duty free. The duty is now 10 per
cent on cut diamonds where it used to
be 25, while on diamonds IN the rough
there is no duty. But trading in dia-
ronds Is on SO small margin that 10
per cent means everything. Few i'm
porters make more than or per cent
A dealer who smuggles can afford to sell
just 10 per cent cheaper.
"One Of the neatest cases Of smuggling
/ ever saw was done by a man against
whom the customs authorities had been
warned and told just how he would
bring the jewels over. They felt yery
jugilant, therefore, when the passenger
was caught and several thousand dol
lars worth Of beautiful stones was
found on his person, carefully concealed
beneath a court plaster, which was sup
posed TO cover a big bruise.
How the man howled as the officers
told him they would have to disturbthe
wound. The pain would he so great
that he might not be able to bear 1t. He
survived. however. and he appeared
much disgruntled when the gems drop
ped out and no wound whatever Was
found.
'tThe man was promptly arrested. The
game was so apparent that, OF course, he
co:,'in't make any explanation, as most
of them try 20 do. The stones went to
the appraisers Office TO be examined,
covered to be glass and absolutely
worthless Then the man was dis
charged, and ne Gad the laugh on the Of
.icialS.
What was the matter? Why, the
fell,w mas simply little smarter fi1a1
the detectives. He had learned before
ne sailed tina. they suspected him. AMI
he Put up this trick to save himself.
1ne real diamonds ne passed through by
means of a confederate, and to this day
the slctoms authorities never found out
Nao did it.
"Ycu have heard Of the old tricks,
such as concealing stones IN boot heels,
in the ends of walking sticks or umore.-
las. in oranges, in the hair. in the mouth,
and sewing them in different parts Of
ones clothing. Sometimes they put the
stones in sand wicbes and bottles Of wine
and ether contents Of lunch baskets.
"Eut this isn't always safe, for once a
customs officer. who suspected soms-
thing wrong, asked a passenger for come
lunch, stating that ne had been ON the
dock many hours and hadn't had time
to get anything. The passenger made
a lame excuse, and the officer made up
his mind that he had found the colored
person in the fence.
HE made a very careful examination
of thsoontents of the basket, and, sure
enough. he found the diamonds cleverly
hidden away in the fruit cake. The Of
icer seized the whole basket and the
authorities spent very profitable hour
mining for diamonds under the most
favora bic conditions.
"As for smuggling diamonds through
confederates, as the LaSsr gems are re
ported 10 have come over, that i5 neces-
sarily done under disadvantages, for IL
! is not always possible 10 trust confeder-
atas-at any rate not with any quantity
c. gems. You frequently hear Of black
| ing methods being used 10 make the