Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1910-09-25
SMUGGLING ART
STILL PRACT|CED
Customs Officers, Not Coast
Guard, Now Feared.
AMERICA IS ACTIVE CENTER

Shipment Of contraband Lace Con {.
esaIed Beneath Corpse In Leaden
| Coffin-Diamonds Worth q Million
Dollars Annually Escape Duty.
Many years ago there was in Corn.
wall very interesting duck pond. In
appearance it was small circular ba.
sin Of water, on which the ducks swan
in ordinary fashion. while the owner
stood and watched them with proprl.
etary pride. He would invite the rev.
enue officers to dine with him and tax e
them out to admire this among other
attractions Of his garden.
But when the excise men left
strange thing would happen. The duck
pond would swing round on pivot
and reveal spacious cavity beneath
in which were stored many kegs Of
good spirits on which duty had never
been paid.
Smuggling is not conducted in this
ing dark nights into the coves and cav.
ems Of our coasts. The risk is too
great. the coast guard service too thor.
ough. The smugglers Of those old 70.
mantle and INSCRIPTIONS days have
long lain in their graves. We have be.
come less romantic. if not more scrupu.
lous.
Smuggling Desire Still Keen.
But the desire to battle the customs
is by no means extinct. any more than
is the wish to make great and speedy
profits. Smuggling was always fine
art with the more intelligent of its vo'
taries. 1t has become even finer now,
though perhaps few Of its devices are
more ingenious than this Cornish duck
pond.
1t is natural that countries with high
tariffs should suffer more from SNUG.
Cling than those where few articles are
taxed, and America has been com.
PEELED to enact a very severe penalty,
though even that is not sufficient de-
terrent.
It is believed that about million dol.
lars worth Of cut diamonds are SNUG.
gled into the United States yearly. yet
the customs officials Of America are
among the sharpest in the world. The
stones have been introduced within
hollow walking sticks, in revolver
cartridges. in babies rattles and sugar
candy, images. z
A very curious tale is told with re.
gard to the smuggling Of quantity
Of valuable lace. 1t happened not long
ago.
The authorities in New York were
warned that there was to be an at
tempt to smuggle this lace by the old
dodge Of a coffin. The ship arrived,
and there were the bereaved relatives
in the deepest mourning in charge Of
a leaden casket. Although the certia.
Gates were in perfect order. the officer
insisted upon having the coffin open.
ed. The relatives violently protested
against such an outrage, but this only
confirmed the suspicious Of the GUS
toms man.
Lace Under the Corpse.
The coffin being opened. imagine the
officials horror when he saw that It
really did contain body. He was
on the point of apologizing and order
ing the casket to be resealed when be
happened to catch sight of a suspicious
eye watching him from behind a
mourner's pocket handkerchief. 1T
was enough. He had the body remov-
ed, and hidden below it was lace worth
several thousand dollars. The corpse
proved to be that Of a pauper bought
for the occasion.
Lace is the great bugbear Of the
American customs. It Is of high value
and difficult to detect, while women,
who are chiefly intent on smuggling It,
are more awkward to deal with than
men. The right Of search can always
be exercised, but it leads to unpleas-
ant scenes and sometimes to the search
ing of innocent persons.
The difficulty is increased by the
fact that women Of the highest Amer
lean rank do not scruple to smuggle,
and to interfere personally with these
Is a delicate job. 1t must be done
sometimes and has had some startling
results. Women have been caught not
only thickly bandaged with lace, but
concealing valuable sables among their
underclothes.
On one occasion hundreds of costly
ostrich feathers were discovered sew
ed within a woman's petticoat. The fair
Americans are very keen, and they do
not like to return from Europe empty
handed.