Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-07-16
Smuggling in MOntpe lIer.

The current was swift and little too deep,
and the officiating parson did not hold his
grip; the ante contraband was swept down
the stream with great rapidity and some
danger, and clambering out upon the bank
took look at the scene and at his excessive
ly baptized individuality, remarking, " Some
gemman I'll lose a valuable niger yet by
SIGH foolishness.'
We lost good piece of news only to find
it spread in the Boston dailies and Burlington
papers, and would mildly suggest to the
Detective force that while plum pudding
hot may be very palatatle, cold it is rather
an uninviting dish. But the intense secrecy
having been duly preserved, and we doubt
not several additional smugglers seized and
incarcerated by the willy officials under cover
of the blackness of darkness in which they
have concealed their every movement, we now
proceed to condense from foreign sources
some very stale local developments.
The Boston Journal has carefully pre-
pared and we'll written statement of the
whole affair from its correspondent, and we
never had much skill or ambition for &" COM
posing in our own language and don't
claim any originality in the following touch
ing narrative. If We were going to criticise
that little piece, and it is hardly the thing to
do as it is proposed to steal it, as it WERE bodi-
ly, we would havei been pleased with little
IL a & &c lo
which might be termed the innocent buy
er y and the G. amateur detective y branches.
Several of our citizens, there is reason to be-
leve, have been beguiled by these willy and
unprinci oed smugglers into the purchase of
contrabaud calicoes and cotton handkercheifs
and large quantities of these goods might
have been returned by the conscience-stricken
purchasers. Others have been for long
time on the track of these wicked men, and
have several glass jars, that once contained
contraband soda water, stored up to be
brought forth at the final trial in overwhelm-
ing proof against these despoilers of venera-
BILE Uncle Samuel But this is wandering
from the point.
Some two months or more since Colonel
| Frank f. Howe, Government agent for New
York, was advised that smuggling was being
quite extensively carried on from Montreal
and five weeks ago sent to that point a spe-
clal agent of the Treasury Department to
look into affairs, and if need be work up the
case Taking with him a sturdy Vermonter
who proved the right man for the right
place, our New York special entered the
Province, rrofessedly for the purpose of pur-
chasing heavy dray horses. The kind
wanted were difficult to find, and a good,dea
of time was occupied in looking for them.
Meantime they made the acquaintance OF
Jones, Smith & Co in one part of the city,
and Smith, Jones i Co. in another. Both
these firms have tolerably familiar New
England acquaintance, and 1t was developed
that both had about the same facilities fol
getting their sales to the south side of the
samples fabrics for ladies' and gents veal
quite extensively in Boston, Springfield
Pawtucket, New York and elsewhere. Or
ders for suits too had been taken to larg,
amount In fact, trans actions seemed quit,
as active between the Yankee purchaser
and the Canadian vendor as if trade wer,
unrestrained. One firm had disposed of sil
thousand dollars worth of goods to be de
liyered between the first of May and the enc
} of June; and one consignment to the value
of nine hundred dollars was seen in the store
packed and marked for shipment to parties
in Springfield, Mass.
Hereupon our purchasers of horses, etc.
cut short their operating 10 Montreal and
!, made haste for Springfield, where they haC
5 to wait about week before the arrival o
the expected parcel, but it came at length
to be seized, OF course.
! Toe goods were received by express. 1t wa
Judged that they had but to trace them t.
the shipping Office and SO reach the consigno
who in all probability would prove to b
one of the agents in this anti -impost organi
, zation. The goods were traced to Bellows
Falls, and then to Montpelier, where the,
were consigned. but the consiguor's name
( could not be given. But from knowledg
e previously gained concerning certain partie
at this later place the detectives thought bes
to remain here and await results. Their oper-
atoms were so quietly conducted that it was
| hardly known at the hotel that two such gen
tlemen were in town-nuch less the natur
ot.their errand understood. Their suspicion
concerning the Montpelier parties became s
strong that on Monday last they caused Mar
for smuggling. TIE arrest proved to be th
right thing. On French were found letter
e from the Montreal parties, advising him {
, the shipment OF goods, and giving direction
Il about them, bills and other records of tran,
. actions between them; and Washburr
Il though not now 10 the business, gave valus
# bic information concerning former operation
Both were examined before United State
. Commissioner g. j. Gleason, ESQ.,, an
n French was held in the sum of ST. 500 an
g Washburn in the sum OF $1,000 to appear fe
trial. Washburn readily obtained bail
French did not and is now in the Washing
. ton County Jail. His trial will take plat
e at Windsor, the latter part of the preser
|, month.
!, From the papers seized, as well as fro
the disclosures made by the parties arrested
information of much Importance was Obtain
a ed. The operations of the smugglers al
found to be very systematic aud their organ
ization complete. French has been one
the active men in the party-not probabl
n because he is worse man than others of th
It ring but holder man. Other men in nun
% beers and moving in respectable society in ca.
: of the places above named are found to ha'
a larger interest in the success of operation
- than he.
These goods have generally reached Il
4 States by one and the same route. They ha
come from Montreal by railroad to Boltor
the second township from the line, oposi
: to Troy. There they were received an
ii brougot by team through the town of Bolte
" to the south side of the line, by an obscul
70 way, in the town of Troy. The course fro
there has usually been through the WINS
Ia Jay, Lowell and Ejcn to Hyde Park. Fro
u there they have been taken sometimes throu,
at Stowe to Waterbury station, and at othe
via Morristown, Elmore and Worcester
Montpelier. The work of getting them pa
ut the lines, it is said, has usually been perfor
:. ed by a resident of Bolton.
~ OF the extent of these contraband opel
Us lions no one can sneak adYisedlY. One hou