The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-09-07
THE sMUGGLER OF BONSEOOURs.
A Tale of the Coast.

Tt was in the third year of my eonneo-
ton with the coast guard that was or
dered, with the small force under my
command, to the coast of France. NY
mission was to attempt the capture uf
one Harley st. Ange, a man who had
latterly obtained great renown among
the people of the neighborhood by his
bold and successful efforts in the contra
band trade. The vicinity of the little
fishing village of Bonsecours, where I
had now quartered myself, was said to
be the theatre of his illegal operations,
and the place appeared to me to be well
suited to the business. The Channel at
this place is much wider than twice the
distance from Dover to Calais, and the
shore in the vicinity of Bonsecours is
bold and craggy, indented here and there
by inlets and caves, known only to the
contrabandists, and stretches back, for
an extent of several miles, in dreary,
uninhabited waste.
The natural facilities of the locality
werc the best that could be desired by
the smugglers for their illegal traffic.
With prosperous wind and dark
night, it was comparatively easy mat
ter to avoid the Argus-eyed revenue cut
tiers which crowded the Channel, and
reach the opposite coast /; and, I was in
formed, it was no uncommon occurrence
for one of these smuggling vessels to
land cargo of brandy upon the English
coast, and return to Bonsecours with an
equivalent, in the shape of consign-
mont of manufactured goods, in less than
twenty-four hours.
So systematic had this pursuit become
aud so alarming were its effects upon the
legitimate trade of the country, that
some relief was loudly demanded from
the government, and accordingly was
sent to the vicinity of st. Angels opera
tons, with instructions to leave no means
untried to bring the delinquents to JUS
tice. The zeal of my first efforts, as L
have reason to believe, alarmed the
smugglers, and caused them for long
time either to suspend their peculiar
business, OF to conduct it with increased
secrecy for, during the first week of my
residence upon the coast, my efforts to
obtain some clew to the hiding place of
the free traders were unsuccessful.
Ono ayapinn hOuavar T woo v1c;ta1
at my hut by a man somewhat advanced
in years, whom, although he addressed
me in French, Immediately knew to be
al Englishman.
''You are Mr.. Lamorier?" he said. I
bowed afirmatively, and he continued
81 have sought you, in order that may
impart to you some intelligence which
may be important. You are searching,
I believe. for the smuggler, Harley st.
Ange?"
81 am," replied, ''and I am anxious
to obtain some clew rs to his where
abouts. Can you tell me anything of
him ?''
81 believe can." said the man; s'but
[ must first commence with another mat
ter, which is much nearer my heart than
this, and which will lead me to the sub
ject upon which 1 was just about to
speak to you. My name, sir, is Alexan-
der Derwent am the elder son of
wealthy English gentleman, several
years deceased. My brother William
was several years younger than myself.
andalways, from his boyhood. possessed
of a wild and ungovernable spirit. Un-
liked myself, he chafed and fretted I'M
der the salutary restrictions of home !;
and, in his twentieth year, he left the
paternal roof without leave or license,
and shipped at Liverpool, as we after
ward ascertained, in the capacity of
common seaman. For several years no
intelligence of him was received, nor did
he ever revisit the home which he hid
left and the first definite information
with regard to him was the news of his
death at Calcutta.
''The sorrow consequent upon this in
telligence hastened the death of my faith
er; he died in less than year after,
leaving me heir to his wealth. In the
course of time I married, and became
the father of children, only one of whom
however, survived; beautiful, intelli-
gent boy, whom 1 named after myself.
My wife also died several years after our
marriage, so that my child and myself
were now left alone.
cit was shortly after the occurrence
of this event that I was astonished by
the sudden appearance of my brother
William at my country house. An ap-
partition from the grave could hardly
have astonished mo more but he inter-
rupted me sGernly in the middle of my
warm welcome, declaring bitterly that
need play the hypocrite no longer. In
answer to my indignant demand of his
meaning, he broke foi tn into strain of
the most angry denunciation, charging
me in the same breath with prejudicing
our father against him, falsifying his
character, and spreading false reports of
his death, in order that might obtain
the whole of the inheritance. My tleni-
ais, protestations and offers of explana-
ton, were met with sneers and angry
rebuffs, and he left the house, warning
me that he should not rest until he had
inflicted q retributiYe punishment upon
me.
ellis words caused me to tremble, for
I well knew his cruel and revengeful