The Portland daily press., 1886-08-17
EASTERN SMuccLERS.
Jack BONES and Other Heroes OF
Contraband Trade on the St. Croix.
Letter to Lewiston Journal.

who has caused such sensation along the
Maine-New Brunswick border during the
past two weeks, was the most daring and
successful smuggler that piled his trade
across the line. That is why he is to-day in
the governments employment. In self-de-
fence the Dominion hired him away from
his illegitimate business and put a customs
officers badge on him.
BONES was a truckman in st. Stephen,
which, as most readers remember is situated
opposite the city of Calais ON the st. Croix
river, which is the dividing line between
Maine and New Brunswick. Bonnes's chum
and partner was another truckman, named
John Shaughnessy. Both these men are
now in the Dominion governments service
The latter is stationed at St. Stephen nearly
all the time, while the former has rowing
commission. Knowing all the ways of the
smu gglers well, they have narrowed more or
less the operations of the fraternity of which
they were once the leaders.
BONES and Shaughnessy used to smuggle
to both sides of the line, carrying the wool,
butter, potatoes and other produce of the
province into Maine and conveying kerosene
oil, dry goods and other manufactured prod
ucts of the United States to the merchants OF
st. Stephen. They developed their business
into an elaborate system, employing reti-
nue. of scouts and assistants, a fleet of boats
and no end of dark ways and tricks that
were not vain In their day prices were
higher and it paid much better to smuggle
than at present. The levelling of prices
that has gone on in the past five or ten years
has decreased the profits of the smuggler,
and consequently has decreased smuggling.
When.Bonnes and Shaughnessy were dodg-
ing customs officers, the most of the mer-
chants in st. Stephen secured the larger part
of their American supplies through Them L
may give the best idea of their doings by re-
peating the story that Shaughnessy told me,
standing on the st. Stephen end of the
bridge one evening not long ago. !,
81 held the keys to that whole block, "lsaid
Shaughnessy, pointing to a row row OF stores
along the shore of the river. There wasn't
time but what they had lot of goods l
brought over to 'em on hand. How did we
smuggle? By all sorts of ways-boats and
teams, both. We had our spies and knew
tain officers on both sides of the line under
our pay Our great game was to keep on
good terms with the officers; but there were
some officers | never could approach and one
of them was Noah McGary, who is still an
American officer stationed at the other end
of the bridge Of course we got caught once
in while, and our stuff was seized; but
profits were so big then that we could easily
make up our losses. Many's the time | have
made fifty spot on one load! 1t was easy
to make hundred dollars ia day. We never
intended to start for the bridge with our
teams or across the river in our boats unless
we were apprised by our scouts that the
coast was clear. I'll tell you how Notary
caught us one night, though. Jack Bonnes
and had a barrow load of wool to take
across the bridge. was wheeling the wool I;
We knew Noah McGary was in the, toll
house, and had man stationed there.
When I came in sight he pulled the door to
and held it, while | hurried to get by. NC.
Gary knew what it meant when he heard
that door slam, and he was too smart for us
He succeeded in getting out. Ordinarily
would have surrendered the wool; but this
was a specially fine grade, and +! did not
want them to know | was smuggling it.
started back across the bridge for the St
Stephen side. McGary and | had a tussle,
but got clear, all right The next time
ing the officer and the scrape cest me 500
and costs. / never was much of a fellow to
take chances but BONES was more risky
than l was. Many time we were out al
night on the river and on Our trucks the neXl
morning to avoid suspicion. Yes, might
have been rich to-day, if l had collected al
that was due me, but in our business 1t dlo
not pay to push things too far, you, know
made it point to have no trouble VIII
under which special customs officers in this
country made large fortunes before we abol
ished it, is still in vogue in the Dominion
and under it Bonnes and ShaughneSSy arr
growing rich fast. They get from one-third
to two-thirds of the value OF the goods thai
they confscate. Shaughnessy told me thai
a D1a fVVn fhrpn thonSand IaS1
year besides his salary of 5000 a year
Bonnes has better field. He goes along the
whole provincial coast, and, his seizures
range in Importance from schooner load o.
vessels, to straw hat. 1t is said that Iht
has made $4,000 in the past four year. The
chance to make dollars partly accounts fol
| the activity of Canadian officials in selling
| fishing boats. Only last week, BONES wen
| to Deer Island and seized fleet of boat
| from men who were guilty of smuggling only
| by the most rigid Interpretation of the Cana
| dian laws.s Bonnes took $1100 out of thes'
| poor fishermen. A store keeper, the onl!
| American article in whose possession wa
| one straw hat, was assessed $25.
BONES has been as active and as daring
| in his performance of government duties, a;
| he was in his old smuggling days. He ha'
! become terror to the boatmen along thu
| Canadian coast who have been buying good
| for their families on the American side;
| passed unnoticed. He has seized so man.
| boats that it needs only word or lool
| from Bonnes to make the poor scared fellows
| pull out their pocketbookS and settle.
The landlord of the hotel at PASSPORT re
| lated an incident that happened last week
| Somebody had told Campobello fisherman
| who had carried home pair of shoes o.
| something of that sort, from PASSPORT, tina
| BONES had spotted his boat. That wa
| enough. He rushed up to the hotel ant
fhof n1srn of bn
swell, Mr. BONES" said he, hear you've
| got me-"
SCOT you? Of course I've got you," saic
| BonneS, coolly.
''How much will it cost me to settler"
Fifty dollars"
The poor fellow pulled his calf-skin an,
| settled. He was so scared and so glad to ge
| out of Bonness clutches that he fastened of
| without stopping to get receipt
Pretty soon another man came up and pal,
| BONES twenty-five dollars for a similar of
| tense.
Standing on wharf in Eastport, last Sat
urday afternoon, it was amusing to hear tn
| remarks of the fishermen as they put out il
| boats loaded with small packages; 1t was
| 'Look out Jim, that Bonnes doesn't get you,
OF =, Wonder # Jack will come CON dow
Between two cities situated so near to eacl
| ether as are Calais and st. Stephen, separat
| ed by narrow river and connected WIFI
| three bridges, Notwithstanding one city is Il
| this country and its opposite in another
| there must be considerable buying and sell
| ing. If a Calais man wishes couple o
| pounds of butter, goes over to st. Stephel
| and buys it and brings it back without re
| porting at the custom house this is no
J called smuggling in Calais. Should a ST
| Stephen lady wish to buy a piece of America
| goods, come over to Calais, buy the dress ant
| 60 back without call at the Canadian Gus
] toms office, it is not considered smuggling il
| good circles in ST. Stephen. To appreciate tn
| Situation one must consider the spirit O.
| neighborliness which exists between the tw,
cities. Suppose Lewiston in the United
! States and Auburn in Great Britain. Thu
| people of the two communities would no
| think of the fact that they were going from
one e9platgY 70 janother every tyne on tt Ell
| two cities on the Androscoggin the Interests
| of Calais and st. Stephen are so bound vi
with each other that they seem almost as i
| in one country to the people who live here
| Calais was built up partly by st. Stephel
| men. Nearly all the old lumber kings whit
| built the lumber mills on the Calais side
| such as the Todds and the Murchies, were
| subjects of the Queen and continued to livt
| in St. Stephen while doing business on this
side. The Calais people and st. Stephe1
| people have intermarried, too. 1t is sur
| prising that there is a local sentiment tina
| the customs laws were made for people bacl
| from the line and not as an interference be
| tween relatives and neighbors.
The most of the smuggling between thu
| two cities is petty smuggling, OF sort which
| the officers do not attempt to stop. When
| lady goes by with her bundles, she knows