SACCHARINE SMUGGLERS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3827, 9 May 1913, Page 5

SACCHARINE SMUGGLERS.

BREAKING UP A FUNERAL. BOCUS COFFIN AND WBEATHS. GERMAN FRONTIER COMEDY. [INDEPENDENT PRESS CABLE] LONDON, April 30. A funeral cortege, made up of a number of the most sorrowful-looking men, was seen making its way along one of the roads leading from Zurich, Switzerland, into the adjoining German Grand Duchy of Baden. Slowly and reverontly wore all those sad-visaged .mourners following the “remains” that were about to he laid to rest. Reaching the German frontier, the procession suddenly found itself held up. The German Customs officers had their doubts about the genuineness of this funeral, and they had determined to investigate matters before allowing it to proceed. They soon discovered that their suspicions were amply justified, for upon the “mourners” being overhauled every man of them was found to have liis pockets stuffed with saccharine. The discovery naturally prompted the officers to extend their search. First of all the “wreaths” were looked at. There was an unusually large number of these floral offerings, and very heavy ones they were found to ho when picked up. The weight, how-ever,-was not that of tho flowers, but of the saccharine that had been stowed into the circular-shaped receptacles around .which the flowers had been carefully arranged. Quito satisfied now that they were up against a. gang of smugglers, the officials hauled the coffin out of) the hearse, removed tho lid, and discovered, not- a corpse, but more saccharine. The mourners, with all their bogus paraphernalia, were, of course, taken into custody. ' N