Mexico weekly ledger., 1877-07-26
THE STORY OF A BOSTON SNUG
GLER

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THE STORY OF A BOSTON SNUG
GLER
The ease of Captain Howe Taylor,
OF the bark Benjamin Dickerman, is
in some respects a peculiarly painful
one. He had followed the sea from
boyhood, and always with honor,
until recently, and he seems to have
been induced to make the venture
which has resulted so disastrously,
to free himself from obligations which
he could not meet, but which were
others. His vessel was built at Dux-
bury two years ago this month, but
failing to have means sufficient to
finish her, Mr.. Dickerman advanced
him money and took a mortgage 81"
the vessel for security. The bark is OF
four hundred and thirty-three tons
burthen, clipper bnilt, designed for
general f~reiohfinS, and is q fact saller
and good carrier. Captain Taylor's
last previous voyage to this port was
also in part a smuggling venture, and
it was bay oil which he then landed
and sold in violation of law, but he
did it without exciting suspicion. He
, SAYS this was his first breach of the
law, but if so his next venture was
rather a fool-hardy one; certainly his
, was the curse usually taken by no
: vices.
, lie left Boston with "A general car
go for Liverpool, and took a similar
freight from that port to Trinidad, or
: one of the Windward Islands. Here
: he took on board eleven casks Of
| West India rum. He undertook to
do it at IL O'Clock at night, but the
/ police interferrcd and he was forced
: to do the work by daylight. Pro-
ceeding thence to st. Thomas he sold
5 two casks of the rum, and took on
{. board sixty-six bottles, 112 pounds,
$ of oil of bay, twelve cases of fifteen
bottles each OF gin and five cases ofbay
n rnm. He next went to Turks Island,
/ where loaded his vessel with about
2 20, 600 bushels of salt. The rum was
5 slowed in the ships run, and the salt
e was heaped over it to a depth of from
n two to six feet.
On the passage to Boston he took
the oil of bay, the bay rum, and part
of the gin out of their cases and
packed them in old soap boxes, which
were slowed ON top Of the salt, but
e only until he got to Boston, for then
the bottles we're taken from the boxes,
!, and the latter thrown away. The
1 salt was piled to the deck-beams in
l midship, 30 that it was impossible to
D get to any opening Hft where the
1 liquor was slowed, except through a
e scuttIe which the captain had cut in
the floor of his room.
lie arrived at Boston on the 7th OF
f June, and on the day following in
J, formation was sent to General Ansel
, ID. Wass, Chief Deputy Surveyor at
I the Custom House, that Struggled
: goods might possibly be found on
: board. lie Immediately had a day
inspector assigned to the bark, with
instructions to examine her cargo
with the greatest care and seat 1t if
anything suspicious appeared. A
, night Inspector was also assigned to
{ similar duty. The day after the ar
rival of the bark in Boston Captain
5 Taylor landed in a trunk and carpet
bag thirty-six bottles of oil of bay,
!, and then went to pass the Sabbath
with his family on Tie South Shore.
The inspector visited the bark during
the captains absence. The cabin
was searched and sealed; then be-
tween decks, in the suddy around the
cabin, a cask of rum was found where
it had been originally left. Suisse
4uently a case of bay rum was dis
covered. The vessel was watched
until the afternoon Of the 18th, when