The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-06
UNCLE SANS sPOTTERs.
Especially the Man In Europe Who
Looks Out for Smugglers.
s. H. Adams in Ainslee's,

$. II. Adams In AinSlee'S s.
Uncle Sans large and well-organized
Secret Service is made up mostly of men
who come properly under the head of
detectives with police powers, but it has
its class of bona fide spoilers, whose en-
tire duty it is to ingrs tiate themselves
with persons suspected of having designs
to evade the Custom House duties and
to warn the baggage inspectors at this
end of the impending swindle. In clever
ness. address and adaptability the secret
service spotter is easily at the head of
his profession, and even ranks with the
trained experts of the European diplo-
matte CORPS 1t is essential that he
should be a man of the world, for he
must assoc ate with all kinds of people
on equal terms. He has no fixed abode.
but lives in various EUROPE an capitals
when he is not on shipboard, where he
Is much of the time. He must never let
himself be In the slightest degree sus-
pected There is always a number OF
these agents in Paris, because of the
great American trade there. They live
at the fashionable hotels and live the life,
apparently, of fianeurs and boulevardiers.
In all lines of trade that concern dutia-
BILE goods they are experts, and no large
purchase by an American In Paris is I'M
ance is enormous, but nobody knows them
for what they are. In one way or an
other they contrive to make the ac-
uuaintance of any person whom they sus-
pect and unastentationsly but unremit-
tingly trail him. Many a me some man
who has made a heavy purchase OF dia-
monds or Iaces and so disposed them that
he felt sure Of being about to get them
through the port undiscovered has been
~ a Nhanp0
ance of the voyage over who, unseen,
presses a little note into the hand of the
customs inspector. That note tells all
that the willy smuggler would wish TO
keep secret, and his baggage is merci-
lessly ransacked until the hidden les
are brought to light. He has been follow
ed over by the spotter Men employed
in this line get good pay-as high as Slo
a day-but IL costs them much to live In
the manner in which they must maintain
themselves.
Suspicious as 1t is OF swindles from
without. the government Is more trustful
OF the employees In its financial center
than in any private corporation. In the
United states Treasury the whole output
of the nations currency is handled by
mon who are under neither su~vei lance
nor bond. The payir g-teller handles for
Nv or fifty million dollars a year. The
exchange clerk has every day $4,000 I'm
change at hand The money in charge
az the keeper Of the cash room runs from
$40 900 900 upward. and the chief Of the
issue division. who is negro. handles
millions every day, Any OF these men
could get away with enormous amounts
of money and be reasonably secure
against detection for consld-
erabe lsngth Of time. Nevertheless,
REGULATORS from the Treasury have been
Few and small In amount during its his
tory. There IL an axiom In the depart
mont which runs as follows:
wherever money is hardled there Il a
noint OF which the honesty OF the indi-
yldnal must be the main reliance.
And 30 the Treasury Of penses with
the services Of spoilers. However. pri-
vate business interests involving the
handling OF large sums % money are not
likely 10 follow this example. Spoilers
nav be an evil. but they are a necessity
"a the present phase OF human develop