The Louisiana populist., 1898-02-04
WAYS OF POCKET SMUGGLERS.
SCHEMES OF THOSE WHO TRY TO
ELUDE UNCLE SAM.
Special Detectives Who Look After Duty
Dodgers.-.One Man Who Was Too Smart
for the Government Service.

Dodgers...One Man Who Was 100 Smart
for the Government Service.
Strange are the methods which
transatlantic tourists often resort to
In their endeavors to cheat Uncle Sam
by evading the paying of duties on
articles subject to duty. In snug
Cling goods through the port innumer-
able clever schemes are devised, call
ing for continued alertness and the
display Of ingenuity on the part of the
Government detectives connected with
the customs division Of the Treasury
Department.
Although systematic smuggling,
which for years existed to an alarming
extent, has been effectually broken up,
the Government to-day is still losing
thousands Of dollars.
Many ocean travellers thinks it Il
good joke to beat Uncle Sam. Ofttimes
they glory in it, telling their friends
how they got through little knick-
knacks without paying the lawful duty.
1t is this class of smugglers with which
the Government has the most trouble.
1t is difficult to detect them, and when
discovered they usually have ready d
plausible excuse. The Government
men call this practice pocket snug
Cling, which means that goods are
brought in concealed upon the person.
Jewelry is chiefly smuggled in this
way. One can easily conceal about him
thousands of dollars worth of dia-
monds with small hopes of being de-
| tected.
To prevent such smuggling two
special detectives are detailed. Known
to few ocean travellers, they visit the
piers of the steamship company on the
arrival of a passenger steamship.
After being assured that none of the
regulars. as the old time smugglers are
called, is aboard the ship, they stroll
around the pier mingling with the
crowds. AS the customs inspectors
examine the baggage the detectives
keep a sharp lookout.
A familiar method of these detec-
tives is to apparently brush accident
ally up against man. In this way it
may be discovered if passenger is
wearing belt or if he has any small
packages in his pocket.
Sometimes it is easy to discover a
green smuggler from his actions. He
will betray himself in many ways. He
may be detected by the inspector to
whom he makes his declaration by his
answers to the usual questions, or the
examining inspectors suspicious might
be aroused. The inspectors are quick
to notice any suspicious actions on the
part of passengers.
There are many things which pas
sengers do to attract the attention OF
the detectives and often lead to detec-
tion of smugglers. If man or woman
stepped off a steamship wearing a
heavy cloak or overcoat on warm
day the detectives would never take
their eyes off the individual until they
were assured that he or she had moth
ing dutiable. Yet many passengers
use this method to smuggle.
Then there is the man who os-
casionally conceals something in his
hat with a false crown. His nervous
ness will cause him to take off his
headgear dozen times minute. Then
he wonders how in the world he was
detected. The man who uses hollow
heel in his shoe to stow away dia-
monds, and when he arrives on the
dock keeps glancing at his feet while
his baggage is examining marvels at
the cleverness of the detectives in
catching him.
But it is hard to catch the old timers
at these tricks. Their brazenness
carries them through. An old method
of smuggling, now seldom used, was 10
conceal diamonds in chest protectors
and patent porous plasters, applied to
the body.
Perhaps more pocket smugglers are
detected through the wagging of their
own tongues than by any other sys-
tenn. A man or woman with brilliant
gems is tempted to display and talk
about them. This they often do on
the ship while crossing over. On arri-
val the inspectors receive tip, and if
the jewelry is not included in the
declaration, the man or woman, as
tonished, believes that the United
States Government must employ mind
readers in the customs service.
Tips often come from different parts
Of Europe where large purchases Of
jewelry and diamonds have been made
by travellers. There is an incentive in
this tipping business, because the in
former receives as a reward a certain
percentage of the value of the goods
seized. The American consuls, Of
course, keep a sharp outlook, and their
information is often a great help in
catching smugglers.
A surprising number of anonymous
tips come to the Treasury Department
Usually they are incorrect, and it is
surmised that the informant is simply
in search of revenge. A peculiar case
Of this sort is recalled. For a long
period the Customs Department had
its sllsnicinns directed against q man