Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-04-26

~: here was statement that tho
schooner Osprey would sail into the har-
oor that evening with a cargo of bamboo
fancy wares, crockery, and tea from
China. In some deft way it was also
expected that a certain large hogshead.
ostensibly containing lead-foil. hut IN
reality filled with opium, would he
landed SO as to evade Government in
spection. This package was to be
spotted, allowed to land, and in no
case to be seized until it had been
traced to the secret haunt where the
smngglers lived.
Il don't like it'll" murmured Rideely
Its dangerous and unsatisfactory
KIND of case, and It takes NV time
and thoughts from the Dayton affair.
At last!"
. With thrill and start, the detect
i've projected the last words. They
conveyed marveling token of excite
ment and hope.
For he had happened to read the
last memoranda in the papers given
him by the chief, and its last line was
wonderful revelation to his excited
mind.
These smugglers, the penciled sent
ence ran, are supposed to have q haunt
down the coast. Lee Kirby and Will
lam Page, noted desperadoes, are act
i've members of the band. It is limited
that the moving spirit and moneyed
hacker is one Percival Aylmer.'
"Aylmer!" gasped the startled de-
tective. "Ah! if it is indeed he, it is a
clue at last. All the perils of earth
shall not prevent me reaching that
man, and through him the woman I
love-stolen, bereaved Grace Dayton! !"
"Quick! off with the top of the
barrel; out with the opium. We have
no time to lose. Some one may come. /"
It was little after midnight, and
the scene was deserted wharf. In
side of it, standing beside huge,
many-hooped hogshead, was Walter
Ridgely; near him, hammer and cllisel
in hand, fellow-detective, and just at
the door, closely watching the wharf
and the street leading to it, was third
member of the agency.
Glow did you come to work it,
Ridgely?" asked the man with the
hammer, as he ripped off the top hoop.
Easily. 1 spotted the Osprey as
she sailed into the harbor at dusk. A
hundred rods from the wharf some OF
the sailors boldly tipped out this hogs
head. To the inspector aboard they
said that it contained straw and fever.
infected bedding, and as it fioated
away, and no one paid attention to it,
the inspector believed it."
Sand it was this barrel?"
"The same. I was in yawl and
followed in the wake of the hogshead
About two hundred yards down stream
two men in small boat were waiting
for it. They drew it ashore at this de
serted spot, attached hooks, dragged il
into this shed, and went away after Sc
curing the door. I heard them say
they would take it to the den. I Wen
for you two. That's all there is in it
Remove the contents"
"And arrest the men when they
Gomez"
Not at ALL"
"Eh?"
"No; it's their haunt we are anx
ious to locate. Remove the opium, i
opium it is, and hoop the barrel VI
again"
II don't understand"
"And me inside of it,"
Yes, that was audacious Waite
Ridgely's scheme. His fellow Office
glowed with admiration at his bravery
but shook his head obviously.
Done up in paper, then in water
proof cloth, and finally in tinfoil
pound after pound, package aftel
package of the smuggled opium wal
taken out of the barrel.
All of this was hidden under hear
of straw in one corner of the shed
Then Ridgely got into the hogshead
the top was secured. In his clos.
quarters he called out to his com
panion, as the last nail was driver
home:
Keep us in view, but not too closely
so as to arouse suspicion, and do mo-
act till signal by whistle"
"All right" Then silence and dark
ness, for Ridgely's assistant and tn.
guard had left the vicinity of the shed
Ridgely had just completed cutting
an air-hole through a stave, whe1
wagon wheels sounded outside.
Through the small oriice he hat
made he could make out two roughly
dressed men. They jolted him ter
ribly as they proceeded to roll thu
hogshead out of the door, up q plank
and into wagon. Then one took W
the lines, the other sat on the barre
as if to watch if they were being fol
lowed, and the vehicle started up.
It traversed mile or two of deserted
city streets, struck off for the suburbs
and finally threaded a lonely thorough
fare leading south down the coast.
Day was advanced many hours wher
the wagon halted. The detective, glanc
ing through the aperture, made out
kind of rambling cabin, and beyond il
what seemed q boarded-up cave.
Several desperate-looking men cam.
out and regarded the hogshead crit
cally. Then it was rolled through tn.
doorway of the boarded-up cave, ant
then four weary hours went by for thu
cooped-in Ridgely.
H,;oo, so,,nda1 IN his hearing a.