The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-30
GET TIPS FROM EUROPE
WHY THE CUSTOM OFFICERS ann
ABLE TO PREVENT MUCH
SMUGGLING
RIVAL SHOP KEEPERS HELP
When They Learn an American Ban
PatrOntzed a Rival Merchant
They Frequently Notify
Washington.

Il or the last few weeks ali the ocean
liners sailing from European ports for
New York have been crowded, and MANY
people who were negligent about securing
return passage have been compelled IN
ehange their plans by receiving the in
formation that the ship of their CHOICE
was all full" The majority of the mas
sehgers On ocean steamers combined
shopping with sightseeing while abroad
ana the problem of how to get tie pur-
chases past the custom house officials
without paying duty on them keens NAM,
passengers thinking for days on the
homeward trip.
custom house officers say that MANY
men and women who would resent anv
lns1nuation as to their honesty look upon
smuggling as "al right and think that
declaration under oath that they have
nothing dutfable in their trunks need not
De positively true so long as only tie
government loses in consequences.
Despite the schemes and plans of the dis
honest passengers who bring perjury
permeated presents from Paris, MANY
seizures have been made this season. and
more goods have been confiscated than
in former summers. In many instances
the detected sn1uggler bfames himself for
| having looked guilty, or for having con-
| ceafed the laces or diamonds In the wrong
] place, and then remembers how Mrs
Smith brought q whole wedding outfit
| through for her daughter, or how Mrs
i Brown landed lot OF furs Just because
/ she was smart
In nine cases out of ten the collapse OF
| the smuggling scheme was due neither to
| the guilty look of the passenger and his
failure to pack the stuff properly, nor to
the vigilance Of the customs officers. but
! to the desire on the part Of shopkeeper
| in Europe to ''get even"
| The government has had much aid"
! SAID detective, from the European shop
| Keepers. When an American woman ap-
pears on the scene and looks his stock
over, the Paris dealer does his best TO
make sale. If the woman is simply a
| shopper just looking around for a
friend, the storekeeper must grin and
bear it. But when he finds out that Mrs.
American has made her purchases at q
rival establishment and they all have
means for gaining that information. he
goes further and finds out when the
woman will sail. Then he gives the
customs authorities Tip. Tips of that
kind are forwarded to Washington and
placed in the hands Of special men Lots
of gowns, furs, jewelry and other goods
have been stopped at the steamer piers
which you'd undoubtedly have slipped
through but for the aid received from
these disgruntled European merchants
| and drassnalxerss.- Tho government seme-
times receives tips from other sources
also, but the object Is usually revenge,
and the tnfnrnner invariably hides behind
an assumed name. A specimen case was
that of a man who wrote the custom
house to look for a man on q certain
steamer who would have lot of goods
In his possession which he would try to
bring through. The man came, on the
steamer as announced, and, sure enough,
he had big hot of undeelarsd stuff, and
was put to much trouble and expense be-
fore he got matters Strengthened out
His trouble all came from beating
another man at poker on the trip OUT"