The sun., 1900-11-26
STRIP CHICAGO MERCHANT.
Customs INSPECTORS vERr NsPJ-
CIOUS or CIvGAIEsE
Who Knows President mckinley and Repre-
sensed Ceyion st oar worlds Fsir Pier
Uttered With Toy Elephants and Grass
Baskets Presentation Casket seiscd.


Vincent l.. Tissera, Cinsalese merchant who
Is n naturalized citizen Of Illihois and one Of the
largest tea importers In this country. arrive
from Liverpool on saturday night aboard the
steamship Csmpania and landed yesterday
morning at the Cunard pier. lie was much
surprised 70 find that he was suspected Of
smuggling and that the customs inspectors had
a photograph OF him. sent from Hamburg with
the information that he intended to bring In u
lot OF jewels and curios The inspectors. he
says, ostentatiously compared him with his
photograph Az he had come under his own
name. and as they had his name this seemed
to him TO be superfiuous.
Mr. Tissera made no objection TO having his
three trunks and several boxes searched on
the pier. lie did not utter a protest until
an inspect or told him that he would have to strp
in the Collectors room on the pier. Then he
gently suggested that they might spare him
this humiliation. inasmuoh as they had found
nothing dutiable In his belongings except
q box Of cigars. which he bought TO smoke
on the voyage and found later that he could
not get at because the trunk i had beer been PIt ~ ~
on the cigars.
After he came out Of the room he said that
oss tSs hsa out :. he Trunks
SSsd d baskets t Of BRAIDED srsss. and = large
Of commercial scenes on its sides and ends.
This was given TO Mr. Tissera by 800 merchants
OF CeElon on Oct IS. three days before he sailed @
Rt1 IRsiatqns beiwecn @ eG' Hneriea an and Seyan WIN
the gift was an engraved testimonial from
There were also about three dozen little
ebony elephants brought out Of the boxes
by the inspectors and lett lying about the floor
Of the MAR Other gers crowded around
the inspectors and picked up the little ele-
plants and examined them There was an an
x%eGsn qgs sS Tsnls snd spoEs S0s as psr,e Ct Enssh
college professor. was iuESisr Or ThnH maTcian
in two packages. fourteen baskets in each.
The lower basket was nearly q foot long. and
the others. gradually diminishing in size, fitted
spectors took them apart slowly and examined
them all over. The Little baskets were. like
the Ongalese's undertaking. scattered around
them up and remarked on their prettiness.
Mr. ,fis1era said that he had brought The
friends. and they were not disturbed any more.
The big silver casket was held NJ. and Mr.
Tissera decided 20 send y through IN bond 70
After the insrectors were through with Mr.
u Ss tsEs snd be boxes erHs % Where they had
thrown them The little man went TO work
alone and managed after hard hour TO get
all his prorertv in shape TO be taken TO the ST.
Denis Hotel He said
Il have travelled all over the world. in civil
lied and barbaric places and never have been
treated IA ! was TO-DAY. ! know President
Mckinley. having met him when he was Gov
ernor OF Ohio He gave me little souvenir
shall appeal to him and try to get the duty
on the casket presented to me by the mer-
chants Of Cevlon rcmtted On nv way from
Colombo to Hamburg ] had IN my baggage
worth Of jewelrv This was missing when I
arrived at Hamburg and ] complained to the
against the company. Their defence was that
I should have deposited my valuables with the
purser. Apparently, II was not believed in
Hamburg that had really lost the jewel box.
so the customs authorities here. as / under
stand ii. were notified from Hamburg TO ex-
pect me with the jewels had lost In order
10 make sure OF nv Identification the Hamburg
people sent my photograph to the customs
authorities"
MIR Tissera had charge OF tho Ceylon ex-
hibit nj the CHICAGO Fair