Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 306, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1910 — Odd News From Big Cities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Odd News From Big Cities

Stories of Strange Happenings in the , Metropolitan Towns

The Pursuit of the Tricky Smuggler

MEW YORK.—What is the psychol--1 v ogy of the smuggler? Is he actuated by greed? Does he love the game fur its excitement? Does he look upon the government as so Impersonal a thing that to steal from it is not a sin? Is the rich man instinctively a greater smuggler than the poor mgn, and is the American a greater sinner than his allep brother? These questions surely must have occurred to everyone who has been watching the extraordinary recent happenings at the New York custom house; who has made note of the mil: lionaires and their wives who- have been caught red-handed in attempts to cheat the government in the most brazen fashion; who has read of the tremendous frauds upon the customs perpetrated by the sugar trust and othey great Importers. Collector Loeb has imbued subordi--nates with the conviction that they' are not paid their salaries to help folk cheat the government Among passengers, at least, most of the smuggling in the old days was accomplished through collusion of subordinates in the customs service. The system

steadily developed through many, many years, until the sophisticated traveler knew perfectly that a ten or twenty dollar bill, laid on the top-tray of a trunk, would, when that trunk was opened on the dock, insure immunity from actual search, and that the money would be missing, later when the trunk was opened at hotel or home. A ten or twenty dollar bill so placed, in these days, would be like a spark to set a whole train of official powder burning—a train of powder which would lead to an explosion beyond doubt. It might blow the into jail; it certainly would blow a heavy fine out of his pocket. Dozens of explosions have occurred of late and it' is, in a way, refreshing to run through the list of victims—although, of course, this also has its melancholy aspect The rich smuggler gets no more mercy than the poor one—and the smuggler oftener is rich than poor. “In- numerical proportion do you catch as many smugglers among steerage passengers as among travelers in the first cabin?” the vigorous collector was' asked. “No,” he said. *.*l don’t believe we do.” “What is the psychology of that?” “I —haven’t thought it out" said he a little hesitantly. “It would be interesting, though, Perhaps the fact that one has money makes him nervier. That may be it.”