St. Tammany farmer., 1906-03-10
NEW EUROPEAN BUSINESS.
Alibis Provided for Anybody Try
ing to Evade the Law, at
Small Cost.

~ 00W A0UOSIAy 00S U0VA OAOu80t "
London by an enterprising foreigner.
It is not, indeed, q desirable one, and
in ,lnskilled hands ,uight verge closely
on criminality. Yet there is not great
capital in Europe without it, says the
Era Magazine. It is the making Of
alibis, not for criminal, but for pure
ly social and personal purposes.
He provides alibis for all sorts Of
men all over Europe who have good
reason for making their wives, employ
ers or creditors believe them to be In
some spot where they are not, and
do not intend to be.
AS becomes a factor in international
relations, he is strictly honest
least, 50 he believes this was his
first affirmation to the interviewer
who, pretending that he wanted let
ter posted in Marseilles, and paying
the sum Of 30 cents, wormed himself
into confidential relations.
my business said the artist in
aliases, speaking in excellent English
execrably pronounced, is done chiefly
with foreigners. Englishmen-what
do you say don't cotton to 1t, though
I'm increasing my English clientele.
The thing is wanted. In Paris, Lyons,
Berlin, Rome, Vienna, Madrid and st.
Petersburg, man who, for honest rea-
sons-not dishonest. mind-wants to
give some one the impression that he
is in distant town, while all the
time he is close by or in some other
town, can pay q small fec and have
a letter written by himself posted from
the town where he's supposed to be-
There was no such thing in London
until set up, and foreign visitors
couldn't understand it.
Suppose you're in q bank or an
insurance Office You get gout and
gout gets you, for:night's holiday. to
be spent drinking the waters OF Bath,
Well, you decide to go to Paris and
enjoy yourself. You have q perfect
right to do that. But how convenient
It is to have q letter posted from
Bath! Or, suppose Manchester man
has business in London, and runs
over to the French, capital for q couple
of days. Nobody need know. He can
have 8 letter posted from London
every day II he wishes.
.'The system is, Of course, liable to
abuse. But so Is every system. In
nine cases out Of ten 1t enables q man
to have quiet holiday, and no harms
done. But it requires organization.
"If necessary. / can have letters
posted from any post ofidce on the
continent. II 1t IS an out-of-the-way
palce, / have to make special arrange
ments and charge a special fee. But
for Paris it's mere trifle-25 cents. IN
fact. Nothing to a man engaged IN
amusing himself.
"You see how nicely it works. You
have given me q letter to be posted at
Marseilles; you have paid me 80 cents.
That letter will go in a special en-.
velope by to-night's mail to be deliv-
cred to my man at Marseilles to-mor-
row evening". He will open the en-
velope Immediately, stamp your en-
velope and post 1t without moments
delay. Next day It will arrive IN
London.
Don't I think my business cues
ttonable? Not . bit! II q man wants
to pretend he's somewhere he's not,
hell do it, whether help him or no.
/ can't prevent people telling lies. and
I may as we'll help them to do 1t skill
fully"
And with this characteristic piece Of
Italian casuistry. the artist In alibia
lighted cigarette aud offered his In
teryiewer copy Of lie Grelot.