Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-03-08
THE BLACK BUOY.


"Swim?' said grandmamma, as we
sat around the cracking billets one
evening. EVERY boy and girl should
learn 10 swim. Why, | could swim
like a duck when was a girl. Dear
me! Dear mc!'
. Grandmamma sat bolt upright in her
chair, resting her elbows
ON the arms and smiling across at
grandpapa-who sat on the other side
of the hearth-with conscious look
in her bright old eyes, Grandpapa,
the general, pausing in the act Of rails
ing his tambler to his lips, nodded and
smiled back again at grandmamma.
They were both white-haired, bright
eyed and rosy checked; both sat
straight and erect in tall, redcushioncd-
oak chairs; and each saw the other
through an effacing medium that
smoothed out wrinkles, restored
hyacinthine locks, and blotted out the
fifty years that lay between them and
youth.
Now, when we, the youthful descend.
ants of this stately pair, grouped in
lazy attitudes around the vast roaring
hcarth' win It's lali carved chimney
piece saw the meaning looks that were
exchanged between our respected pro.
genitors, we scented Il story. And
when many-voiced appeal for the
story Drokc from Us grahIihamma
hesltatGu Tor a moment ana shooK her
hGau' then looked across lograhupapa'
VINO nouued again. anu alter u liIlle
pressing She tlluS pegah; ,
lou know. young people, that you arc
Oh gooI iamily only on your SrahuiaIh-
cr sldc ana not on minei lor nc came
OF ana oId ana hohoraOle STOCK, Wniie
my lather WAS oilly u snip DOS IL NY
father was Killed IN q great sea hTht
whtn, was only a IillIc child ana l
was brought up by my gran1taIher;
VINO was ostenSiOIy Il noat-Dul'uer ana
iiSherman, Dut IN rcaIity smuggler'
a successful smugSIer' 100 IN lhoSG
days smuggling meant great risks ana
enormous prollts' lor uutieS' cspeclally
on lOreigh wines ana splr''s' was
exceedingly hiSh' IL was nov oh!y "
prohIaple lraue' IL was rePutapio III u
Peculiar SORT OF way! lor IL required
great courage anu Skill EhSlah1 was
Always ut war IN those days anu thG
smuggler ran the FISK OF pelns snapped
up oy an enemy cruiser Us wen us Oh
taIiihS INTO thG ciutcheS Oh revenue
cutter In auui'ioh, mere were tMhc M
inevitable chanceS anu dangers OF 'he
sea- 30 lhat a Sood smuggler haa TO
pe NOT only Il man OF great uatihS'
1ut OF great KhoWleuSe Oh ha'lSa'ioh'
ne had 10 WORK INTO the harGor on lne
DARKEST nighls' lor IL was ohly On uarK
hlghts that ne cou'u venture OH n
run win the utmost secrecy anu
uoSPatch. 10 40 'haI nc must Know
every lnch oi ms way DC "oio 10
ulSt'hSul'h lallahlaINS ., nhu ouo$s
Where an uhpracllseu eye woulu ohiy
see lndlStihct olacEhesS; ana know tc
H.to' tio .,,,J .,,J ''"o tI,ne, u, ~.
Wv oSio,s W. ,,o ,Ia oH,'''N' anu '"' po'''''
Vi ,,'l vu'Nom ,,JsN,Io, nJSMI. ,o,,,1 o;,hovuo.d
WY St""ula,'ll SI u Io't" Ln nIiTnGl ,L;, .vs'. .,
.hn uot Wiz Wiz, anu nu nSu, ,, 40 .n,nN IT' T'
,,a .n"' luasoh' ] mohHernu. I; , i,netno,y, IL, ~
was "'S,s'uu i, i,i,, r'r nls "oln " my W tm'
uhcIcs, 9oSh i.,llcra'o MN I'M s, nun i'll
ao'i, % anu .nG tl.ec I suuiiGu 1; W nIu .l 'noIl
way, tnrouSh lohg Pr"ctlce anu nv rcul' w
opscr'",loi' "s II ny ,hStihct' ~: ihet' 81
was oniy one Gn"nhei ieae',iS 10 tn'
lanulhgPln i .ne NOUN Vi lhe @ Iltll'
river where we llVeu 1clIS amos
cloAeu 9y sahuoaIhs' which l"n gu
10 some distance IL was necessary u
li' lhi' channel c1nslaeraolo 'l ' way ou
at sea- anu small elacK Duoy popoc'
up ana aowh 10 lhuicate l's commence
iheht' oho sue OF inc narDor wa
formed by a llne OF rocks, lu'IlhS, ou
10 some length ana shelVihg uowl
gradually INTO the water; anu the quo.
was distant from the extremity OF thes'
rocks ABOUT three-quarters OF mile
lhls heaulanu was called the poiht'
The black buoy, n mere speck on tn,
waters, was hard enough for any on,
to find in broad day; yet my grand
father never failed TO find it in the darl
for of course it was only on moon
less night that he could hope to run
cargo, The usual course of proceeding
was this: The lugger arrived off on
coast at nightfall, lay to until sigma
was flashed from our friends on shore
and then found the entrance to ou
channel and worked in with the tide
1t was necessary to be very careful il
hitting off the channel at first, whcr
the buoy was, or they might ultimatel,
run on the sunken rocks at the eXtrem
ity of the point.
Grandfather and | lived in a prett,
cottage at one extremity of the village
Our house was better than most of tn
others, for grandfather had money il
the bank, and was well to do. TIN