Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-11-21
CHEATING CUSTOMS.
VARIOUS WAYS or DEALING WITH
THE INSPECTORS.

seo~1es Of Bribing Are Seeondhanded-A
xsv ua~pshire Man who Was . Little
xear.-At the Ports Of Some Foreign
Coansries-Costiy Tobacco La France.
On the promenade deck OF an Atlantic
steamer, westward bound. one oiten sess
groups of passengers engaged 10 co'isefsa-
tion of apparently more than ordinary Etss-
ity. The same Is noticeable IN the smoking
saloon and tween decks Certain charse-
teristics of such conferences unuistskanS
hrtray their subjects. Old ocean travellers
xsy thew can tell il at a glance They would
mich sooner take chances on guessing
Alright In such a ease than the pools on the
,htp's run, for there Is certain wistfui
neerinr into the future about it, a mixture
Of nervous apprehension and brayaio that
l. ALWAYS present. Once correctly dag
no~ed the symptoms seldom fail. In such
4 conversational group It's 10 10 its mem
bers are anticipating their experiences IN
the customhouse-
On the eastward trip the subject is Of lit
tie importance People carry little TO the
other side. ard the search at English ports.
AZ least. is not very rigorous. Bound foi
an American port, however, the case Is
vastly different The trunks below are
flied with bric-a-hrac and treasures from
fascinating aggregations of pretty things
i'm European stores, and it becomes the try
ing question Of the moment how the Gus
toms officers shall be passed.
Ii is inevitable that some such advice as
this will he heard: Put IA s. bill in an EN-
yelope and lay it on the top of the trunk
| which you intend to have first opened. see
that that particular trIiHa Is the first - :
TO be examined Then when the officer lifts
the cover he will SET the envelope, and with
| the remark. I'm glad to see you know the
usages OF this port will pocket it and put
his hierogiyphics on your baggage without
any further trouble
A very sensible little pamphlet distrib-
ute,I OIL most of the north Atlantic steam
| ers gives this advice; Don't attempt TIC
meddlp with the customs inspectors IL
| don't pay
Nevertheless il is one OF the comEloiiest
things alaard ship to hear ;isseverations of
such things being done, and that it Is ex-
pecte,l by customs inspectors. Peculiar
difficulty is encountered in pinning such
"A statement down TO credible basis OF
| fact however, and it i, undoubtedly true Of
most persons coming To United States
| ports that they neither hribe nor attempt
| to do 50,
A fairly cretIitable story OF a New Hamp-
shire man is told, aprupos OF the hrlbe the
DRY. In the popular parlance of his native
| place, he was one of those kind of men
who habitually are a little near"-that is,
penurious. He WIS rich and had become
so by saving Shrewdness on the side of
economy was his financial system. IL was
| told of him that. having bought 81 street
car tickets for 81, he would sit at the head
OF the car and when the cent fares were
passed up from hand to hand he would
| pocket the money and put tickets III the
cashbox Thus he would make ) cents on
every dollars worth of tickets. The story
| has been told of IA good many besides the
New Hampshire man, bur it serves just as
well to illustrate this individuals charac-
| ter
lie was bound in to New York from
Cuba When he went on shore he followed
| IN the wake of u man who, a., alleged,
slipped bank bill into the hand of the
| Inspector sayia2. I've got quite "a guam
| tity of cigar, here, aud AN anxious toget
| al early train home 10 -
"Ail right, the inspector Is alleged to
| have replied. aud, chai@ing the mans bag
| gage, he went on hl- way rejoicing.
The New HAM shire man had observed
the affair, and, approaching the same in
spector, he said, I've got about the same
| quantity of cigars That man had, I'm III
| lust about as much hurry As he, but !
haven't any money" The story goes that
his luggage was passed quite rs perfume
| torily rs that of his predecessor and that
| he took the train for the Granite state, con
gratuatin. himself that a New hampshire
Yankee is AZ good as a New York customs
| inspector any day.
Whatever the facts may he, there is an
impressions quite generally prevalent on the
other side that Il gratuity judiciously pre-
sented obvates annoyance at the custom
houses on this side very materially. Such
opinions, however. have usually come to
the speaker second hand. He has not
learned the fact Of personal experience.
careful observation of the operations, es-
pecinlly ut New York, where 10y far the
Larger portion Of passengers from Europe
are landed. strengthens an impression TO
the contrary of the above opinion. There
is certainly 10 port on the other side where
"A disagreeabie duty is performed with
greater courtesy or with more apparent
honesty than in New York. There is moth
ing in the looks or behavior of the men to
~ performed more thoroughly than at any
frontier in Europe, save possibly that of
Russia. The search is made quietly, intel
ligently and with much patience and tact
Across the water the customs regulations
do not greatly bother the average traveller
At British port he is asked if he has any
thing to declare, and his luggage is exam
ined in a most pertunctory manner, Liz
nov aud of hHuk.
mostly Sought. At French and Italian from
tiers, les douanierH" ask for 'tabac. " The
temptation To take tobacco into these Coun-
tries is very strong. In both countries the
government holds a monopoly of the man
ufaCture and sale Of tobacco. Havana ci-
gars are obtaiuHble in Paris at enormous
prices, but pipe tobacco, the good old Nir
ginia leaf that Americans like, is unobtain
able for love or money.
The French government permits half a
pound TO be brought ia if declared. But il
one is caught Smuggling duty Of Il francs
per pound is levied and fine of several
times the value of the goods may be inflict
ed. a bright American, who should have
known better, recently undertook to Snug
gle quantity of his favorite brand of pipe
tobacco 10y hiding it in his shoes in his
trunk He was detected and detained. His
tobacco was coniiscated, and he paid at the
rate Of SO a pound on the small quantity
he had with him for the experience. Still
80 great is the demand in Paris for Amer-
can tobacco that much is sent in iii little
packages marked Samples Of no value"
in new spapers, and in the pockets OF accom-
modatlng friends. Boston Herald.