Omaha daily bee., 1911-12-17

y
,Ew YORK CITY, had a big
ny Jolt a few weeks ago. 1t was
upon landing here in New
York after a short trip to
Ifss69k3 europe. l had been travelling
Sfea IN the continent and. knowing
tue st..O,ness OF the customs house Off
GERS, had carefully figured my purchases
so that they id not exceed the 500 limit
which every traveller is supposed to have
free. With head erect and the conscience
of an honest citizen. l walked down the
ganEplank to the dock. expecting to be
rushed through without trouble. l was
rushed through all right, but not without
trouble. My trunks we're gone carefully
over, and upon the very purchases I had
declared had to pay over so in duties.
b Among these was about $40 worth OF
God Bless Our Home" German linens
j mean the tablecloths and napkins with
German notices embroidered upon them.
They were for my own use. and con-
Btrued them to be on the free list. Ihe
inspector, however, told me that all linen
now pays 90 per cent, and that on that
little item the sum OF SIS was due 1t
was the same upon other stuff of q SINH
lar nature, and at the end Uncle Sam got
so from me before dared leave the dock
lected from one honest passengers bag
gage. 1t came from recent construction
of the law. which has shut out presents
and certain special classes Of goods. And
IL had nothing TO do with the smuggling
which, in the past, has cost Uncle Sam
millions.
The Passing of the smuEsIer.
Indeed, the well-tosdo, respectable tour
ist smuggler Is fast passing away. Col
iector Loeb has him and her on the run,
and righteous fear has soaked into the
souls of the hundreds of thousands who
annually travel in Europe. As / stood on
the wharf IL seemed to me that the bag
gage of the individual passenger had per-
ceptibly shrunk. Men whom l have known
TO bring back fourteen or fifteen trunks
are now content with one little steamer
and hat box, perhaps, while the average
woman had but little more.
All the way over from Europe to New
York the chief conversation on board
was as to the customs officials, and the
horrid way In which they went through
your baggage, L observed them &c
through other trunks The work was
rigtdly done, ana, as rule, without
trouble to those who had made an honest
statement of just what they had in theii
baggage. Some few Jared badly, and
among these were two young ladies', whC
had sewed the well worn labels, Of New
York dressmakers inside their new Parii
dresses, and were trying to get them IL
free.
One short woman with a Dubious bosom
was found to be padded with lace, anC
another, for whom the inspectors hat
been told to watch out, was taken OF
to a private room and searched from he,
crown to her toes.
In such cases Uncle Sam has the RICH
60 strip any of his nephews and uieces 4
the bare skin, and this is sometimes don,
when occasion demands. Pearl necklaces
have been found in the hair and a dla
mond was once discovered under the littl
toe on the left foot of a lady, while SOM
valuable rubies were recently smuggle,
into New York under a porous plaster OIL
the back of man. In this latter cas-
the spies of the Treasury department ha,
sent a warning to the inspectors, an,
when this traveler-he was an Austrian
landed dozen red stones were found Il
his cravat. They were tested and it wa
discovered that they were not real rubies