Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-01-03
CAUGHT IN THE ACT.
FRENCH OFFICIALS NA5BED TIE DAN.
GEROUS SMU6CLER.

/ Inc tNitts Oi q iF4Iililhi - AiNtNN +lf
tcrestlng c.pcciGlly ii the criminal bt
oneself Then a prrs1n, Knowing all the
circumstance of tho case con trace the
career of the wrougGocr from the first
false step until the final catastrophe when
he is laid b. ,ho hoc.s. If a man enters
into "A career Of crime, lc j. reasonably
sure TO be- caught AT last, and as IA warn
ing TO others | set down here the particu-
lars of how. after deluding the customs
officials of France for years and years, /
was at last trapped and, curiously enough,
when l was innocent. ann little mixed
as to what tho moral should be.
For years and years | have deluded the
French customs officials in the matter OF
tobacco. / think, OF course, that it is
wrong 10 smuGgle as general rule, but |
cannot imagine il wrong - bring into an
unenlightened country Ike France tobacco
that q white man can smoke. l always
calculate the number of days | shall be in
any part of Franco, and then | take II two
ounce package for each day and IA couple
extra i'm case | should meet IA friend fam
ishing for a good smoke, and this guam
tity have mover had any difficulty in
smuggling iu,o the great European repub-
lie As thc tobacco is entirely for my own
consumption. and aS ! am not citizen OF
France, and Is | shall be swindled enough
by the hotel Keepers in whatever part I
chance to be- | ease my conscience by
pointing out these facts TO il, and / must
say that my conscience being "A reasonable
one, does not judge me harshly in the
matter. Ii is needless perhaps to add that
the French government does not agree
with me in all this; SO, therefore, in order
not to trouble the government more than
T. necessary, place these packages about
my person in such way that on passing
the French frontier | give the government
as littlo bother as possible.
The other day ] was on my way to
Switzerland | expected 10 be able to
register my trunk clear through To Bern,
and although know tobacco was cheap
/ and good in switzerland ! thought l would
+ take the precaution of putting u few pack
! ages of my own particular brand at the
1 top Of the trunk. 1t was a foolish thing
| to do, knowing tia, had 10 pass through
France. and when I got 10 the railway
station in London AID found l could only
register the trunk - far Is Paris should
/ then have taken the tobacco out if | had
/ thought about it. We arrived i'm Paris u
! little after Il o'clrck in the evening, and
! the train left for Bern from II station on
/ the other side Of the city at $3.50, SO there
! was just time enough 10 get "a comfortable
! dinner and cab it across Paris from one
! station to the o'hcr, bat it allowed no
! great margin for customs examination.
When the villain who acts for the French
! government asked me if had anything to
! declare, l said ! didn't exactly know. l
! had some tobacco. but il was not intended
! for use in France was going To take the
night train u Bern if | could get the lug
| II, limo nf bo
! trunk and showed him the packages of to-
bacco He SHOOK III. head and gathering
| the packages in his hand, ne departed
| leaving mo there with the open trunk He
returned after awhile with man who
was evidently higher official, and behind
! the higher official came another Of the
same rank a. the first.
"WEy didn't you declare this tobaccoY'
| said tlr official 10 ms.
II did declare il. 80 answered. Il told
! him / was going THROUGH To switzerland
with it and none of il was to be opened in
! France
The official said nothing, but the two
understlapPers attacked the box and
turned cut every mortal thing that was in
! II. ] don't carry much luggage when |
travel llonc, but this trunk contained the
various articles of wearing apparel that
! belonged go my family. 1t had been packed
with much care. and the heap it made on
the bench whore thoy examine luggage in
| Paris WAS something appalling. 1T didn't
| seem to ne possible that any human being
could ever get al those things back in the
trunk again. They found no moro tobac-
co, but they all retired TO an Office and
seemed to cor suit about the mattor Then
the main official came out and said that
| - l.. a.. s T.,
Every well. then, get the chief inspector
here as quickly as possible
"But he has gone for the night" said
the official.
do you mean to tell me, ~ ] said, "that
you are going to make mo miss my train
for Bern all on account Of few packages
of tobacco? Keen them, for heavens sake,
and present them with my compliments 10
the inspector tomorrow, but let me pass
through Paris and catch my train.
He shook his head, and the two under
strappcrs began putting the things heller
skeltcr back in the trunk, and finding
they could not squeeze down tho lid again
they took the trunk and the rest of my
baggage and locked it up for the night.
learned that the inspector would not he
there until 10 O'Clock iu the morning, and
| that would make me miss tho morning
train for Switzerland also. | again offered
the pompous official the tobacco but he
said that il was not question Of the to-
bacco 40 all, but Of fine. | should be
probably fined 1000 francs, he added a
| man who had concealed two boxes Of Ci-
CARS, "a Cuban, had that week been fined
1900 francs and probably my fato would
be the same as his. 1t all would depend
| on the inspector.
"But, " l urged, II did not conceal the
| tobacco at all. 1 told the man IL was there
before the trunk was opened.
The official shook his head.
"You did not declare it, he said.
There was nothing for it, then, but to
| go TO u hotel, which we did. | consulted
the hotel proprietor, who advised me TO
curb my naturally ugly temper and to be
| exceedingly defercntlal in the morning.
He said that If the inspector chose TO put
| a 1900 franc fine upon me l should have
90 pay if or leave my baggage there for
| over.
In the morning l was taken before n
very dignincd official, who scrutinized mo