The Savannah morning news., 1903-01-11
NEW YORK TOPICS
VIEWS AND UNDERCURRENTS OF
THE METROPOLIS.

Tobacco Smuggling of the Present
and the Past-J. :. ClRrksOn, Now
Surveyor of the Port of New York,
and Private John Allen of TupeIO,
Miss.-Myron II. Herrick of Cleve-
land, and His Probable POIitIca
Ambitions-SOme Traits of r. J.
6uckyb Baldwin, Now Suffering
from Cancer in san Francisco.
Katherine TinEIey, the "PurpIe
Mother of Point Iona" and Her
New York Career - =. HOpkinsOn
Smith, Poet, Novelist, Painter,
Lighthouse Builder, ct NJ, and
How He Sells Copy to the Maya
sines-His Art Beginnings.
New York. Jan. 10.-The measures
now being taken to put stop to the
wholesale smuggling into this port Of
tobacco, in the shape of Sumatra
wrappers, bring to mind the days
when running goods past the customs
inspectors here was far more common
than it is now.
If you have read the dispatches you
know that some tobacco has already
been found in the coal bunkers of
steamers from Holland, and that it is
believed the government has suffered
enormous losses through this form of
smuggling, which, it is believed, has
been going on for years, unchecked.
Until a few months ago il was be-
lieved that smuggling of this particu-
lar sort had been stamped out. 1t has
been common enough formerly, but
now, the customs authorities felt safe
in assuming that virtually all evasions
of duties here were practiced by re-
turning tourists, the smugglers of
precious stones and importing mer-
chants who undervalued the goods
they brought in.
Some Illicit trade was understood to
persist in English clothes, through the
connivance of ships pursers and the
like, of course, but it was of small mo-
ment compared with the extensive
operations in Sumatra wrappers now
understood to be going on.
In the old days, prosperous from
the smugglers' point of view, the run
ming in of contraband goods was real
ly extensive.
Then, as now, tobacco was the IA
Vortte of the smugglers. both because
il is easily handled and because the
profits are heavy, owing to the high
import tax on all forms of the leaf
so dear to the hearts of smokers. In
the old days, however, the methods of
% lrT l4xr
bold than at present. Now they bring
the goods, hidden in the ships stores
of coal, directly to the docks, and in
some instances have been discharging
their illegally imported cargo almost
without precaution. 1t was this care
lessness, born of a long period of lax
attention by the customs authorities,
that led to the smugglers' final undo
ing. 1t is thought to be doubtful
whether many persons will actually be
caught and punished, even now, but
the game is broken, surely for the
present
1t was renewed watchfulness that
brought about the discovery of the to-
bacco smugglers of to-day, but it was
accident that broke up the most note
worthy of the former smuggling
schemes
The carcass of dead horse was no.
ticed floating in the lower bay. For
some reason il was examined. when.
to the amazement of its discoveries, Il
was found to be full of cigars in boxes,
all securely wrapped in tarpaulin to
prevent the goods from being water
soaked.
This led to tremendous activity on
the part of the customs men, who soon
unearthed at least one gang of Illegal
tobacco importers. They had regular
headquarters at the Narrows, on the
Staten Island shore, below the quaran-
tine station. Vessels coming from HoI-
land and the West Indies brought the
bulk of the goods the smugglers were
waiting for. Sometimes before passing
the Narrows and sometimes after.
these ships, while waiting to dock.
would drop anchor. At night the
smugglers would throw over water
tight bundles, barrels or boxes filled
with Illicit wares, trusting to the shore
gang TO pick up the goods. Just how
much money was made by the smug-
glers before they were found out no.
body knows, of course. but the sum
aggregated hundreds of thousands, if
The Hon. ]. S. Clarkson, surveyor
or this port, a semi-independent Off
cial of the customs service, is un-
doubtedly responsible in some meas
ure for the activities that have led to
the current and impending disclosures.
Mr.. Clarkson has lived in New York
so long now. that he is almost a true
Gothamite, though his fame was won
mainly, first when he was a. newspa-
per editor in Iowa, and. later, when
ne was Assistant Postmaster General
at Washington under President Harri-
son. His duties then were chiefly the
appointing of postmasters below the
presidential class $50 called because
they are appointed by the Chief Ex-
ecutve), and this gave him the title
OF "Headsman Clarkson." since every
appointment of a postmaster had to
be preceded by an official decapitation.
1t was while acting as "Headsman''
that he ran against Private" John
Allen, of Tupelo, Miss, for many years
acknowledged to be the wittiest MEM
Der OF the House of Representatives
He was Democrat, of course. and
quite as strong a partisan as Clark
son. Allen and Clarkson soon became
the frmest sort of friends despite
their antipodal politics. One day All.
raerlxx 81, -