The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-01-23
A Smuggler's S
Ruse
BY ARTHUR w. BREWSTER

was man by tne nHlle Oh lunkeI. !
Tunker was short. fat man, just
about such a 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 a 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 he had
brought from abroad.
"'Here's a bottle of French brandy l
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 givers baggage. But Tunker didn't
care whether they searched it or not,
for they were sure to find nothing duti-
able there except what he had declared.
"One day while walking on the street
| noticed Tunker ahead of me. AS
was going in the same direction, | kept
on Fastening my steps bit. thinking
to join him. But before l reached him
he turned into the store of large i'm
porter of jewelry.
at 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
smuggled goods because it is my bust
ness to look out for smugglers. AT any
rate, the idea popped into my head that
Tunker's frequent visits to Europe
might have something to do with the
diamond trade.
"Following up the suggestion, l
made inquiries about Tunker. | could
learn nothing further than that he ap-
peared to have no business, and if he
had any property it could not be found.
He lived In the style of a man who
would spend about $1,000 year except
for his European trips. 1t seemed like
ly that some one was bearing the ex-
pense of these trips.
81 made up my mind that the next
time Tunker came from abroad I would
search him 1t was several months
after this that l saw him coming down
the gangplank of newly arrived liner
He had half smoked cigar between
his teeth, satchel in one hand and a
cane in the other. Jolly as usual. he
was smiling and waving his cane al
some one on the dock. | turned to see
who was greeting him and noticed that
there was no one on the exact spot al
which he was looking-at least no one
that seemed to be interested in him
This confirmed my suspicious.
"'How are you?' he said when he
saw me. Going to let me through easy
this timeY
81 can't. Tunker. Some One-an en-
emy, | 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. l know 6
man who hates me like poison an(
is just mean enough to do anything
like that
81 took him into a private room, anC
the search began. The first thing done
was to unscrew the head of his cane
Hollow, but nothing in it. Then W.
the soles of his shoes, felt the linin.
of everything he had on. looked fo
secret pockets in his satchel. No
a thing could we find. We took of
his hat with a view to search fol
a false bottom in the crown. There
was nothing in the hat. but the IN
covering of his head revealed bal,
spot on the top of il which was nea
the size of half a lemon
Tunker,' | said, why don't yol
have that thing removed? The sur
geons can do it and not hurt you
bit. | know man who had one o
them taken off without any trouble
"'Wouldn't have that touched for
farm he replied, striving to appea
easy. Doctors say that if they cut
they'd open an artery and I'd bleed tt
death
"Here was a puzzle. If the wei
was built on to his head to concea
gems one couldn't prove it withou
cutting it open, for it looked for al
the world like the real thing. 1t wa
of purple hue and altogether un
lovely. Nevertheless l resolved to tes
it. l applied the sense of touch. pu
my finger on 1t.
"I am going to operate on it myself
] said. Il studied surgery when | wa
young. Sit down in that chair
"'Great heavens, man, are you goini
B to kill mep
"I assure you the operation will b
without the least danger
t "Hoping that l was bluffing, he trie'
; ! bluff game himself. He sat down il