The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-28

an When the sugar trust succeeus IN
evading the payment OF something like
$4,000 900 in tariff dtuies II is natural
that public attention should be d.
rected to the practice OF smuggling
which Is as old as tariffs on imports
and which appears to have reached its
greatest perfection in the United
States BY tampering with the scales
at the New York custom house, the
sugar trust succeeded in getting into
the country, from 1901 to 1901, duty
free merchandise on which there should
have been paid tariff amounting TO
q million and a quarter of dollars. The
government claims that on account OF
the device known as the seventeen
holes and the iron hook" 1t was de-
frauded on shipments of sugar reach
ing as far back as 1897, thus making
the total unpaid duties reach two mill
lions and upwards. The trust has
made restitution of million and
quarter. after suit. and criminal prose-
cutions are to follow.
III the inventive faculty applied to
discovering methods of eyading GUS
toms duties had been employed devils
Ing useful appliances for the benefit
OF man, the industrial and scientific
progress of the) race would have been
far greater. Women are born snug
giers. The proverbial mystery which
surrounds the dress of woman, in
80 far as the masculine mind IS con-
cerned. would make 1t possible for her
60 carry out every plan she laid to
evade the customs officers with dia-
monds. jewelry and laces were II not
that female inspectors are employed
at all the leading ports. 1t is hard to
make q man understand that smuggling
Is criminal, and the customs people say
that 1t is impossible TO bring the
mind and conscience of a woman to
realization of this fact.
The officials relate story told by
minister of the Disciples Church. who
had a charge in a Maine town. He
resided with one of his parishioners,
q widow, who remarked to him one
day that she was going across the bor-
der to town in Canada to purchase
winter outlets for ner children. The
minister CHANGED to meet her as she
returned, and, as she did not carry
any packages, was surprised to hear
her say that she had bought the chill
dren's clothing. His parishioner
thereupon proceeded to show him her
nnderskirt, in which there were
dozen pockets of goodly size, contain
Ing suits for all the children, and
other things besides. The clergyman
demonstrated with his landaldy for
violating the law. TT Is q man-made
law" she replied. God allows widows
to buy where they can buy the cheap
est.
+ Several years ago a little hunch-
backed man trotted down the gang
plank of a steamer at the New York
docks. He was a good-natured looking
chap and several customs inspectors
who frequented the races made bold
to ask him to be allowed to touch his
hump, In order that they might have
good luck at the track the following
day The anger and nervousness dis
PLAYED by the little man aroused the
suspicious of the officers. and they
proceeded to search the AFFLICTED stran-
ger. Indeed, they removed the hump.
which was found to consist or three
porous plasters, beneath which was
tissue paper package containinug sew
erAi hundred articles of jewelry, VAL
ned at thousands OF dollars. The on
GERS Nere never able to decide whether
the bowls OF the smuggler while the
hump was being removed were due in
greater part to chagrin or physical
pain. This man had made twenty
seven smuggling trips across the At
lantic, sometimes employing one
method Of evading the law and some
times another.
1t was charged that he had shipped
fh4 body of his old mother from Eu
ROBE with the coffin containing much
iaweiry on which duty should have
been paid. but he Indignantly denied
the charge. He said that 1t was the
body Of his brother which he had
shipped. and confessed that he had
placed on the dead mans fingers forty
two rings which would have borne
thousands of dollars of revenue had
the customs people found them.
One of the most celebrated smugglers
with whom the customs officials have
had TO deal was a man named Lasar,
who up to few years ago, made the
evasion of customs laws his profession.
His chief accomplice was a woman,
who would meet him at Montreal when
he came over from Liverpool with