The sea coast echo., 1901-08-24
UNCLE SANS sPoTTERs.
Especially tho Man In Europe who Lool,
Out for smuggIers.


Uncle Sans large and wellorgaD
lied secret service Is made up mostly
of men who come properly under the
head of detectives with police powers
but 1t has its class of bona ide SPOT
ters, whose entire duty II is to ngn
tiate themselves with persons suspect
ed OF having designs to evade The
custom house duties and to warn the
baggage inspectors at this end Of the
impending swindle In cleverness. sd.
dress and adaptability the secret ser.
vice spotter Is easily at the head Of
his profession. and even ranks with
the trained experts OF the European
diplomatic corps. It is essential that
he should be a man of the world, for
he must associate with all kinds Of
people on equal terms. He has no
fixed abode, but lives In various Euro
pean capitals when he is not on ship
board. where he Is much of the time.
He must never let himself be In the
slightest degree suspected. There Is
always number of these agents In
Paris, because of the great American
trade there. They live at the fashion
able hotels and live the life. apparent
ly. OF flaneurs and boulevardiers. Ii
all lines of trade that concern dutt
able goods they are experts, and no
large purchase by an American 10
Paris Is unknown to them. Their cir
Gle OF acquaintance Is enormous. but
nobody knows them for what they are
In one way or another they contrw
to make the acquaintance OF any per-
son whom they suspect. and unosten'
tatiously but unremittingly trail him.
Many time some man who has made
a heavy purchase of diamonds or
laces and so disposed them that no
felt sure of being able to get them
through the port undiscovered has
been passed ON the dock by chance
acquaintance of the voyage over who
unseen. presses q little note into the
hand Of the customs inspector That
note tells all that the willy smuggler
would wish to keep secret and Biz
baggage is mercilessly ransacked until
the hidden articles are brought 70
light. He has been followed over BY
the spotter. Men employed in this
line get good pay--as high as $40
day-but 1t costs them much to live 10
the manner in which they must main
tain themselves.
Suspicious as 1t is of swindles from
without, the government is more trust
full of the employees in its financial
centre than in any private corpora
tion. In the U. S. treasury the whole
output of the nations currency
handled by men who are under neither
surveillance nor bond. The paying
teller handle 40 or so millions a yeal
The exchange clerk has every da
100000 In change at hand. The money
In charge OF the keeper OF the easn
room runs from $170,000,000 upward
and the chief of the issue division
who Is a negro. handles millions ever
day. Any of these men could seI
away Win tuOt ulOuS dhuouhtH
money and be reasonably secule
against detection for consideraOs
length OF time. Nevertheless. peculS
tions from the treasury have been rev
and small in amount, during Its DIS
tory. There is an axiom in the az
partment which runs as follows
Wherever money is handled tner
Is a point which the honesty OF tns
individual must be the main reliance
And so the treasury disDenses WIN
the services of spoilers. However,
private business interests inyoNns
the handling of large sums OF mons'
are not likely to follow this exampN'
Spoilers may be an evil. but lhsl
are a necessity in the present pnass
Of human development, and until son'
psychological chemist devises preps
ration to make men honest. the w
is likely to persist. rs. H. Adams
Ainslee's.