Morning journal and courier., 1886-10-19
NEWS NY l6I6gIdpIl
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
| CROWDED With THIEVES.
PASSPORT Sacked By A Law
less Band.
THE KNIGHTS RUSH THINGS.
Talk At Last Yields To
Work.
THE CHICAGO STRIKE ENDED.
Military Watching The
Striking Switchmen.
THE CHICAGO STRIKE ENDED.
A LAwLEss BAND OF mARAUDERs

LAwLEss BAND OF MARAUDERS
Fall Upon The stricken Town OF
| Eastport And Plumber The Unfortu-
Armed Cutter.
BANGOR, Me-, Oct. 18.-Along the line
| separating Maine from New Brunswick re-
| sides class of lawless characters engaged
| for the most part in shooting deer and other
game on Maine soil. From points across the
line from Houston at st. Croix, around St.
Andrews, across from Robbinstown, at St.
Stephen, opposite Calais, and more particu-
| larly from the islands in Passamaquoddy,
they have practiced poaching and smuggling
almost without hindrance from government
officials. When an unfortunate coaster or
vessel from foreign ports has had the misfor-
tune to go ashore near the line gangs of
wreckers would appear like buzzards i'll the
dessert, not to aid the unfortunate mariners,
but to steal and rob. Skilled in the manage
ment of their fishing boats, crafty, cunning
and bold, they have pursued their hellish
operations unchecked. They capped the
climax last week when for two days they
sacked and pi1laged the fre-stricken town of
States revenue cutter were turned on their
vessels and they were driven into the bay.
Campobello Island is three miles across the
bay from Eastport and is the English
side, the dividing line running down the bay
between it and the American side. A little
steamer runs across and it is seen as one ap-
proaches the landing that all the buildings
near the water display liquor signs. For
years contraband goods have been smuggled
less people of the island. To the
eastward is Deer Island where
the young sardines are caught and where
Eastpcrt has paid hundreds of thousands of
dollars in years past. The same may be said
Of Indian Island. 1t has long been the GUS
tom for English fishermen to come across the
bay early in the morning, bringing loads of
sardines which they sold without reporting
to the custom house and often brought crock
cry, matches and other merchandise which
they sold openly in the streets of Eastport.
All summer the English cutter Middleton
has been harassing American boats. but has
never disturbed her own men. When the
heavens were bright with the fierce fire in
Eastport gangs from all parts of the Passa-
maquoddy deserted their regular business
and set sail for the doomed town. Anchor
ing off the wharves out of the reach of the
flames they took their dories and rowed
ashore and began series of raids
on the stricken people that
was disgrace to humanity.
Boldly they entered the town, broke open
stores and storehouses, selecting
the most valuable merchandise, and after
loading their small boats hastily rowed out
over the choppy sea of the bay only to return
as quickly as possible to renew their depre
dations. For some time the panic-stricken
people did not observe what going on
made the short passage to some of
the adjacent islands, unloaded and re-
turned. Furniture, dry goods, oil clothing, the
contents of jewelry stores, such as clocks,
ornamental goods, fishing gear and nets as
well as rigging from the wharves and the
contents of the fine residences were quickly
spirited away. This continued through the
second day of the fire. The thieves embold
ened by their success of the night before be-
came more bold and disputed in many cases
with the owners of the goods for their pos
session. The police department and the fire
department were powerless and at last the
citizens, wrought up to high state of excite
AoooOo 1ASASS
to save their homes and property
from the flames, turned on the
invaders who were pillaging their
town and fought them fercely, but the hu-
man tigers would not be driven from their
prey without struggle and continued their
nefarious work into the second day. Time
and again were goods brought from out of
houses and deposited in apparent safety
while the owners returned for another load.
Watching these chances the pirates gathered
them up and the nearly exhausted owner on
returning would find no trace of them. At
last they undertook to break open a place
filled with valuable goods and succeeded.
They were discovered and the owner and his
friends engaged them in fierce and bloody
fight, gaining at last victory. At
this time the cutter Woodbury., a we'll
armed vessel, arrived and the captain,
understanding the character of the men
from across the line and observing the multi
tude of boats, quickly took in the situation.
In the twinkling of an eye he had his boats
out and manned and shut off all commnnica-
ton with the shore and ordered all English
craft to leave the harbor. While they
might fight the weary people of Eastport
they had wholesome respect for the frown-
ing guns of the Woodbury. and soon the bay
was white with the sails of fishermen as they
sailed across the line.