Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-09-03


They sided with the revenue officials,
and many of them were active in giving
information of the places where SNUG
gled goods or property was concealed. !
Loads of potash, or drovcs of cattle would
sometimes be accompanied by Il force
sufficient to ovcrawc the custom-houSc
officers, and prevent all attempt ut seiz-
ure. At other times, the officers of the
Government would rally their Demo-
cratic friends in sufficient numbers to
bear down all opposition, and to seize
and carry away the property. Collisions
of this kind were not unfrequent, in
several of which serious wounds were
received, and in one case the result was
death. Large quantities of ashes were
brought to the ports of Lake Champaign,
and sold at small price to specializing
smugglers, who stood ready to purchase.
This beautiful lake, with its secluded
bays, shady hooks, and uninhabited is
lands, offered a convenient highway to
the smuggling boat, which moved only
at night, and remained quiet by day.
Major Charles X. Williams, of Rutland,
since Chief Sustice and Governor of the
State, was stationed, with a militia force,
at the important post of Windmill
Point, on the western shore of Alburgh.
The late DR.. Jabcz Pcnnman, of Col
chester was the collector of customs. y
twelve-oared cutter, called the Fly, be-
longing to the custom house department,
cruised above the outlet Of the lake, and
smuggling In that direction became UNI
certain and dangerous. Peerless among
the boats engaged in smuggling, was
the terrible Black Snake. With a crew
of powerful and desperate men, thor
oughly armed, she had for months de-
fed the government officials. Either
by stealthily Guiding their vigilance, or
by Overawing them by Il display of hos
tile force, she had continued to freight
large quantities OF pot-ashes across the
line to Canada, They had had ut no
time a force at their command sufficient
to render prudent an attempt toseizc the
audaciOuS craft.
DIR. John Stoddard of st. Adams,
merchant and a wcll-lnown smugglcr,
employed the Black Snake to transport
ashes from st. Adams Bay into Canada.
Their course lay around the end of st.
Adams Point, thence along the eastern
shore of the lake to Magnum creek up
pom this one and n half miles, to n mar
row strait connecting with Charcoal
Creek. Here they were obliged to light
Ell their boat by removing Il portion of
her loading to smaller ones, They then
floated into Charcoal Creek, down this
into Mississippi River, thence down the
river to its mouth, across Missisquoi
Bay to Cooks Bay, in Canada, to a place
now called Hillker's Landing about
one mile north of the village of Alburgh
Springs. The boat had made several
trips with complete success, but was at
length encountered by Officer Joseph
Stannard, who commanded the crew in
the name of the United States to surren-
der. Stoddard was on board and per-
suaded the men to exert themselves at
their oars. Stannard, being without
force to back his demand, was compelled
to witness their safe escape across the
line into Canada. But the officers of the
Government were now fully determined
upon her capture. The Black Snake was
built to run rs ferry-boat. between Char
lOtte, VT, and Essex, n. V, and was
used some time for this purp pose. Her
length was forty feet, width fourteen
sides straight and high-depth four and
a half feet She had seven oars on side,
sharp bow and square stern a fOrecastle,
but no cabin. She had II mast and one
sail was steered bya rudder was never
painted, but besmeared with tar, which
gave her a black appearance. John and
Ezekiel Taylor, of Caldwell's Manor, in
Canada, purchased her to run as Il snug
Cling boat but when the trips became
dangerous, they employed man by the
name of VIM. Mudgett to navigate her.
AS she could carry nearly 100 barrels of
potashes, at a freight of five or six dol
lars per barrel, the enterprise was a pay
ing one, and justified some risk. But
her audaciOus career was drawing to Il
close. The collector, DR.. Penniman, APP
piled to Major Williams for detach-
ment of men to proceed in the revenue
cutter called the Fly, to find and cap
ture her. On the first day of August,
A. d. 1908, Liet. Daniel harrington, of
Brandon, Il discreet and competent Off
Ger, Sergeant David b. Johnson, and
twelve infantry privates were detailed
for service.
The Black Snake had crossed the line
from Canada the previous night, and
had gone up the lake. Her crew con-
sisted of Trumen Mudgett, captain
Samuel 1. Mott, VIM Nollcs, Elkanah
Perkins, Slocum Clark, Joshua Day,
Joshua Pease, and Cyrus p. Dean. The
men were to be paid by the captain,
eight to ten dollars per trip. Each man
had gun, and they were provided with
spike poles to keep Off the revenue boats,
several clubs, three feet in length, and
basket of stones, of the size of Il man IS
fist They had also large gun, called a
wall-piece or blunderbuss, the barrel of
which was eight feet and two inches
long, and one inch and Il quarter diane
ter in the bore, and which carried fifteen
bullets.
On coming from Canada, they avow-
ed their determination to fight their
way back. They We're not well supplied
with ammunition, but had jug con-
tanning two gallons of rum. Under
cover of the night, they proceeded to
Martins bay, on the eastern shore OF
North Hero, where they lay in seclu-
sion through the day, and during the
night, went to the mouth of Onion riv-
er, where they arrived at sunrise. They
kept on up the river, and reached Il
place called Joys Landing, three miles
or so from Burlington, about noon. They
drew their boat on shore some sixty rods
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