Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1912-11-14
A Smuggler's
Ruse
By ARTHUR w. BREWSTER

lot q lOuS me WITHOUT utlIiS CduS IL
was a man by the name of Thinker.
Thinker was a short fat man. just
about such fellow as his name would
indicate. He wore very good clothes,
but nothing to attract attention. His
countenance was cheerful. amiable,
and honesty looked out from every
feature He returned from Europe so
often that after awhile We inspectors
came to know him. He was very
good fellow and often, after all his
baggage had been examined, would
offer us cigars and occasionally make
some one Of us little present lie had
brought from abroad.
:" 'Here'S Il bottle of French brandy
want to give you. Old man. he said to
me one day after had pasted the lab
els on all his baggage, enabling him to
remove it from the dock.
Il declined the gift. with thanks. but
some of the other inspectors took such
things. and | noticed ever after they
were not very thorough in searching
the giver's baggage. But Thinker didn't
care whether they searched ii or not
for they were sure to find nothing duti-
able there except what he had declared
zone day while walking on the street
! noticed TINKER ahead of me. As |
was going in the same direction. kept
on Fastening my steps a bit. thinking
to join him. But before l reached him
he turned into the store of a large inn
porter of jewelry.
ut is marvellous how little things sug
gest other things of much greater I'M
portance. | suppose in my case it was
natural enough it should occur to me
that the man was going In to sell
struggled goods because it is my bust
ness to look out for smugglers. At any
rate. the idea popped into my head that
Thinkers frequent visits to Europe
might have something to do with the
diamond trade.
'Following up the suggestion, l
made inquiries about Thinker. | could
learn nothing further than that he APP
had any property it could not be found
He lived in the style of a man who
would spend about 50 800 year except
for his European trips. 1t seemed like
ly that some one was bearing the ex
penSe of these trips.
Il made up my mind that the next
time Thinker came from abroad would
search him. 1t was several months
after this that saw him coming down
the gangplank of a newly arrived liner.
He had a half smoked cigar between
his teeth. Il satchel in one hand and a
cane in the other. Jolly as usual. he
was smiling and waving his cane at
some one on the dock. | turned to see
who was greeting him and noticed that
there was no one on the exact spot at
which he was looking-at least no one
that seemed to be interested in him,
This confirmed my suspicious.
"'How are your he said when he
saw me- Going to let me through easy
this time?
~ can't. Tunker. Some one-an en-
envy, | suppoSe-has been telling sto-
ries about you. and we've got an order
from the collector himself to search
you.
81 watched his countenance while
spoke and saw that my information
startled him. But he recovered him
self in an instant and said:
"'All right; search away. ! know a
man who hates me like poison and
Is just mean enough to do anything
like that
Il took him into private room, and
the search began. The first thing done
was to unscrew the head of his cane
Hollow, but nothing in it. Then we
went through his clothes, ripped off
the soles of his shoes. felt the lining
of everything he had on, looked for
secret pockets In his satchel. Not
thing could we find We took off
his hat with a view to search for
q false bottom in the crown There
covering of his head revealed bald
spot on the top of it which was near
the size of half lemon.
"'Tunker,' said why don't you
have that thing removed: The sur
geons can do it and not hurt you a
bit. | know man who had one Of
them taken off without any trouble
Wouldn't have that touched for "A
farm, he replied. striving to appear
easy. Doctors say that if they cut it
they'd open an artery and Id bleed to
death
Here was a puzzle. If the wen
was built on TO his head to concea!
gems one couldn't prove it without
cutting 1t open. for it looked for all
the world like the real thing. 1t was
of a purple hue and altogether IN
lovely. Nevertheless | resolved 10 test
1t. / applied the sense of touch. put
my finger on it.
81 am going TO operate on it myself
l said. i studied surgery when was
young Sit down in that chair
"'Great heavens. man. are you going
to kill me-
II assure you the operation will be