My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands, Dictated in My Seventy-Fourth YearTrain, George Francis
History
My Life in Many States and in Foreign Lands, Dictated in My Seventy-Fourth Year
Train, George Francis
Train, George Francis, 1829-1904
But I fear that the moral sense as to smuggling, to use an ugly term,
was not so delicate in those days. Even patriotic and good men thought
that it was not very bad to bring in articles from Europe and the Orient
without stopping to pay the duty levied by the United States. There was
no systematic attempt to defraud the Government. There was just no
thought at all, except to get in a few luxuries upon which it did not
seem worth while to pay the customs dues. I can recall a few examples
of this lax way of treating the tariff regulations. They were the acts
of men of great social and business prominence. If done to-day, they
would shock the whole country--even the Democratic and low tariff, or no
tariff, part of it.
One day a banker, who was a famous figure in Boston, a leader in the
world of business, asked me if I could not bring over for him some
silver he had ordered sent to the Train offices in Liverpool. I
consented. Shortly after this, the steward of the Ocean Monarch told me
he had a very heavy package addressed to "George Francis Train." I
directed him to bring it into the office. Then I saw that the heavy
package was addressed, in the corner, from the shippers to this famous
Boston banker. And so, without any intent to defraud the Government on
my part, and, I suppose, without any intent on the part of the great
banker to do a distinctly wrong act, we had actually conspired to
smuggle in some exquisite silver plate for the richest banker in New
England, to save a few dollars' tariff duty!
Once while I was in Paris, in '50, I wanted to buy some presents for the
young lady to whom I was engaged to be married--Miss Davis--who was then
living in Louisville, Ky. I called at the Paris office of a famous
American firm of jewelers, and the resident agent took me to a
magnificent establishment, where I saw the wealth of a world in gems.
An amusing thing happened, which I shall relate before I complete the
story of this smuggling incident. I asked at once to see the most
beautiful things the shop contained, the latest, and most charming.
Imagine my surprise and horror when the young girl who was showing me
around the shop exhibited to me a package of pictures that would have
subjected me to immediate arrest and incarceration had they been found
on my person in this city. She explained to me that this was the part of
the business in her charge, and that she thought, as I was an American
and new to Paris, I wanted to get hold of some startling pictures to
carry back to the United States.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account