American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-07-29

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"Ah, that was a start" said one O
them. "You must know, SIR" he wen
on, "that Brinemouth Harbor is some
thing like this one. 1t has two Ion.
piers running out from the harbor
which is good large piece of water
These piers are pretty close together
and the Customs has watch-bouse Oh
each pier and men always on the look
out, so that it was impossible for tn
smallest craft to get into the harbo
without being seen. Well, sir, the col
lector got an anonymous letter to sa,
that the Sally, well known smuggler
was somewhere off the coast with 10
of tubs on board, and that they woul,
certainly be run somewhere near. Tn,
coast guard were all warned, and W.
had double watches on the piers, ant
you may depend upon it that we didn'
go to sleep, for if we got those tubs il
would be jolly Christmas-box apiece
A day or two afterwards the collector
got another bit of a note, saying the
tubs would certainly be run that night
1t was a darkish night, with good bit
of rain; very much such another as
this. only not so squally. We walked uu
and down the piers and stared out to sea,
and nothing whatever did we see until
just after the town-halI clock had struck
II, when we distinctly heard the beat
of oars, and after few minutes four
cared boat pulled in between the piers,
and, being hailed, came up to the steps
| under the watch-house. One of the
men told US that she belonged to the
bark Esther, of Newcastle, from Sulina,
with a cargo of wheat, which was lying
out in the bay wind-bound. One of
their men had got himself hurt, and
they'd come ashore for doctor. They'd
find one, wouldn't they, in Bank Street,
Did he know BrinemouthP He should
think so; had lived here years ago.
They'd better row right across the har-
Dor to the steps. 1t would be better to
do so than towalk round. Good night!
While he'd been speaking two of our
men searched every inch of the boat,
took up her flooring-boards, pricked
her timbers all round to sec that there
was no skin, searched all the men, but
with no result whatever. A nice chaff
ing they got all the time, can tell you,
sir. al say, governor, I've got a
mighty big holler tooth; hadn't you
better have a look into itp'' and SO on.
Well, we came to the conclusion that
she was what they said she was, and we
wished them good night, and they pull
ed away across the harbor and were
soon lost to sight and hearing in the
darkness. About an hour after the
boat went out again with the doctor,
for we saw another man in the stern.
Nothing more did we see that night,
and we went home in the morning
grumbling at our ill-luck, and wonder
ing why the dickens the doctor didn't
come back.
"That day young gent-who lived a
fast kind of life came in to see our col
lector, with whom he was acquainted.
Says he, Il saw queer thing last
night
"sWhat was that?' said the collector,
pairing his nails.
"sWhy, I was coming along Hill
Street about quarter to two, and saw
about forty men, walking one after the
other, and each with couple of little
tubs on his shoulders
The deuce!' said the collector,
jumping up and ringing the bell. Send
Mr. Dawson directly said he to the
messenger.
ssMr. Dawson was our tide, surveyor,
who helped to rummage the boat.
"sMr. Dawson said the collector,
they've run those tubs right under
your nose.'
"When Mr.. Dawson came to hear
Mr.. Joe Childer's story he turned as
white as a sheet, and was fit to drop.
s.Well, a great hue and cry was made,
and the men were traced ever so far,
but it was no go. They'd got the tubs
into some place of safety, and neither
our men nor the coastguard ever got |
one of them"
"But how on earth was it donep"
said I.
1t came out some time afterwards, |
through friend of mine getting ac-
quainted with one of the men. The
whole affair was arranged by very
clever chap. He heard we and the
coastguard had been warned and were
on the lookout, SO he determined to
run the tubs right into the harbor.
From the stern of the gig of the barque
Esther, of Newcastle, which we had
searched so thoroughly, stout cord
was fixed below the watermark. When
the boat got to the landing far away
across the harbor and out of sight and
sound of us, forty men who had come
into the town from different directions,
and at different times, came quietly
down to the landing. The cord hang
ing from the boats stern after a time
brought up astoutish rope, and this was
followed by stouter still. Upon this
the men hauled silently but steadily,
and the forty tubs of best French
brandy, which had been sunk Just out
tide the harbor, were pulled in between
he piers, under our very noses, and
aiken away into the country"
81 wonder the police didn't see
,hem," said 1.
"Ah, sir, there was the funny thing.
That very night, by a curious coinci-
tence, the police, two in number. from