The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-24
JACKS XMAS GIFTS SEIZED.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT KEEP
ING AN EYE on THE NAVY.


bAttiesniD UuiO, home Tor christina
From Manila, Now Held ON the ship
Anybody that has a husband or sweet.
heart aboard the battlsship Ohio, in port
from the Far Fast, is likely to be shy a gif,
this year, because the Treasury Depart
ment customs sleuths have pinched all the
Christmas presents aboard that vessel. /.
Holiday tim was approaching, and the
big fighter was returning from a long star
in the Philippines. Naturally the officers
and men thought of the folks at home.
Every stray Shekel that was not working
they mustered into a purchasing fund.
Everybody from Capt. Logan down 70
Stoker Bill Simpson, who caresses the fires
under port boiler 10, invested. They were
going 10 make a Christmas such az their
folks at home had never dreamed Of. II
was shown on. the ships itinerary earlyas az
last September that the Ohio was due here
about the first Of December, and the men
weren't going to he caught mapping.
The way they unlimbered and bou ght
junk is said To have made the merchants
and traders OF Manila blink with astonish-
ment. One jackie CALAMITY hauled in a car
20 Of half a dozen dainty extra short hand
embroidered kimonos. This he jotted down
upon the customs house list later as per-
sonal wearing apparel. He knew it was a
fb, and a %whopper, but like his bunkies he
bad only his best girl in mind.
SO il vent. As the wholesale buying
kept UP it grew into a shopping fever.
After the buying had been going on for a
month in Manila it assumed the proportions
Of a Sixth avenue shopping bee. This
wasn't a starter, though, to the impetus
tie fad gained when the sailing date was
definitely announced Every mothers son
aboard requested shore leave to make a
final roundup. OF the 700 men that stepped
over the ships side for the first time in
history probably no one overstayed his
shore leave. Every man was back on time
to the minute, weighted down to the load
water line witt dozens of c~uriously wrapped
Oriental baskets and bundles and boxes.
II was a blow never to be forgotten by the
Manila groggeries. There wasn't enough
money left with them to pay for the eve
burning hempen rope which il provided
for sailors to light cigars from.
Nor were dainties lacking for the ships
mess. As a preoaut ionary against being
marooned from the Mecca of cheap cigars
the men and officers took aboard a little
matter Of 0,OOO or so of choice smokes,
In fact, a contingency was guarded
against, whether a drought or a sandstorm.
Had either OF these catastrophes been en-
oountered they would have been bra vely
repelled by volleys Of che choicest eye
down a human throat.
No wonder then when the ships band
aboard the Ohio crashed out The Star
Spangled Banner" followed by Home
Sweet Home" as the anchor was hauled
in at Manila that everybody was NO happy
that he Couldn't kpQn atiE
The long journey home was one round
OF pleasure. Instead Of the bands concert
lasting one hour in the evening all hands
applauded so vigorously that il amounted
place OF ballads were substituted Christmas
songs, the kind the jackies and hearties
used to sing when they were little boys
back in the States. Nothing was thought
II a marine would Jump to the centre OF the
stage and sing with a whoop:
up on the housetop. Clink Clink! Clink!
Down through the chimney. good st. Nick.
o. O. o. Christmas Hot
O. o, O, Christmas Ho!"
Before he would be well launched in the
song a rollicking chorus would join him
At these times even old Jerry Tompkins
mate, would give up laboring on
dinky hand sewing machine and per-
form jig stunts that made his bunkies roar
with laughter.
Rough seas were met with and some
in the Suez Canal, but nobody
cared. The big battleship with a slight
limp steamed cheerily into the port where
every good sailor hopes to go when he
dies. Here in this very port was encoun-
the only real serious squat of the
voyage.
The first warning came in the form of a
little customs officer, who hoped aboard
of Quarantine early on the morning of
l..
ANY valuables to declare?" he said in a
.businesslike way to runners Mate Han
son, who was acting as deck orderly.
"Valuables? Valuables?" said the sailor
making out great surprise. Say,
young fellow, what do you think we are ?
This amt a merchant tramp. You're
over the side OF the u. 3. s. Ohio,
q battleship that can lick anything afioat
and just in from Manila
After consulting the officer of the deck
The Custom House man departed. not having
enou Oh things of value noted down to fill
page in his vestpocket memorandum.
Soon, however, the Treasury Depart
nent got wind Of the fact that his boys
when the first jacky piked ashore
a bullying bundle a meek looking in
in the person Of a Treasury De-
partment customs detective asked TO have
; peep.
WHAT'S eatin' ye'- snarled the sailor.
You must think I'm a daEo immigrant"
However, Jack gave the matter more
consideration when the official flashed a
neat gold badge on which the words ~.
$. Customs Officer" we're emblazOned. The
detective saw enough in the contents of the
and in other kits to make him call a
and send over TO Manhattan a report
1f his find to Special Treasury Agent Ralph
v Clayton. This official put aside all other
iuties, and hesid's giving his attention to a
thorough search Of the vessel as she lay in
in the Brooklyn navy yard, gave
orders that all packages and bundles taken
rom the battleship be examined.
All the valuables which had not been
we're gathered together and locked
n the p~urser's storeroom. The search for
DOT continued for several weeks and what
he Treasury Department dug up in the
way Of old junk IL said to have exceeded
heir fondest expectations.
All the violations are said to be petty
n the eyes of the law and the property can
le reclaimed when the men pay the proper
iuty. This, however, in view Of the fact
hat they spent their last cent on the
PRESENTS. is the rubber
just how much junk and inery has been
il was impossible TO learn yester-
Ii is safe to say that nearly every one
the 734 officers and men got squeezed "A
title. That the Treasury Department bad
lot treated the matter 80 very seriously
vas shown by the fact that no arrests were
uaHa and No ana. mana waoAFnnaAnInA