Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28
SMUGGLING DEVICES.
Queer Ways by Which Customs Of
hcers Are Evaded successfully.


From the New Yo.k Times m
Few evidences of human ingenuity are
more interesting thap the devices invent
ed almost every day to battle the detec-
tive skill Of officers of,customs. The SNUG
gler is nowhere moro wide awake than in
the United States, where he is at least a
match for his enemies of. the customs, and
there are few days when he does not sue
coed in cheating them out of few thou
sand dollars. 10
His chief object is to evade the duty
imposed on imported diamonds, and he
has many ways Of doing this success
fully. BY several Ingenious devices he
can disguise the value Of the diamonds
he imports, so that stones which are worth
500 or $3.50 a carat lose at least half their
value and are assessed for duty at the
lower rate. Thus, instead of paying $1,000
duty. on a parcel of diamonds, he escapes
with a payment of $500.
The smuggler's principal device is to
mount his diamonds In rings and brooches
but before mounting them he gives each
stone thin coating on the back of brown
or yellow varnsh thus giving the purest
W hite stones yellowish tinge, and reduc-
ing their apparent value by 90 to 10 per
cent. Another successful plan is to sub
ject the stones to heat until the brilliant
surface is clouded and takes on a dull
grayish appearance.
The valuable stones. thus deprived Of
their luster, are mixed with a number Of
diamonds Of the poorest quality and the
entire parcel Is passed as rubbish" at
value of $4,000 or Sic, 900 less than their
actual worth A little polishing soon re-
stores the burned stones to their origi-
nal luster, with a loss of weight which
bears no proportion to the amount of
money saved in duty.
The Paris snuggler Is little, if at all
behind his American rival in ingenuity,
and his devices, on the evidence of M
Camille Simon, are worthy of the most
crafty Chinaman. A short time ago a
brougham, with an imposing coachman
to be an invalid gentleman, was stopped
at the Porte Dauphine. The brougham
had passed at the same hour every day
for 5no,n months, until at last suspicion was
officers found that the invalid gentleman
was zinc dummy, and that the brougham
was full Of ingenious receptacles for the
smuggling of alcohol.
Not long before the authorities recejv-
ed secret Information that on a certain
day a wedding party would enter Paris
by one OF the gates, and that it might be
worth while to subject it to scrutiny ON
1ne DAY ana at the hour indicated a long
lle OF landaus was seen approaching the
sate. The first carriage contained the
Flushing bride and bridegroom. and the
other carriages were crowded with wedding
guests IN uproar1ous spirits becoming to
the occasion.
The procession was stopped at the gate
in spite of the indignant protests of the
guests and the tears of the bride, and a
thorough search resulted in the discovery
That the landaus were even more full of
spirits than the wedding guests themselves.
In the hollow shafts, seats and even in the
harness We're concealed go liters of pure
alcohol. Landaus and guests continued
their journey with sadly diminished spirits.
The SmuggleTs Museum at the Hotel
de Villa, Paris Is full of the most extra
ordinary devices for defrauding the reve-
nue.: Nothing is sacred to the smuggler,
as Is proved by a collection of mortuary
Wreaths each of which Is a cunningIy de-
vised receptacle for spirits False busts.
hlps, legs and abdomens have all held con-
iraband goods; there is mason's hod hol-
lowed TOR their concea1ment, hollow axIes
Wheels, shafts, advocates cases, books-in
Iact, almost every device that practiced in
genuity can suggest.
The most amusing attempt to cheat the
customs, according to- NJ. Simon, was made
by two men disguised as countrymen. one
evening three men were seen approaching
the Menlimontant barrier, uproariousIy
drunk. The middle man, who was unable
to walk. was supported by his two compan-
Ions. scarcely less drunk than himself
The customs officers, amused at the spec-
tacle, began to chaf the drunken men
and one OF them playfully gave the middle
man a dig IN the ribs, which, to the Off
GERS anaZement, caused the man to COL
lapse ana his companions to bolt In alarm
Inc cause of their flight was quickly ap-
parent, for the drunken man was of India
fuDber, and his intoXication was sufficiently
explained by the fact that he was full to
the crown of his head with pure alcohol