Connecticut western news., 1886-10-13
A CASE OF BRIBERY.
BY LUKE SHARP.

BY LUKE SHARP.
 In the centre companion way of most Atlantic steamers there. is frameda pub lie notice which attracts a good deal of attention from the passengers on the way over. It is published by the British Gov ernment and is to the effect that any person offering bribe to one of Her Majesty's customs officials will be heavily fined. The amount of this fine is men, toned, either $40 or e10O or something of that sort. The contemplation of this notice for nine or ten days every time a person goes up the centre companionway is calculated to give that person very great respect for the unbribability of the Liverpool customs offices. The Ameri- can Government has no such notices posted up anywhere that I ever saw. Whether it is because it is so well known that the American customs officer never under any circumstance accepts bribe, or whether the government fears that the public would regard the posting of mo- tice as . joke, have not been able to ascertain.
 I have never met anyone yet who would bribe Liverpool customs officer. The penalty which has stared him in the face Turing the voyage is apt to discourage oil such attempts. However, there are few things which a person could take into England on which duty is axacted. believe the customs officers have a prejudice against dynamite, against pi- rated reprints of English books, against tobacco and some things of that sort, but, as a general thing, the American traveller carries nothing with him on which duty could be charged.
 Our big steamship reached Liverpool late one evening last summer. The cus- toms authorities penned us all up in the several rooms of building on the land ing. Here there was good deal of fuss nd showing through a passage way that was very narrow, and the hand baggage was examined as we passed out. This was a very slow and tedious arrangement. and it was nearly ii o'clock at night before we were through with it, and even at that time the trunks had not been looked at. We were then passed up into room which we reached by long incline. Or climbing up this incline we entered { large building seemingly containing only one immense room. It was wei lighted, and the scene was one which once looked upon a person would not forget in a hurry. On the right hane side were piled trunks, bags, valises, hand satchels and baggage of every descrip- tion. On the left ran . long, low counte on which trunks were being examined by the uniformed custom house officers while, ben ling over their open baggag were the owners, generally talking rapid ly to the imperturbable officer. All owe the room were some 100 excited pas sengers running wildly hither and thithe trying to collect their lugga e. Trunk that were marked with names were al ranged in alphabetical order. The sec tions of the building wer lettered with the alphabet painte large and conspicuous along th right hand side, but, as the grea majority of the trunks had no nama, th owners had to run about in quest ( them. Porters were there with the short jackets and numbered caps, drag ging the trunks about under the owner directions, and as soon as one trunk ha been examined it was taken away by stalwart porter who called cab, an its place was filed by another trun slammed down by another stalwa porter. It was a scene of bewilderin confusion. As always travel as ligl as possible, endeavoring to compress rn belongings into satchel that can carried by hand if necessary, my troubl were over, and so I strolled along wi comparative indifference, enjoying tl strange and bustling appearance of tl place. I was able to give some assis ance here and there to companions the voyage, and rather put on airs
 being an old traveller with some e
 perience of that sort of thing, don't yc know, and plumed myself on having n baggage examined long ago.
 At the further end of the room were
 couple of ladies who were travellir alone. One of them had large trun
 and the trunk had new -fangled loc the latest of American patent. A c,
 toms officer was vainly trying to unlo
 this trunk, and the owner was looki
 on with much concern at his ineffectl
 attempts. She had tried herself,
 seemed, and had been unable to open
 ssYou are not doing it rightly" sa
 tho second young lady. You have
 pnGA this olasp that way, then turn |
 hu leh wsg around, push the els E: - nlza - hsy esetAsr torn !