Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 259, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 October 1910 — At the Austrian Border [ARTICLE]

At the Austrian Border

“You may talk about the difficulties you encounter with the customs inspectors on arriving in New York,” said an English womaU in New York the other day, "but you will find that worse troubles of the kind accumulate for you in certain parts of Europe. Especially is this apt to be true on the Austrian border. “I was coming up from Turkey on my way to Paris a few months ago. Owing to the fact that my cousin, who had been traveling with me, could not get away from Constantinople, I had to make the Journey alone. “The train on which I traveled Is supposed to be one of the finest in Europe, but most of the way to Vienna it stops every few minutes. They told me the reason was that they had been unable to get enough coal to start with and that these stops were necessary to get fuel. Apparently they took on about a shovelful at each station. “We reached the Austrian frontier about two o’clock in the morning, and then uniformed customs officials went through the train routing out everybody. They wouldn’t let the women dress, and I had to hurry out with nothing on but a dressing gown, and the night was cold, too. We were huddled in a room in the station ana our hand luggage was brought out, while every compartment in the train was searched. Then they made us open our bags and satchels. “The man who attended to my luggage was a very disagreeable sort of person. He insisted upon my opening every parcel I had. ‘!Now. In my effects was a large box of Turkish delight, which, as you may know, is a sort of sweet paste or gum

and is considered a great delicacy out there. I was taking it to some friends at home. The box was solidly constructed; in fact, there were two outer cases of wood, and the candy was in a sealed tin box. “ ‘You must open this box,’ said the official in gruff German. “‘I certainly shall not,’-I replied, hnd I explained what it contained, “ ‘But it must be opened,' be insisted. He refused to believe me. “ ‘Then open it yourself,’ I said; ‘but you must fasten it up again.’ “He growled and started in. The outer case was securely nailed and It took some time to get the top off. When he had removed that and revealed another wooden box the official swore. Then when he had got the top off the second box there was the tin. He spoiled the blade of his knife cutting that open and then when he came to the Turkish delight he was disgusted. "Of course I laughed in his face. Then he refused to pack the boxes again, but I insisted, threatening him with all sorts of things about appealing to the British ambassador, and so on, so he finally turned in and did as I ordered him, while my fellow passengers chaffed him at being ordered about by a woman. “I learned afterward that a woman traveling alone had been smuggling a lot of Turkish tobacco into Austria and that tho> officials had lately been keeping a sharp lookout for her. My being unaccompanied bad aroused suspicion.” The dentists who took a stand against kissing probably lost the p* tronage of all kissgble girls.