Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-15
HARDSHIPS OF EUROPEAN X
TRAVEL.
Experiences of BaitimOrean In
Paris.

in the custom-house at Paris during
his stay there. From an entertaining
letter to a friend the following ex-
tracts are taken:
81 hope it may never again he my
fate to receive package from the
custom house while l am in foreign
country.
81 received from the agents at
Havre the following bill for sending
a small package from Havre to Paris,
the expenses from America to Havre
having been previously provided for.
The first bill read as follows:
Francs.
Blu oflading, 90
Permit, .7O
Carriage, 200
Postage of letters 100
Total, 400
GAS my guidebook says that arti-
cles under IL pounds cost from 60
centimes to l franc % centimes,
expected to have to pay no more than
the latter amout. CA franc isequiv-
alent to 10 cents.)
"After waiting a week and receiv-
ing no notification, visited the Paris
custom-house. The clerk did not
know whether or not the package had
arrived, and he aud l spent an hour
looking for it through three large
warehouses. We did not find it. He
then asked me to return again with
a letter l had received from the Havre
agent which would probably indicate
where to look. IdiG so. The second
time l saw another man, the head of
the department. He said the pack
age had not arrived and that | should
be notified as soon as 1t was received.
He reprimanded the clerk for making
me return for no purpose. This con-
sumed another morning. The next
day | received letter of notification.
! again called at the custom-house.
The following bill was then pre-
sented:
Francs
Company forwarding package, 490I
Transportation, 50
Reimbursement after collection, los
Letter of notification, 10
Formalities, 40
lllegible word, .O5
Grand total, 7.5oI
al was then sent to another office,
where paid the money. There /
had to wait another long while, but
finally clerk was sent to hunt the
package, which CONSUMED further
time. When it was found | had to
unpack every article. Two red let
ters were then marked on the wrap
per and started off. On reaching
the outer gate l was stopped by a
sentry who demanded my pass. Il
pointed to the red letters. The man
said that merely showed l had re.
ceived the package and that / must
return for a pass.
"Thls time entered the building
by another door. The sentry there
would not permit me to carry the
package into the building without
pass, though | told him L had just
left by another door where there was
no sentry. | was required to leave
the bundle with him while secured
a pass. Returning with this /
showed it to sentry No. 2, who
seemed puzzled. Finally he said, 'all
right
"Just as passed out of the door
another sentry crossing the yard
stopped me. He looked at my pass
and said it was merely a permit to
carry the package from the office,
which had already done before re-
ceiving the pass. Sentry No. 3 re-
proved sentry No. 2 for his igno-
rance, and told me, he was a new
man.
"Once more left the package,
and, after perhaps dozen inquiries,
found the correct Office. Here a
long line of men were ahead of me.
When my turn came paid 2 cents
for stamp, secured pass, and re-
turned for my package.
"Sentry No. 3 was there to help
No. ,. The former said the pass
must be counter-signed, and showed
me where to go. Another long line
was ahead of me. With the counter
signed pass and feeling of extor-
ton and persecution, | returned once
more for my package. Fate was still
against me, however, for | had to
wait at the door until the sentry re-
ceived official notification that the
package had been delivered. paid for
and my name signed to receipt.
At last | was free. / could hardly
believe my eyes when sentry No. at
the outer gate accepted the pass
without objecting. These various
operations and delays consumed an
other entire morning.
"Of this total of francs 100,
only francs .85 is for the actual
transportation from Havre to Paris.
1 felt that l had gone through with
so many forma)ities that | ought to
have been the one paid instead.