Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1886-10-06
A CASE OF BRIBERY.
BY LUKE SHARP.

"A UASh Uf BRlBERY.
BY LUKE SHARP.
In the centre companion way OF most
Atlantic steamers there is framed pub
lie notice which attracts good deal of
attention from the passengers on the way
over. 1t is published by the British Gov
ernment, and is to the effect that any
person offering q bribc to one Of Her
Majesty's customs officials will be heavily
fined. The amount of this fine i, men-
toned, either $40 or G1O0 or something
of that sort. The contemplation of this
notice for nine or ten days every time
person goes up the centre companionway
is calculated to give that person Il very
great respect for the unbribabilty OF the
Liverpool customs offices. Tn, Ameri-
can Government has no such motto
posted up anywhere that ! ever saw.
Whether it is because it is so well known
that the American customs officer never
under any circumstance accepts a bribe,
or whether the government fears that the
pubic would regard the posting of no.
tice as joke, have not been able to
ascertain.
have never met anyone yet who would
bribe a Liverpool customs officer. The
penalty which has stared him in the face
during the voyage is apt t, discourage
oil such attempts. However, there are
few things which a person could take
into rgland on which duty is axacted.
| believe the customs officers have
prejudice against dynamite, against pi-
rated reprints of English books, against
tobacco and some things of that sort,
but, as 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 Gus.
toms authorities pcnncd us all up in the
several rooms of building on the land
ing Here there was good deal of fuss
and showing through passage way that
was very narrow, and the hand
baggage was examined as we
pas cd out. This was very slow
and tedious arrangement. and
it was nearly II O'Clock at nigat before
we were through with it, and even ut
that time the trunks had not been looked
at. We werethcn pa,sel up into a room
which we reached by long incline. On
climbing up this incline We entered
large building seemingly containing
only one immense room. 1t was wei
lighted, and the scene was one which
once looked upon a person woull not
forget in a hurry. On the right hand
side were piled trunks bags, valiscs, hand
sntchcls and baggage OF every dcscrip-
tion. On the left rama long, low counter
on which trunks were being exam ned
by the uniformed custom house officers,
while, ben ing over their open baggage
were the owners, generally talking rapid
ly to the impcrturbabIc tficer. All over
the room were some 100 excited pas
scngcrs running wildly hither and thiihrr
trying to collect their lugga c. Trunks
that were mirk, d W tn names were ar
ranged in alphabetical order. The Sec
tionS Of the building were
lettered with The alphabet painted
large and conspicuous along the
right hand side, but, as tho great
majority of the trunks had no nam, the
owners had to run about in quest of
them. Porters were there with their
short jackets and numbered caps, drag
ging tho trunks about under the owners
direct ons, and as soon as one truak had
been examined it was taken away by
stalwart porter who called a cab, and
its place was filed by another trunk
slammed down by another stalwalt
porter. 1t was scene of bcwildering
confusion. As always travel as light
as possible, endeavoring to compress my
belongings into a satchcl that can be
carried by hand if necessary, my troubles
were over, and so strolled along with
comparative Indifference, enjoying the
strange and bustlng appearance of the
place. was abe to give some assist.
ance here and there to companions of
the voyage, and rather put on Mrs as
being an old traveller with some ex.
perience of that sort of thing, don't you
know, and plumcd myself on having my
baggage examined long ago,
At the further end of tho room were n
couple of ladies who were travelling
alone. One of them had large trunk,
and the trunk had Il new tangled lock,
the latest Of American patent A Gus.
toms officer was vainly trying to unlock
this trunk, and the owner was looking
on with much concern at his Intellectual
attempts. She had tricl herself, it
seemed, and had been unable to open it.
"You are not doing it rightly" said
the second young lady. y IL have to
push this clasp TINT way, then turn the
key half way around, push the clasp
blcb and give the key another turn and