Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-04
CAUGHT IN THE ACT.
FRENCH OFFICIALS NAessp THE DAM
oeRous sMuooLeR.
A Man Has Right to His Tavorite Brand
of Smoking Tobacco, but He Must Keep
II out Of Frnnce--A Marrow Escape
From q Heavy Fine.

oneself. Then person, knowing all tho
circumstances Of tho cnsc, can truce tho
career Of tho wrongdoor from the frat
falso step untilthc dual catastrophe, when
he Is laid by the heels. II man entors
into n career Of crime. ho Is reasonably
sure 10 be caught Mt last, and as wnrn-
ing to others / sot down here tho pnrticu-
lars OF how, after deluding the customs
officials OF France for years and years, !
was at last trapped aud, curiously enough,
when was Innocent. ain little mixed
as TO what the moral should be.
For years and years hnvo deludcd the
French customs officials In the matter OF
tobacco. ! think, Of course, that 1t Is
wrong to smuggle as general rule, but
cannot Imagine 1t wrong to bring into an
unonllghtonpd country like Franco tobacco
that n white man eau smoke. 1 always
calculate the number Of DAYS shall be in
any part OF France, and then tako two
ounce package for ench day and couple
extra In case should m0et friend fam
ishing for a good smoke, and this quau-
tity have never had any difficulty In
smuggling into the aren't European repub-
lie. As the tobacco is entirely for my own
consumption, and rs nm not n clifton Of
France, and MS | shall be swindlod enough
by tho hotel keepers In whatever part
chance to be. ease my conscience by
pointing out those fncts to II, and must
say tlnt my conscience being reasonable
one, does not Judge me harshly In tho
matter. 1t Is needless perhaps to add that
tho French government does not apreo
with me In nil this; so, therefore, In order
not to trouble the government more thun
is necessary, place those packages about
my person In such way that Oh passing
the French frontier give the government
as little bother rs possible,
The other day l was on my way to
Switzerland l expected to be abl0 TO
register my trunk clear through to Bern,
and although knew tobacco wns cheap
and good tn Switzerland thought would
take tho prooaution OF putting few pack
ages Of my own particular brand at tho
top OF tho trunk. 1t WINS foolish thing
10 do knowing that had to pass through
France, and when l got TO the railway
station In London and found l could only
register tho trunk as far MS Pnris l should
then have taken the tobacco out II Ind
thought about II. We arrived in Paris
littlo after o'clock in tho evening, and
the train left for Bern from q station on
tho other sidu Of the city Mt $3.50, so there
WAS just timo enough to get n comfortable
dinner and cab 1t across Paris from ono
station to tho other. but 1t allowed no
great margin for customs examination.
Whom the villain who NGts for the French
government asked mo II had anything TO
declare, said l didn't exnctly know. l
had some tobacco, but 1t was not intended
for uso In France was going to take tho
night train to Bern II could got the lug
gage across Paris in tino. opened the
,r,,,,E p.s,l sh hf,,, . n ~ 20
hucco. Ho shook his head, aud gathering
tho packages In his hands no departed,
leaving me there with thu open trunk. He
returned attor awhile with man who
was evidently higher official, and behind
the higher official came another OF tho
same rank as the first.
"Why didn't you declare this tobaccoY"
said tho official to me.
IL did declare it, answered. "I told
him was going through TO Switzerland
with 1t and mono OF 1t was to DO opened in
Franco"
Tho official said nothing, but tho two
understrnppcr3 attacked tho box and
turned out overy mortal thing that wns in
II, l don't carry much luggage when l
travel alone, but this trunk contained tho
various articles Of wearing apparel that
belonged to my family. IL had been packed
with much care, and tho heap II made on
the bench where they examine luggage In
Paris was something appalling. 1t didn't
seem to me possible that any human being
could ever get all those things back In the
trunk again. They found no more tobao-
/ co, but they all retired to an Office and
seemed to consult about the matter Then
tho main official came out md said that
this was case for the chief inspector.
''Vcry we'll then, get tho chief inspector
here rs quickly us possible
but he has gono for the night" said
| tho official,
do you mean to toll me, " said, "that
| you nre going to make mo miss my train
| for Born all on account OF n fow packages
| OF tobaccoY Keep them, for heaven snke,
| and present them with my compliments to
| the inspector tomorrow, but lot mo pass
through Paris and catch my train"
Ho shook his head, md tho two undcr.
strnppers began putting tho things heller
sknlter back in the trunk, and finding
thcy could not squeeze down tho lid again
thoy took the trunk and tho rOst Of my
baggage and locked 1t up for tho night.
learned that the inspector would not bG
there until 10 o'clock Ia the morning, and
that would mako mo miss tho morning
train for Switzerland also, again offered
the pompou- official tho tobacco, but he
said that 1t was not q question OF the TO.
bacco Vt all, but OF fno. l should be
probably fined 2,Oo0 francs, ho added. 4
man who had concealed two boxes OF ci-
gnrs, n Cuban, had that week been fined
1000 francs. and probably my fato would
DO the same as his. IL all would depend
on tho inspector.
Hut" urged, 81 did not conceal the
tobacco Mt all, | told the man IL las thore
before tho trunk was opened"
Thr official shook his head.
Yon did not declare it," he said
Thcru was nothing for It,, thon, but ia
go to q hotel, whit h we did consulted
tho hotel proprietor, who advised mo ia
curb my naturally ugly temper and to be
exceedingly defcrentlal In the morning.
He said that If the Inspector chose to put
q g, 0O0 frame lno upon me should have
to pay II or leave my baggage there for.
ever.
In the morning WAS taken before Il
very dignllcd Official, who scrutinized ms
with some severity. Hn listened to what
had to say, and, luckily for me, tho flrs,
Inspector did not tell any lies about 1t, but
admitted that | had said had tobacco
and bad soil Tint was going through ia
Switzerland and mentioned that tho 20.
bAcco was not concealed, but lay ON tho
top OF tho trunk. The official tllon asked
| mo "a sloIy nv tInknt tn G,rt, ,.,t,,1