Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1913-06-13

. Y. L
paid 10 detective agencies, but to mem
bers of New York's Four Hundred who
( have "peached."
/ "Forty million may seem very large
/ amount to be smuggled in past the
I sharp scrutiny of the customs" Mr..
/ Nlssen said, but when you realize
that all of he'SS0.000 900 worth of pre-
clous gems imported during the past
! two years could be carried in a small
grip you see how difficult is the task
of detecting smugglers."
4 Here Mr. Nissen pushed button on
his desk and gave an order to the boy
who answered it.
Half Million In Vest Pocket.
81 have sent for three very valuable
pearl necklaces" he explained. The
combined value of these necklaces is
$4,000"
A clerk brought in three black Jewel
boxes. Opening them, Mr.. Nissen took
from their satin beds three strings Of
lustrous pearls, graded from large
perfect center pearl to small perfect
pearls, which ended i'll diamond
clasp. and held all three in one hand,
see; l can easily put this half mil
lion dollars worth of pearls into my
waistcoat pocket" suiting the action
to the word. you can see no differ
ence. You do not see my pocket bulg-
/ ing out any more than it would If
/ happened to have some loose change
in it. That is what makes the detect
1 ing of precious gems so very difficult.
I'VE have an extensive system now,
however, which l believe in time will
assist in greatly diminishing the
amount of smuggled gems. Mr.. Loeb
while collector has given us support
4 in making seizures, and many lady
during the past year has been surpris-
4 ed after she had considered all diff
culties past by being called upon to ac-
count for certain gems she had bought
abroad
How did the collector find out about
them? She had passed through the
customs all right and believed herself
safe. She soothes her conscience, if it
troubles her at all, with the sophistry
that she has bought and paid for the
things and they are hers. The hus-
bands of these women put no restric-
tons upon them. and they haughtily
refuse to see why a government dares
to do so.
"Ninety-fve per cent of the snug
Cling is done by women. For many
years they had their own way. But
4 things are changed now. No matter
/ how Machiavelian their maneuvers,
no matter if their stories would make
somewhere, somehow, the truth is 60
I ing to leak out, and humiliation and
punishment will come to them.
Babbled to a Friend.
I ut may be that Mrs. Newlyrich who
has been snubbed by Mrs. Oldfamily,
has learned that the beautiful necklace
which adorns Mrs Oldfamily's charms
came into the country without the
formality of showing itself to the Gus
toms. \ little anonymous letter telling
/ me all about it comes to my office, and
the matter is Investigated at once
/ Frequently the letters are anony
nous. They get attention just the
same.
Mrs Gayly may have a big bridge
debt to pay and no money with which
TO pay it. She can't ask her husband
for it, and so she looks around for
some other way.
"'What glorious bracelet, my
dearn she may say to her not too dear
friend. Isn't it a new oneP
"'Yes. l bought it when was
across last month, and l managed to
get it in free 1t was the easiest
thing. | had Marie sew it into my
hair underneath transformation. Oh,
1t is easy to fool those stupid customs
people"
Several days later Mrs Gayly's not
too dear friend wonders how the Gus
toms came to learn of her transaction.
She has babbled of her cleverness to
many and does not know whom to sus-
pect. But Mrs. Gayly's bridge debts
are paid. including the ore TO Uncle
Sam.
Many Ingenious Tricks.
81 cross very often to Europe, and
every time on returning | hear many
Of my fair fellow passengers discus
sing ways and means to evade those
'wretched custom house people. 9th