Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-01-20
DIAMOND SMUGGLING
\ Stricter Watch to Be Kept at
Our Doors.
Incidents, 1.auRhnblc and Othcr wise, in
a Campaign That Means the Saw
ing Of Many Thousand Dollars
to the Government.
(From the New York Times.)


n one would amass great wealth. let
him go into the diamond business, II he
likes: but for peace there Is nothing
like the buying and selling of potatoes.
Confirm this statement. If you care 10.
by gazing upon the placid features OF n
commission merchant, and then strollinz
down through Maiden Lane. There Is no
peace because everybody knows there Is
q great smuggling of diamonds going on
six. seven. or eight million dollars
worth year. Tho tariff tax of ton per
cent. is paid on perhaps $50 100000 worth.
The rest come in free
This situation might he presumed to
he not SO bad for the smugEler Wrong
again. The smuggler sometimes saves
his money, but the wear and tear on his
nerves Is exceeding great. and some
times he doesn't even save his money
Fcruse this pitiful story that comes to
you second hand from a big importer In
the diamond district:
one of the largest and most saga
cious of New York dealers in precious
gems went personally to Amsterdam to
replenish his stock He bought rubes,
pearls emeralds, and so on. and enough
diamonds<to cover the bottom OF a coal
S'uttle anu, DelnB VI HioSl toilS'iNH-
tious citizen. he decided to pay duty on
some Of his goods.
But his decision was not sweeping
IL failed to take into account some
ESQ 900 worth of gems. He would send
them across without saying anything
about them.
Now, there are several ways of send
ing precious gems across without say
10 attach them firmly to the inside OF
ones undershirt and board the boat.
This way has the advantage OF being
efficacious. but the disadvantage Of being
dangerous. Collector Loeb peeled off
two undershirts the other day. And
the gentlemen who was temporarily on
the other side being careful man, de
Cided not to take n chance Of being
caught with the goods
SO he callc l to his aid an earnest young
man who had often served him. He was
q tried and true young mana mar
whose honesty was of that inflexiblt
kind that never betrays a trust. To pu'
I'll of his qualifications in a word. he {
helped beat the government many time
md had never palmed a ruby or glued 6
diamond to the roots Of his hair.
What he was asked to do this time
was this:
Beat 1t to New York with 10000 worth
Of diamonds and turn them over to thu
store at the earliest possible moment.
Mind you. If this young man had no
already earned the complete confidence
Of his employer. he would have shipped
the goods by four men. but such precau
tions seemed unnecessary
The young man took the diamonds ant
his steamship money and departed. TIL
employer loitered around Europe a weel
or two more. his business done, having
good time. He would have had fin
time for perhaps another month. II h
hadn't been informed by cable that tn
Young man with the 10000 had faie'
10 report at the New York store. AS
matter OF fact he hasn't reported yet
and that was some years ago. Whethe
he fell overheard or was murdered is no
definitely known, but the suppostion
that he played the old man false an
never took the boat at all.
even the smuggler has his trouble.
lie never knows whom he can trus
And, If he picks a loser, he cannot replt
vim his goods or appeal to Scotland Yart
lie is lAe a man with an O L taken
q poker game. He cannot collect a cen
"A
vies sustained while descending defe'
tive stairs.
When smuggling is going on the in
porter who doesn't smuggle is also pc
picked by a situation that gnaws ar
growls. He's like a man without a tin
table trying to catch a train on a stranl
road. He can quote prices, but he new
knows whether his prices will brir
customer has not already obtained gu
tations from n smuggler he may bu
Otherwise he will not.
An incident OF this sort occurred L
other day to an importer In the Maid
Lane district. A retailer wanted co
siderable number OF diamonds, rangi
consecutively from very small to We
large. The order, II given, would he /
enough to be worth while. so the Il
porter put his price down as low as
could afford TO.
But the customer did not close the de
uIe would look around little. Wherey
He went. he looked around to good p,
pose. ms he came back in few days a
bought only the middle sizes. He h
bought the small and the large stor
elsewhere at prices approximately
per cent. less than the ones quoted
him by the first dealer. He had SIM
done business with a smuggler, and
tmuggler was unfortunate enough
20 have the middle sizes
In fact. business conditions have
come so unsatisfactory that thirty fir
Of diamond importers have formed
association to proceed against smugglt
Thirty firms have declared that tn
shall be no more importation with
rompensation-to the government.
Of which sounds very fine, and some
which may come true, But wait,
First, who are tho smugglers? tt
arc as careful about naming names do
In Maiden Lane as they are about lock
their safes at night. About all you
get m importer to say is that the
fellows are the smuggers. The SIN
Cling that is going on. II Is said Is
great In volume for small men to
way with It, Any samll or middle-cl