The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1876-08-03

"Well, you was there, at any rate," re-
torted the other
They're clever fellows sometimes, sir, "
said another man, and it isn't disgrace
to be taken in by them. D'you mind.''
said he to the other man, :" that affair at
Brinemouth, some years ago?"
"Ah, that was start" said one of
them. You must know, sir" he went
on, that Brinemouth Harbor is some
thing like this one. 1t has two long piers
running out from the harbor, which is a
are pretty close together, and the Customs
has a watch-house on each pier and men
always on the lookout, so that it was i'm
possible for the smallest craft to get into
the harbor without being seen. Well, sir,
the Collector got an anonymous letter to
say that the Sally, we'll known smuggler,
was somewhere off the coast with lot of
tubs on board, and that they would GER
tainly be run somewhere near. The coast
guard were all warned, and we had double
watches on the piers, and you may depend
upon it that we didn't go to sleep, for if
we got those tubs it would be jolly
Christmas-box apiece. A day or two af-
terward 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 up and down the piers, and stared
out to sea, and nothing whatever did we
see until just after the town hall clock had
struck twelve, when we distinctly heard
the beat of oars, and after few minutes
% loI -, Al.
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 Brinemouths He should think
so; had lived here years ago. They'd bet
ter row right across the harbor to the
steps. 1t would be better to do so than to
walk round. Good night! While he'd
been speaking two of our men searched
every inch of the boat, took up her floor
ing-boards, pricked her timbers all round
to see that there was no skin, searched all
the men, but with no result whatever. A
nice chatting they got all the time, l can
tell you, sir. II say, governor, I've got
mighty big hollow tooth hadn't YOU
better have look into ite' and 80 on.
Well, we came to the conclusion that she
was what they said she was, and we
wished them good night, and hey pulled
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
wondering 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, saw queer thing last night ,
What was that" said the Collector,
pairing his nails.
why, 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
1.-THE deuce!' said the Collector,
jumping up and ringing the bell. Send
Mr.. Dawson directly said he to the mes
senger.
"Mr. Dawson was our tide surveyor
who helped to rummage the boat.
60 Mr.. 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.
swell, 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 done ~
said I.
1T came out some time afterward,
through friend of mine getting acquaint-
ed with one of the men, The whole af-
fair 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
bark 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 in
to the town from different directions, and
at different times, came quietly down to
the landing. The cord hanging from the
boats stern after a time brought up a
stoutish rope, and this was followed by a
stouter still. Upon this the men hauled
silently but steadily, and the forty tubs of
best French brandy, which had been sunk
just outside the harbor, were pulled in
between the piers, under our very noses,
and taken away into the country"
"I wonder the police didn't see them, "
said l.
All, sir, there was the funny thing.
That very night, by curious coincidence,
the police, two in number, from informa-
ton received, went off to watch q house on
the outskirts of the town, which was to
have been broken into that night. The
odd thing was that there was no attempt
to break into the house at all. 1t was
funny-wasn't it, sir ~
Z Talking about the coastguard, thew get
done, too, sometimes" said another man.
II well remember, on the Kentish coast,
some years ago, there had been many tries
to run goods, but the coastguard were all
so sharp that there was no doing any bust
ness at all My brother in law, Jem
Mason, was chief boatman on that station,
and one hot summers day he was on the
look out with his glass, when he saw q
boat coming toward the shore from 4
smack which was standing off and on q
good bit away. When the boat got with:
in short distance Of the land, it turned
sharp to the right, and began pulling
along shore, and at the same time a man
took his hat Oft and held it over the name
on the stern, 80 that you couldn't read it
with glass from the land. When Jem
saw this he clapped hisgl together, ran
to the station, got two Of his men to join
along the cliffs as hard Us they could 20.
Well ,sir, 1T is the very nastiest coast you ever
saw, high cliffs and valleys between. and
it was up one hill and down another, and
up another, until wher Tie boat turned In
70 sandy bay, about seven miles from
the statinn, lem and hie mates ha hardly
s. ksIA glA NJ