Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-06-19
CAUGHT IN THE ACT.
FRENCH OFFICIALS NABBEO THE DAN
GEROUS SMUGGLER.
4 Man Has "A Right tn His Favorite brand
Of Smoking Tobacco, hut He Must Keep
II Out of France-A Narrow Escape
From Heavy Fine.

OF smoking Tobacco, hut He Must Keep
IL Out of France-A Narrow Escape
From Heavy Fine.
The career Of a criminal is always in
teresting, especially II the criminal be-
oneself. Then n person, knowing all the
circumstances of the case, can trace the
career of the wrongdoer from the first
false step until the final catastrophe, when
he Is laid by the heels. If "a man enters
Into "a career of crime, he is reasonably
sure To be caught AT last, and rs warn
Ing To Others | set down here the particu-
lars of how after deluding the customs
officials Of France for years and years,
was ~ last trapped and, ouriuusly enough
when l was innocent. | am little mixed
"a 10 what the moral should be.
For years and years have dcluded the
French customs officials in the matter Of
tobacco. l think, of course, that IL l.
wrong to smuggle as a general rule but l
cannot imagine II wrong to bring into an
unenlightened country like France tobacco
that n white man can smoke. / always
calculate the number of days | shall be I'm
any part of France, and then take a two
ounce package for each day and "A couple
extra in case should meet a friend fam
ishing for IA good smoke and this guam.
tity have never had any difficulty In
smuggling into the great European repub.
lie. As the tobacco Is entirely for my OWL
consumption, and ~ | am not a citizen Of
France, and rs | shall be- swindled enough
by the hotel keepers in whatever part
chance to be. | ease my conscience by
pointing out those facts to il, and l must
say that my conscience, being "a reasonable
one, does not judge me harshly in tho
matter. 1t Is needless perhaps 10 add that
the French government does not agree
with mo in all this; So, therefore, in order
not to trouble the government more than
Is necessary, place these packages about
my person in such "A way that on passing
the French frontier l give the government
as little bother as possible.
The other day / WAS on my way to
Switzerland. l expected to be able to
register my trunk clear through To Bern,
and although | knew tobacco was cheap
and good in switzerland l thought / would
take the prccautiOn Of putting few pack
ages of my own particular brand at the
top Of the trunk. II was "a foolish thing
to do, knowing that had To pass through
France, and when / got 10 the railway
station In London and found could only
register the trunk rs far As Paris should
then have taken the tobacco out If haG
thought about 1t. We arrived in Paris
little after Il o'clock In the evening, and
the train left for Bern from station on
the other side Of the city AZ $3.50, 50 there
was just time enough To get "a comfortable
dinner and cab it across Paris from one
station to the Other, but II allowed no
great margin for customs examination.
When the villain who acts for the French
government asked me If | had anything To
declare, | said ! didn't exactly know. l
had some tobacco. but it was not intended
for use in France | was going To take the
night train to Bern If could get the lug
gage across Paris in time opened the
trunk and showed him the packages Of %.
baccO. He shook his head, and gathering
the packages in his hands he departed,
leaving me there with the open trunk. He
returned after awhile with "a man who
was evidently "A higher official, and behind
the higher official came another of the
same rank as the first.
why didn't you declare this tobaccoS"
said the official to me.
Il did declare it, l answered. II told
him was going through To switzerland
with it and none of it was To be opened in
France.
The official said nothing but the two
understrapperS attacked the box and
turned out every mortal thing that was In
ii. | don't carry much luggage when !
travel alone, but this trunk contained the
various articles of wearing apparel that
belonged 10 my family. 1t had been packed
with much care. and the heap it made on
the bench whore they examine luggage in
Paris WAS something appalling. 1t didn't
seem 10 NE possible that any human being
could ever get al those things back in the
trunk again. They found no more tobac-
co, but they all retired To an Office and
seemed To consult about the matter. Then
the main official came ont and said that
this was a ease for the chief inspector
Very we'll then, get the chief inspector
here as quickly as possible
But he has gone for the night, said
the official
Do you mean 10 tell me, said "tha,
you are going 10 make mo miss my train
for Bern all on account of few packages
of tobacco? Keep them, for heaven sake
and present them with my compliments 20
the Inspector tomorrow, but let me pass
through Paris and catch my train
He shook his head, and the two under
NiTdIl i'F> DcGdH putting the lhlllH. ntltcr
skrltcr back IN the trunk, and finding
tEcy could not squeeze down the lid again
they took the trunk and the rest of my
baggage and locked il up for the night.
learned that the inspector would not ne
there until 10 o. clock in the morning, and
that would make me miss the morning
train for switzerland also | again offered
the pompouS official the tobacco, but he
said that il was not "a question of the to-
bacco ~ all, but of fine. | should be-
probably fined 1000 francs, ne added. \
man who had concealed two boxes of eli
CARS, - Cuban, had that week been fined
J, 600 francs and probably my fate would
be the same ~ his. 1t all would depend
Oh the inspector.
But, | urged, II did not conceal the
tobacco at all. | told the man it was there
before the trunk was opened. ~
The official shook his head.
&" You did not declare 1t, he said
There was nothing for it, then, but to
go to hotel, which we did | consulted
the hotel proprietor, who advised me To
curb my naturally ugly temper and To be
exceedingly dcfcrential in the morning
He said thar If rho iuSppctor chosp IN rut