Page 97 - The Legacy of Abraham Rothstein - text

Smuggling
money. This man, whose name was Herskovitz, came from close to
the German border. Like the rest of those living at the border, he was
familiar with the smuggling business. There was always a chance to
make some money in smuggling silks, notions, and sundries from the
German side to the Russian side of the border. All one had to do was
take the chance of going to jail for a year or two if caught. No thief
or smuggler or anyone else who tries to beat the law expects to be
apprehended; otherwise there would not be so many men who risk
their freedom for a few dollars. The word “smuggling” sounds bad
on account of its bigger risk, of one’s coming in conflict with a
better-organized opposition, and therefore needing to form a larger
organization oneself. However, I worked for Mr. Herskovitz for two
or three years, and none of our neighbors or friends were aware of
my occupation. I only gave two hours a day to this affair and passed
the rest of my time studying and reading or fishing.
Mr. Herskovitz was a very intelligent Jew and very businesslike.
He held a responsible position and no suspicion could fall on him, as
he hardly ever handled the goods that were brought over the border.
They were carried across by certain runners and transferred to
railroad men who made the trip to Warsaw, then taken by men living
in the city and transferred to a manufacturer, who broke them up and
converted them into neckties, umbrellas, and other such articles
which, when finished, could not be identified as foreign goods
entering without duty. My father brought me to Mr. Herskovitz for
examination and instructions, and I was confirmed in his service. We
never considered it a sin to break the laws of the czarist government,
as that nasty government was nothing but cruel and full of graft;
rather, we felt it rather a mitzvah to tear a few hairs off the big bear.
Smuggling is not looked down upon by the people as a crime when
they have to pay the high prices resulting from the imposition of high
tariffs. When the smuggled goods interfere with the nation’s trade or
labor, then the people do not like it.
Silk was not made in Russia, and the high tariff interfered with
manufacturing. So it was smuggled in via Poznan in Silesia. From
Sosnowitz it was brought into Warsaw by railway mail clerks who
arrived every day. My job was to find one of those clerks at the hotel
where he stopped over until the next train left for the border, pay

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