The sun., 1908-05-10
VAYSOFGMGYEUR SNUGGLERS
THE WOMAN CUSTOMS INSPECTOR
GIVES A FEW POINTS.

70 Save Trouble and AVOid suapiei0n PuI
Articles BOught AbFOed h the TOV
q One Trunk and Have ne nilIs ReAdy
Some MiStSkea IdoAs of the Laws
II women returning from abroad would
take the trouble 70 pack all tAsir fordu
purchases In one hunk, and In tba top oi thf
trunk. thsy would b. saved much Ann0ylnOI
at the dock, said woman customs in
speotor when asked II there was not Soms
way 10 prevent the customs officials from
touSling up the clothes Of women returning
from few weeks trip. Nine tenths Of the
women instead Of taking this simple pre-
caution seem to take particular pains 10
store such articles In the very bottoms
Of their trunks, or, worSe Stll. To tpck them
In odd corners Of various trunks.
II they would bring bills Of their pur-
ohaSes and have them In some place where
they could be easily found that also would
save trouble. really couldn't tell the
number Of women there are who get on
every steamer declaring they have bills Of
their purchases and yet fail to produce them.
In the majority Of instances the customs
ofIiCiAl finds the bills stuck away In soma
corner Of the last trunk 10 be opened. After
II IL found Of course the woman remembers
putting II there and the particular reason
| that prompted her 10 do it-usually 10 make
sure Of its safety,
'Still another point TO be remembered
Is TO have sealskn garments registered
before leaving this country. On your
return there will be no trouble about paying
duty on the registered garment unless
| II has been altered. or course duty must
be paid on ell alterations. II there have
been no alterations all a passenger has to
do 10 to take an oath 10 that effect. Very
often we are strongly suspicious that such
an oath 10 not the truth, but unless the
woman making II is caught in the act Of
smuggling other articles We let II pass un-
challenged.
There are many persons, not ignorant
either, who fancy they can bring in articles
bought on the other side provided they
have been worn. That was the case years
ago, but as the law now stands only SlOO
worth oan como in free unless the owners
can prove they have lived abroad moIs
than year. In that case they can bring
In almost any and everything free because
they come under the head Of foreign resi-
dents. There is never q ship comes but
what some one, usually a woman. objects
To paying duty on clothing that has been
worn. One Of the tavorite methods Of
elderly women who wish to get dresses in
free ia to take old dress shields and old
Innings abroad with them TO be put in new
clothes. II is often lauRhable TO zee them
when the customs Official gives them the
law on that particular point They some
times make clean breast oi the intended
deception, Not long ago one old lady eI-
claimed
To think Of all the trouble took to nip
the lining out Of that old frock and to get
the dressmaker TO make the dress up over
it, She paid the duty cheerfully. but
think she will always begrudge the time
she wasted ripping out that lining. Don't
think her conscience pricked her for trying
to cheat the Government Not at all. As
a rule women appear to look upon slipping
articles in free Of duty as a ieatherin in their
caps. Speak Of them as smuggers and
they become indignant or weep.
Jewels. furs and laoes are the favorite
articles among women with smuggling pro-
pensities. Although we are all but abso-
lutely sure that jewels are smuggled in on
every ship, yet unlees we are notified by the
Secret Service men abroad il is next to i'm
possible to detect the person bringing them
Men are the chief offenders in smuggling
jewels, and II now seems the style for them
TO have a woman accomplioe, who usually
travels second class. but sometimes In the
Bteerage. Those women have to be searched
and are often very ugly customers. We
begin to search such women by taking
down their hair and giving their hats the
closest sort Of attention After this 10
finished every garment they have on il
searched and felt over. The toes and heels !
OF their shoes are examined with the closest |
scrutiny. Yet in spite OF the most faithful !
work by a woman inspector have known in |
sta ances Of jewels being overlooked.
We have one old detective who has the |
reputation among the customs ofiicials Of |
having G-ray eyes. Every once in a while
he spots man or woman as jewel snug
gler Inever knew him TO be mistaken, yet. |
40 far as | could see, there would be nothing
suspicious looking about the person.
Fortunately furs and lace are not %
easily hidden, One Of the most amusing
incidents that ever came In my experience
was that OF two young women from the
West. They tried to smuggle in q set OF
silver fox: One girl put her leg through the
mum, while the other wound the boa about
her body, A blind man would have known
something was the matter with them. They
were the most surprised pair OF young
women you ever saw when told they must
be examined. II they had worn the fIIrs
ten 70 one nothing would have been said TO
them, a. all their other baggage Washonestly
declared, When the goods in the trunks Of
a passenger are honestly declared We seldom
notice the clothes they have on.
Often women call ouT attention 70 their
new furs by voluntarily declaring them 10 be
several years old, They forget that being
women we also keep up with the styles
II there is nothing else dutlSble a. a rule We
let the furs In without questioning the We
racity Of the nervous wearer. One Of the
oleverest fur smugglors ever met was a
man who had the dresses Of his two little
daughters lined throughout with the most
expensive ermlne and an interlininG Ia has
overooat Of the same fur. The childrOn
we're entirely innocent and allowed them
selyes TO be undressed as comfortably as IL
We had been their nurses.
Many years ago had q woman with a
Dettiooat lined with q valuable 0ealBkin coat
contribute materially 10 my months salary.
I was In the days when we were allowed
'nc-third per cent, Of the amount collected
rom smugglers
On numerous occasions | have had
women shake their fists In my face As
or bribes, why, II looked upon that as
N insult Id be insulted all the time. There !
! hardly q ship comes In that some woman !
loesn't ask me how much III take TO make
al 1