Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1918-08-27
MAKES FORTUNE
BY SMUGGLING
MADE HIS FIRST MONEY DEALING
IN RUSSIAN RUBLES-THEN EN-
GAGGED In SMUGGLING RUBBER
FROM FINLAND AND GETS RICH
QUICKLY.

Stockholm, Sweden.-"You want 10
know what people smuggle? Go up
the river then, and you will soon tnd
out. They smuggle nearly everything,
20 II is rather difficult to answer the
question offhand." So said custom
house officer at Haparanda, the little
Swedish town on the frontier Of Fin
land, TO Herbert Ericsson. Il Swedish
writer, who went up the Tornea valley
TO investigate the smuggling stories.
while l was waiting for the Over
Toruea train TO start, motorcycle
chugged into the station yard, said
Ericsson.
That is one of cur rubber barOns,"
remarked an acquaintance TO me. A
rubber baron. in HapaFanda talk, Is
q man who suddenly gets rich on
smuggling rubber In from Finland. I
was in luck. for the baron-KRFlSson
/ win call hin-Taveled north in my
compartment he was pleasant Eel
low. He did net remind me OF the
smart spectators l had met In Sorr-
land. He even looked embarrassed
when I began 10 talk about smuggling.
Clerk Before the war.
Presently he told me that at the
outbreak Of the war he had been
clerk in one OF Norrland's coast towns.
He had earned his money In Fubles.
at is rot generally known that
many hHndred Swsdes have made big
fortunes out Of rubIes. II happened
ike this: After the occupation Of
Poland and other regions of Russia,
the Germans found that the population
refused to take marks In payment for
such supplies as were paid for The
people demanded rubles, and rubIes
the Germans did not have. The only
way of getting them was through
Sweden. The Russian government
permitted no more than 500 to be TAX
en- ont of the government by each
traveller, but with the incentive of
good reward smugglers were not lack
ing, The Haparanda agents bought
up these rubles and sent them down
to Germany by bales.
"When the Germans had bought all
the rubles they wanted Karlsson tried
TO smuggle drugs TO Finland. That
failed absolutely. He met with dis
aster at the outset. His first consign-
ment Of several kiloS of acetylsalicy-
lie acid and 100 clinical thermometers
was seized by the Swedish customs au-
thOrities and a heavy fine was i'm
posed.
$50 he got into touch with some
Finnish merchants who for price,
guaranteed to have a large quantity
of rubber rings on the Swedish side Of
the river at a certain minute on a GER
tain day.
Entering into relations with firm
In Stockholm and finding that he could
make many thousand kroner profit
thereby, Karlsson told the Firms TO go
ahead. One night he went to Mattila.
where the rubber was TO be ready.
Mattila is a tiny station on the Hap
aranda-Over-TOrnea stretch Of rail-
way, and almost on the bank of the
river.
No Sign Of Customs Officer.
when he arrived there was no sign
OF a Russian custom house officer
across stream. The revolution has al
tered matters. The Cossacks whr
used to patrol the Russian shore had
disappeared. The new guards appoint
ed by the revolutOnaries found II mora
interesting TO stay IN T0rnea. KlrlssOn
picked up the rubber. This wss only
the first Of chain Of such transac-
tons he managed with financial sue
cess
'harIsson has metculUusly taken the
goods 70 smuggled 70 the Swedish CHS
toms AUTHORITIES, 70 ls possessed for
duty. Quantities q ia, -four snd lin
GOOD oll have similarly CONS over tha
river for many r,s,,ssss...ls past Tn gives
>SEhe Films sc ssAtss.@ ...sse:sz- found 21e
case where 2 druggist had cone 70
grief by taking delivery q snd paying
heavily for thodsand hiok II cbesD
alloy. The -four smuggling seems 10
indicate that the Films engaged must
be blaehgpartls IF particularly ob-
hoxious type, for they ship -four ont
OF their land while they know that
tens of thousands Of their fellow
countrymen are nearly starving and
that their government is sending ont
commissions full Of plteous appeals to
other lands, America included, TO spare
them a little flour. II seems curious
that these commissions could not have
tarried a week at the frontier and or
ganized a guard to put a stop to the
drain Of flour there"