Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-20

declared them: for each passenger is allowed to
bring in hundred dollars worth of articles free
of duty. In this case, however, there was an
intent to defraud, and Harris had no alternative.
An Elastic Suit
TT sometimes happens that an old traveller,
anxious to get through the customs lines
with more dutiable goods than the laws hun
dred-dollar allowance, will make lavish pur-
chases and trust to luck to get them through IN
the baggage of other passengers. On the first
day out his experienced eye picks out persons
likely to be coming to America for short trip
and carrying little baggage.
He cultivates their acquaintance as soon as
| possible and by casual observation lets it be
known that he is overburdened with dutiable
clothing. Would they be SO kind as to include
a coat or two or bolt of cloth in their declara-
ton and bring it in as their own! Sometimes
an accommodating with family OF five
on board is able to bring in for another several
hundred dollars worth of stuff upon which the
real owner would have to pay considerable
duty. The professional sponger trading on the
generosity of his fellow voyager calls upon his
benefactor the day after landing and takes his
goods away.
tall man travelling alone once brought in
suit of clothes that had been foisted upon him
by strange room mate; but he forgot to allow
for the difference in size. When the trunk was
thrown open and the suit he had declared as his
own examined the inspector said:
is this gift!"
"Oh, it is my own suit" said the traveller
glibly. :" l wore it in London several times"
Well" responded the inspector, you have
either grown to beat the band in several weeks
or that suit has shrunk as suit has ever
shrunk before.
Pulling one of the pockets inside out, the
inspector found the of the owner and.
glancing over the passenger list, found that he
was on the steamship. No penalty was imposed
upon either voyager but the unlucky misht
was sent to the public stores.
A Costly Lie
InBSTINACY and untruth do not impress
- customs officials. 1t is far better to be
civil and tell the truth than to try to bluff and
equivocate. if deputy surveyors or inspectors
are at all suspicious
| wealthy Cuban who recently returned to
New York after a visit to Paris resorted to
buster tactics and learned bitter lesson. 1t
was known II ON ;.dv1ceS abroad that he had
purchased fourteen hundred dollars worth Of
| iewelry and had taken it aboard the steamship
| at Havre On his arrival at New York, Deputy
Surveyor Tierney looked over his declaration
and found that the gems were not mentioned.
The Cuban was asked three times If he had any
jewelry on his person, and each time answered
sarcastically that he had not
Finally he was taken aboard the steamer. and
search of his pockets disclosed the jewelry
that had been reported by the Treasury agents
in Paris The Cuban protested that he was on
his way to Havana that the jewelry was
present TOT MS HanCee, InaI IL would De taken
out of the country the following morning: but
his protestation avaed him nothing then. He
was entitled to ship the treasures in bond to
Cuba: but he should have declared them on
his arrival. For his obstinacy he was fined
sum equal to the foreign value of the gifts.
The Sleeper" Trunks
IDNE of the most daring schemes for SNUG
Cling gowns and trimmings into New York
began about three years ago. and was nipped in
the bud by Deputy Surveyors Raczkiewicz.
Bishop, and Norwood. The method is known
as the sleeper" baggage system, and had it
not been detected the shippers abroad and the
importers here who were involved would have
reaped an enormous harvest The efforts of
the smugglers were confined to steamers of the
Red Star and American Lines. -Four sleeper"
trunks were found on piers and one in hiding in
New York, and their contents which were sold
at public auction at the Custom House last
summer, netted the Government close to fifty
two thousand dollars, their foreign value
Briefly, the system was worked out in this
fashion: A woman representing big importing
house went abroad and selected ten fifteen
| thousand dollars worth of GOWNS leaving or