The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1861-07-18
SEARCHING FOR CONTRABND OF
WAR.

A correspondent of tho Boston journal
relates incidents attending the search for
contrabands ut the Relay House. We
quote:
You hear the whistle Of the train
bound for Harper's Ferry. As it comes
rounding the curve, the guard is drawn
up on each side Of the track. Soon as
the train stops, soldier steps on each
platform of every car, and sees that
no one gets off or on. The one, whose
business it is to develop" any con-
traband articles or persons, enters the
forward passenger car. He looks on
aud under the first seat and finds
nothing but very suspicious fe.
male. Her hoops are very large, aud
she looks about the waist as though she
INDUCED in free use Of cotton, or else Is
a walking freight train in the service of
the rebels The searcher looks, but
doesn't know what to do He cannot, of
course, treat her as he would a man, for
every body would call him a brute, and
besides, he has no taste for such things
At last, he timidly requests that she will
rise, in the hope that some reasonable
article may fall and discover her char.
acter.
Here is man who looks q little con.
fused, or else puts on stolid expression,
as thoug he were utterly Indifferent --
After having carefully Investigated this
seat, the searcher politely asks the indi.
vidual to empty his pockets. Mind you
this is really done politely, and while
asking thousand pardons for the de.
mand. All letters directed to individ.
uals south of the Potomac are con6sca.ed.
Often times they have been found to
contain valuable informal H.. IL the
man is very suspicious the search is cor
respondingly rigid. The hands are pass
ed over his coat, his vest, aud woe be to
him if anything is discovered that stamps
him as spy. So the cars are looked
through one by one. Some of the pas.
sengers laugh, some grow mad aud swear,
some at once sec the reason of the thug
aud yield at once, others bluster and
threaten, and have to be shut up by the
fear of immediate arrest If they open
their mouths again.
The searcher then says, all who have
baggage will please step into the forward
car. He then asks each man to open his
trunk, and passes his hands as carefully
as may be through the bundles Of varie.
ties with which human beings fill their
travelling apparatus. Ones luggage does
not undergo one half the danger which
it is subjected to in Liverpool Custom
House. l have seen both classes of ope.
rators, aud l would much prefer to 60 by
the Relay than to land in Liverpool.
Suddenly the searcher comes across q
common looking, red, wooden trunk. 1t
is marked Mary Bilkett, Wheeling, Va.
There is nothing suspicious about it. 1t
looks in keeping with some village aunt
who had forsaken the company Of the
coarser sex, and had just returned from
visit to some relations who had lately
thrown themselves away by swearing in
the presence of parson to keep house,
neatly and economically, for some one of
those worthless creatures called men
The searcher calls out for Mary to come
and display her dry goods; but no Mary
is to be found. He calls again, but with
the same result. The conductor is ques-
toned, but he knows nothing about the
matter. The thing looks all right, but
it won't do TO let even Mary Birkett's
trunk 60 on without knowing what is in
it. So after having sounded another call
for the spiuster to make her appearance,
the scarcber calls for q hammer aud CHS
el, aud opens the thing Nothing alarm.
ing is presented. On the top is very
white, and nicely done up pair Of sleeves.
Then comes chemisette, and then
dress, and then-tvo millions percussion
caps. All ! Mary, that was sorry dodge.
No wonder you didn't answer when your
name was called. Why, my dear Mary,
you have here more caps than you could
wear iu dozen lifetimes. The trunk is
confscated.
Col. Jones was once going through a
train on the scent Of suspicious articles.
He saw .bstwsen two seats ! small bas