Omaha Daily Bee Newspaper, March 15, 1903, Page 31

Smugglers Worry Uncle Sam (Copyright, 193, by Allen V. Gillespie.) FOR A MERE yearly pittance, averaging less than $100 apiece, 10,000 men are daily daring prison walls for the sake of smuggling imports past the customs officials ¢’ the United States. This army of smug- glors, according to the prominent Wash- rgton official who furnished the data, is made up of sailormen, who are largely em- nlcyed to bring the goods to ports; small Leatmen, who meet the ships when in sight «f port and pick up the tarpaulin-covered thrown overboard; “fences” in all the more important ports of entry, and many a tobacco and liquor dealer both on this and the other side of the Atlantie, whose lines of goods are those chiefly smuggled. i These men engage in smuggling pure and simple. They have nothing to do with getting undervalued goods through the cus- tom houses. They match their wits against those of the customs officials for every cent there is in the game, and they scorn anything less. But as exposed as are our thousands of miles of seahoard, the bhest that these smugglers can do, in numerical strength half as large as Uncle Sam’'s standing army of a few years ago, is to beat the government out of considerably less than onc-half of 1 per cent of the total amount of duties annually levied and collected. Small as this $1,000,000 secems when coms pared with the $240,000,000 duties on $1,000,~ 000,000 worth of imports, that sum is event. ually diminished one-fourth by the un- ceasing detective vigilance of the customs departmeut, so that if the net profits of smuggling—some $760,000 in all~were equally divided among the smugglers, not a mother's son of them would get so mueh as $100 for bis perilous work. The smuggler has to blame Uncle Sam’'s fine system of customs espionage, both here and alroad, for making his illicit calling more hagardous the longer he sticks to it. Indeged, so closely watched is the port of New York these days—hitherto the fertile field of the smuggler—that even tha boldest customs evader thinks twice before attempting to do business there, As a result much of the smuggling trade has been transferred within the last year (o San Francisco, and that pert bids fair to establish smuggling records that will admit of fair comparison with New York's. Until recently the smuggling in of Su- matra tobacco from Holland was carried on almost wholly #t New York. Now, how- ever, owing to numerous detections, arrests and convictions in that c'ty, the smug- glers of Sumatra are operating through San Francisco. This tobacco is cases shipped in what are called “hands.”” The leaves, each shaped much like the human hand, are laid one upon the other and tied together at that portion of the leaf which cerresponds to the wrists, in bunches weighing about two pounds or one kilo. This constitutes a “hand.” The Dutch sallormen, who are employed to smuggle them, secrete the *“hands’ somgwhere about- the ship, often im bags beneath the contents of the coal bunkern, and when their vessel makes port they await their - chance, wrap the ‘‘hands" around their bedies and then slip ashore and dispose of them to one of the many “fences’” with whom they are acquainted. The ‘‘fence’” is generally a sallormen’s saloon keeper. The money he pays out for the smuggled goods he can usually ecount upon getting back over his bar. But some~ times the sailcrmen grow tired of this sort of game¢ and turn on the “fence,” as instance the following case: A dozen sailormen of a certain ship brought over about $500 worth of Sumatra tobacco in the coal bunkers. This they wrapped around their bodies a litile at a time for several nights and carried to a “fence.”” On the night that the last of the tobacco was sold to the ‘‘fence’’—aboat $100 worth—a group of sailors managed lo secure the man's ear and hold his at- teation in his barroom while their fellows sneaked upstaire and discovered the to- bacco stored in a dingy room over the OW, witness,” said the lawyer, you say that your hearing is good?” “Yes, sir.” ‘“How good? Give me an f{l- lustration. Caa you hear my watch tick?” “No, sir. It's three days since I saw you going into the pawnshop, and the watch must have run down by this time."” sy iy A story is told of a lawyer whose quick wit never deserted him, whether in office or court. One day a client entered the office and, throwing back his coat, said, irritably: “Why, sir, oven.” “Why shouldn’t it be?"* was the calm re- sponse. *‘It is here that I make my bread.” R il A Journal entry by & clerk of court in the state of Washington was made as fol- lows: “After hearing the argument by counsel and the evidence introduced, and being somewhat mixed in his opinion, the court proceeded to sum up the case, remarking your office is as hot as an saloon. They lost no time in climbing through the transom and robbing the pure chaser. Then they took the tobacco to & rival “fence’” and resold it there This little story came to the knowledge of the customs detectives wnen, a short time after it happened, they arrested the “fence” from whom the tobacco was stolen, and the prisoner, as he related his misfor- tune, increased the merriment of his cap- tors by his copious tears of grief over the loss of his money and the ingratitude of the Dutchmen. The rowboat men, who pick up the cases of goods thrown overboard in the lowe, harbors, sometimes dispose of their spoils to “fences,” but more often they land them at out-of-the-way places and surreptitiously ship them to dealers in different parts of the country. In this way they aie moro certain of outwitting the detectives The detectives, however, are not easily put to rout. The case of a man who tried to dispose of fourteen boxes of cocalne aptly illustrates their activity, The boxes—about 4x2x1% inches in di- mensions—were stolen while they were in the appraiser's stores in New York City. As soon as they were missed, the drug- gists of the metropolis were warned not to receive any cocaine coming from any unusual source, and thus the thief's chance to dispose of the drug in this way was blocked. Finding his eJorts te got rid of the cocaine unavailing, the man decided to ship it to Rio Janeiro, Brazil, and dispose of it there. Here again his plans were spoiled, for, a short time before the co- caine arrived in port, the Brasilian market had been glutted with the drug and the fourteen boxes could not be sold at any price. It was, therefore, reshipped to this country and the customs officials, hoping to apprehend the real thief and not his catspaws, let the stuff be brought in at a southern port. Once more all attempts te sell it were blocked by the vigilance of the detectives, wha had kept trace of all the movements of the cocaine, and then the thief, despairing of ever realizing on his fll-gotten gains in America shipped the drug to Paris, whence it had first and sold it there. come, But he reaped no profits. Instead, his expenses for feightage td Braz!l and Ku ope made him an actual cash loss of $60 by the transaction, Still in one way the thief outwittoed his pursuers While they became reason ably certain that they knew him, he, in turn, kept them from being cocksure, and as a result, the ofMcers were afraid (o make an arrest, and a case was never mado out against him. The customs detectives abroad are Yan kees, every one. Foreign detectives aroe not employed by the Treasury department for the simple reason that they cannot bo trusted. At oxe time Uncle Sam had some foreign sleuths in h's service, but they proved to be hand in glove with crooked importers and smugglers. When this found cut the system was made Yankee in character. One of the clever games of the Ame:ican detective abroad is to turn smuggler him- self. with the connivance of his superiors, in crder to catch the crooks. Just at pres- ent the government is working a some- what similar trick at poris where goods are being entered at gross undervalua- tions. g Contrary to popular opinion, scarcely any smuggling of jewels is attempted by American houses. Foreign dealers usually engage in this work and trust to agents to dispose of the precious stones in the best way that they can. This is not al- ways an easy task, for the more reputable domestic firms demand a history of the jewels before agreeing to purchase them. was strictly Of late years the American lapldary has been more cautious than ever before, with the result that attempts to got in dlamonds and other stones duty free are becoming more and more rare. It would seem that this fleld is now limited to rich Americans who bring back necklacee and other trink- ets for their wives and daughters and, hating to pay heavy importation tolls, are led to try to beat their government out of the money due it The customs officials tell a good story of a South American who, not knowing that uncut precious stones are duty free, went to the trouble of smuggling in a lot of them. Then he engaged a fellow coun- tryman in New York to dispose of them, agreeing to pay him $10 for the task Instead of playing fair with his employer, the agent at once hastened to the customs house and sought cut an official, “I ean tell you of a man," he confided, “‘who has smuggled in some emeralds and has employed me to sell them. If you will give me $20 I'll tell vou who he Is and where you can arrest him."” “Diamonds, eh?’ queried the offelal; “cut or uncut?" “Uncut,” replied the informer, “majbe a hundred of them.” The eflicial Jaughed. ““My dear sir,” he siid, “go back to your employer and tell him that he has uso- lessly smuggled in his emeralds, for when they are uncat, as in this case, the law lets them in duty free."” But while attempts to smuggle in many other articles of merchandise have largely been given up, there is no apparent cessa- tion in the effort to get in tobacco and liquor. These are staples with the army of 10,000 smugglers, who, despite their strenuous scheming average considerably less than a quarter of a dollar a day aplece for their trouble and labor. FRANK STEWART OF TINGLEY, Ia., AND HIS TWELVE STRAPPING SONS, of angels on this earth and particularly in Spokane, misunderstandings were liable to occur in any family, Court ran't consider as plea a partial failure to provide and support, complaint does not state fajlure to provide as claimed in the trial. The pass- ing of blows do not show a fixed disposition to be cruel. Court is of opinion that the upon the frallties of human nature and as to the fact of the unaecountable absence parties can and should live together. Ap- plication for divorce is denied and the easo is dismissed.” e A number of years ago suit was brought against the cashier of the State bank of lowa Falls to recover an alleged deposit, which deposit the bank denied, ac rording to a story im the Green Dag. During the trial at Eldora tke defendant's attorney made a very convineing argument for his client and tock pains tc tell the jury ol his client's high social and religious stind- ing and of the confidence of th-> people which he enjoyed and endeavored to im- press - upon the minds of the jury that the defendant w#s not the kind of a man Bright Bits of Life at the Bar to make a misiake in the hardling of other people's money. T. H, Milper, a witty as well as a very shrewd lawyer, represented th2 other side, and in address- ing the jury said: “Gentlemen, 1 heartily concur in what my brother has said of the defendant. | agree with him in each and cvery state- ment that he has made pertaining fo Mr ——'s good self, but I would have you congider deeply this ope fact—Canada is full of just such men."” Some interesting anecdotes and goss!p, new and old. of the law courts are given in the English illustrated Magazine., Thoe writer of the article, Mr. A. J. Hughes, was cnce present in court when 4 juror, who opened the ball by saying, “This case, my lord. really lies in a nutsh-ll," re- ceived the reply, “You ecrack it then.' There have been times when clever wit- nesses have go'ten the better of counsel in a skirmish of words. When the farrier was asked where ke got his knowledge of “From the lawyers the mare's age from, he said mare’s own meother, eir.” Irish are generally endowed by with quick wits. Among them all, perbaps, Curran held the palm for lightness Jand vivaecity. When someone told him that no student shouid be called to the bar who aid not possess a landed estate of his own he retortcd: “How many acres make a wiseacre?”’ But it was a Scotechman, ap- propriately enough Lord Brougham, who, secing his hoises take fright, yelled to the coachman: “Drive into something cheap!" ———t Congressman Moon of Tonnessce was once a judge in that state. The state's attorney of his distriot was lax in attention to duty, but endoavored to make it up in talk and impressiveness of manner. One day the district attorney a o to speak on a col- lateral question. “Your honor,” said he, “I should like coreful attention, for I am golng to talk hard, common sense.’ Judge Moon turned to the sheriff and sald: *Mr. Sheriff, please preserve the strictest order 80 the bar aud the spectators may hear everything the district attorney says, for he promisee to give us a most radical in- novation." Dame Nature