Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-20
THE sNTUGGLER OF TO-DAY.

People who Devote Their Energies To-
ward Defrauding John Bulbs Ex-
chequer.
The bold smuggler, who wore a red
sash, and cried "FOIled!' as he applied a
torch to the pOwder-magazine of his lug
ger when the revenue cutter got the best
of the fighting, says the 50. James Gazette,
is no more to be seen; but a good deal of
quiet and business-like smuggling is still
carried on by Englishmen. There are
half a dozen places in London alone where
very fair cigars may be bought at an adj
vance of a faTthing apiece on the Gibral-
tar price. The cOntraband trade is car
ried on with great skill, and the offenders
VINO are caught usually owe their ill-fOr-
tune TO the fact that they have been
clumsy enough to offend some foreign
dealer, who telegraphs a warning TO the
authorities. The yachtmen who were
so heavily punished a month ago were be-
trayed by Jealous Dutchman. and most of
the engineers and firemen and sailors
who are detected suffer through not con-
ciliating certain persons at sthe other
side" The English officers are vigilant
enough, yet a steady supply of contra
band goods comes into this country. For
long time the Whitby preventive men
nave Deen at LuClI WIS emu III lace Ol the
wholesale smuggling that goes on there.
The abOrtive raid made on the smacks
during last week only serves to show the
careful organization of the smugglers. A
messenger left the town in good time and
most of the fleet received warning, so
that the officers secured only one culprit.
All along the northeast coast the contra
bandists work with impunity almost.
The cOastguard has his little cottage on
the cliff or in a village, four or five miles
away his mate lives in another village;
and the two meet once or twice
week, so that reports may be passed on
to the chief bOatman and from the
chief boatman to the officer OF the station.
Whether every cOastguard is awake, and
watchful over his four miles of shore,
during the hours between midnight and
dawn. may be doubted. At such places
as Dunwich bOatman traverses the cliff
All night: and at AlnmOuth, Berwick,
Shields and other towns there are hands
told on for night duty; but near the
smaller villages complete watchtulness is
hardly to be expected. The back French
smack sails calmly north and south, and
innocent fishing boats encounter her.
There is a signal, and Snow, then,
Frenchyp a business transaction takes
Mace. and the innocent fishing boat re-
turns to the cove in the dim hours before
dawn.
In steamers the illegal work IS Oone on
a larger scale, and sometimes $50 1t is
said there are strange passages between
the representatives of the law and the
cOntraband traders. One Captain, whose
ship had just been quilted by boats
crew of the gentlemen whom sailors I'M
kindly call ''sharks," was suddenly re-
visited by a mysterious person, who said:
ssThe chaps in the boat say this isn't your
proper money, Captain; they think I've
done them" IN explanation of this re-
mark. it has been cOnjectured that the
sshon0rarium' which the Captain had laid
uDOn the first box of cigars that stood
on the cabin table was not not so large as
those which had been deposited there on
former occasion. But all the smuggling
! thar GOES on round the coast is mere
driblet compared with that by which the
| Spanish government is defrauded in the
Mediterranean, Daring Englishmen are
usually employed in this work: and a few
| years ago one skipper not only ran : o,OUo
| worth Of tobacco into Portuguese waters,
| but performed a still more striking feat Dy
| bringing the consignment home to the
| English coast. The agents at Gibraltar
/ were thus punished for attempting 10
evade the law, for they lost their $4,000.
| The ultimate destination of the tobacco is
/ not known to history; but a few private
/ individuals could perhaps tell very in
| terpstinq story about that.