The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-09-17
RUssIA's CUSTOMS SERVICE.
All Baggage of Every Passenger
Gone Throt6gh systematically.

All Baggage of Every Passenger
Gone Through systematically.
The ordeal OF the Russian customs
can only be described as fearful and
wonderful-from any point OF view,
says the London Standard. A score OF
officials and twice as many special por-
ters went Systematically through every
piece of luggage, large or small, OF
every passenger. Three officials and
the porters were the average compost
ton of the small parties that proceeded
solemnly all around the great hall OF
the other side of the counter on which
all our luggage was displayed. with us
expectant or anxious passengers be
fore it.
''Have you anything?' NO. moth
ing" Have you anything new" To'
which the natural reply was: We'll
what do you think? We came straight
from London" From every passengers
luggage something or other was chosen
at random and borne off in triumph tc
the assessors table. So far as could
be seen, everything was carefully
weighed and handed back to the own
er on production OF passports, without
charge. But the officials certainly earn
ed their pay, whatever it might be. II
only by the exquisite acting of their
ungrateful parts.
Getting the passports was another
lesson In Russian Officialdom. AS the
FRO In hn 70 oil doors
locked and no one was permitted to de
scend until gendarme with couple
Of satellites had proceeded through al
the compartments and extracted pass
port from each person. These were
being dealt with in Il separate room
while we underwent the ordeal Of the
customs inspection.
After about an hour q little ticket
window opened and we rushed tumul-
tucusly around 1t shouting out our
names, a trying thing foI an English.
man to do In a public place. AS bad
luck would have 1t, quite three-fourths
of the passengers were non-Russians
Half a dozen Britishers, the same mum
Der of Frenehmen and perhaps dozen
Russians, the rest, quite half a hun.
dred, had names which were either Ger
man or Jewish, and often both.
Passports were handed ont with ex
traordinary freedom, and many a mar
returned the PAPER he received will
Not mine" in various languages. Fol-
the distributor was Il half-literate and
not wholly sober gendarme, ruby nosed
and truculent, whose struggles with the
babel OF names-all written one way
and pronounced quite another-neces
STATED the intervention of an officer
who made n better hand of il. but moi
much Finally the non-Russian pass.
ports went from hand 10 hand till they
found the right owner.
Among the few Russian names called
out was the magic one of Count Tolstoy
aud I'm its recipient L recognized the
gentleman who, half an hour before
had helped a couple of English girls oui
of trouble with the customs. They were
evidently 'song and dance" profession.
ais on their way to Moscow for the first
time, and had all their stage wardrobe
with them. As most OF Ii was silk, and
they could not speak word OF any.
thing but English. the customs people
were disposed to make haul, unde,
the impression. apparently, that they
had to do with French milliners Snug
CLING trade goods.
dilemma. went TO the aid OF the girls
and couple Of words to the chief soon
set them free from all trouble.