The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-07-27

sir" said another man, "and it isn't q
disgrace to be taken in by them. D'you
mind" said he, to the other man, "that
affair at ~Brinemouth, some years agop''
"Ah, that was q 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 good large piece of water
These piers are pretty close together,
and the Customs has a watch-housc on
each pier and men always on the look
out, so that it was impossible for the
smallest craft to get into the harbor
without being seen. Well, sir, the col
lector got an anonymous letter to say
that the Sally, a well known smuggler,
was somewhere of the coast with II lot
OF tubs on board, and that they would
certainly be run somewhere near. The
coast guard were all warned, and we
had double watches or the piers, and
you may depend upon it that we didn't
20 to sleep, for if we got those tubs it
would be q 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 n good bit
of rain; very much such another as
this, only lot 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
~, when we distinctly heard the beat
of oars, and after a few minutes q 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 Il 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 rig hit across the har-
Dor 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 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 chail-
ing they got all the time, l can tell you,
sir. 81 say, governor, I've got a
mighty big holler tooth; hadn't you
better have a look int. 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 a young gent who lived Il
fast kind of life came in to see our col
%lector, with whom he was acquainted.
Says he, Il saw a queer thing las.
night
"'What was that?' said the collector,
pairing his nails.
"'Why, | - coming along Hill
Street about a quarter to two, and | saw
about forty men, walking IL after the
other, and each with a couple of little
tubs on his shoulders
"'The deuce!' said the collector,
jumping upand ringing the bell. 'Send
Mr.. Dawson directly said he to the
messenger.
''Mr. Dawson was Il tide surveyor,
who helped to rummage the boat.
"'Nlr. 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, II 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 c%oastguard ever got
one of them"
"But how on earth was it doneP''
! said |.
alt came out some time afterwards,
, through a friend of mine getting ac'
/ quainted with one of the men. The
5 whole affair was arranged by a very
clever chap. He heard we and the
coastguard had been warned and were
: on the lookout, so he determined t,
: run the tubs right into the harbor
/ From the stern of the gig of the barqut
Esther, of Newcastle, which we haC
searched so thoroughly, a stout corC
was fixed below the watermark. Wher
the boat got to the landing far ava.
, across the harbor and out of sight ant
3 sound of us, forty men who had com
into the town from different directions
4 and at different times, came quietl,
Q down to the landing. The cord hang
ing from the boats stern after a tim,
brought up a stoutish rope, and this wa
s followed by a stouter still. Upon thi
the men hauled silently but steadily
4 and the forty tubs of best FrcncI
brandy, which had been sunk just on,
side the harbor, were pulled in betwee
the piers, under our very noses, an
taken away into the country"
= 81 wonder the police didn't sc
!! them," said l.
"Ah, sir, there was the funny thing
y That very night, by a curious coinc
d dence, the police, two in number, frol
e information received, went of to waite
a ho,oo nm tho nntolirta NJ tho fnu,