The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-07-12

New York, July 1.-the govern
ment has eight women customs in
spectors on duty in New York to catch
feminine smugglers, but despite all
that these eight women can do the
smuggling is not growing any less.
The customs inspectresses say that
they believe more than half the wo-
men passengers who arrive from for
eign countries have dutiable goods
concealed about their persons some
where. Smuggling seems to have
peculiar fascination for women, judg-
ing from the pride nearly every wo-
man who arrives from trip abroad
takes in Dragging to her women
friends how she managed to get such
an such an article by, passing under
the very noses of the inspectors with
out their ever once suspecting. One
has only to overhear these confessions
of the average feminine steamer arri-
val to realize how widespread the prac-
tice is and how shamelessly woman
who are otherwise honorable and
truth-telling will lie, evade the truth
and go to most absurd length in Or
der to get some bit of finery or gew-
gaw in duty free.
1t probably appeals to the feminine
instinct for bargain for getting
something for nothing. No class is
exempt from it. Women of wealth,
who are abundantly able to pay du-
ties and would never miss the money,
are as eager to rob the government as
is the immigrants wife, who hopes to
save dollar Or two By a bit of de-
ception. AS a matter of fact, the GUS
toms inspectresses are not slow in say
ing that of the two classes the wealthy
woman Is the worst. She goes to
most lengths in evading duty, resorts
to the most ludicrous subterfuges and
preserves the most brazen front.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars
worth of dutiable silks, laces, jewelry
and various sorts of feminine finery
are struggled in every year. The gov
ernment Is we'll aware of the extent of
this practice. but it can hope to do lit
tie more than limit 1t and keep it
down as far as possible. 1t is to this
end that the government maintains its
New York staff of women inspectors.
The corps was created thirty odd
years ago. In former times there were
twenty-one of the inspectresses and it
was their duty to inspect the baggage
of arriving passengers as we'll as
search suspects. In those days the
dean of the corps was Mrs. Genevieve
Ferris, universally known as Jennie"
who was one of the best known wo-
men in New York, had hosts of friends
among public officials and was per-
sonally kno m to all regular ocean
travellers from this port. She was in
the service thirty-six years. At pres
ent the inspectresses are eight in num-
Der: Miss Ellis, Mrs. Clark, Miss
Walsh, hiss Ellsworth, Mrs. Oar
ragh, Miss McQueenie. Miss Allen and
Miss Mooney. The dean or dean
ess' of the corps is Miss Lllis, who is
in the service by right of birth, her
mother having been an inspectress be-
fore her. She has served twenty-sev-
en- years at this port. Mrs. Clark
comes next with twenty-one years in
the service, having been appointed in
vice taper down to Misses Mooney and
Ellsworth. who are both young women
in their early twenties. Miss Walsh,
a cousin of Blanche Walsh, the act
ress, is given credit for being the pref,
test inspectress in the corps.
These ladies do not have to go down
the bay to meet incoming vessels, as
the immigrant inspectresses do, nor dc
they have to keep office hours and re-
port to the surveyor, as the men in.
spectors do. BY an arrangement OF
the customs office with the Western
Union Telegraph company they are
informed by messenger at their homes
the sighting of an incoming steamer al
Fire Island, and thus they have ample
time to get down and meet the vessel
at her dock. They always go in
pairs, and have divided the different
steamship lines up among themselves
so that each has vessels which she reg
ularly meets. Their pay is So a day
This is not too low when it it consid
cred that their duties seldom require
more than two or three hours work 8
day, and even then they do not have &
steamer every day. The work is light
and so interesting that the days or
which she does not have to meet a yes
sci are rather monotonops. Each In