The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-27
A MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE.
Daring Chase After Two Becalmed
Schooners.

A slight excitement was caused in police
headquarters at 2:15 o'clock yesterday
morning, when Officer G.. A. Thorn, who
has North Seattle beat, telephoned in:
1.-TWO sloops loaded with Cinnamon, just
from Victoria, are lying off shore and are
endeavoring to land. They are smuggling
their way in. Send help"
Lieutenant Phil Sullivan was on watch
all alone and he could not leave the Office,
but two reporters of the PosT-INTELLI-
GENCER and Telegraph, respectively, i'm
mediately started out and found Customs
Inspector Ben Thompson. Officer Bird
sail was taken along to render assistance,
and with much suppressed excitement the
quartette hurried to Budlong's boathouse
and two small rowboats were quickly en-
gagged. The reporter borrowed "guns"
from Merchant patrolman, and with the
PosT-INTELLIeENcER reporter and officer
Birdsall in one boat and the Telegraph re-
porter and Inspector Thompson in the
other boat, the embarkation took place.
About two miles to the northward, well
out in the bay and with all canvas spread,
two sloops could plainly be seen by the
bright moonlight. Though there was
heavy swell of the sea, not a breath OF air
was stirring. The white-winged vessels
with their cargoes of ''contraband China
men" lay as if anchored.
Not a word was spoken by the occupants
of the two rowboats The oars were piled
vigorously but quietly, and the boats sped
along the swelling water in the brilliant
wake left by the moon. No sound broke
the stiffness save the rush of water against
the bows as the boats were forced ahead.
AS the distance lessened it was seen that
the mysterious vessels were not insignifi-
cant sloops, but good-sized, ocean-going
schooners, capable of carrying small
army of smuggled Cinnamon, who, prob
ably, were protected by company of
armed men ready to resist any attempt at
capture.
The two small boats with the attacking
party kept quite close together. and when
the first big schooner was so near that sew
eral men could be seen walking back and
forth across the poop deck, four revolvers
were carefully cooked and held in readiness
to repel an attack. During the succeeding
five minutes, while the small boats con-
tinued to gain on the schooner. whose
great sails tapped languidly, the silence
was oppressive. A big schooner like this
one costs money, and if captured in the
smuggling business it is appropriated by
the government. What foolhardy idea
to think that four men could seize vessel
of such proportions, coping with 100 or
more armed smugglers. The two small
boats, with their four occupants, stood out
in bold relief-a tempting target for
rifeman. What was to hinder smuggler,
concealed by the schooner's high bull
warks, sending ball across the water?
The bullet would take effect in the head !;
there would be q terrible crash of the
brain; probably faint cry, too weak to
be heard; splash in black, troubled wa
tiers, and an upturned boat with blood on
the seats sides and bottom would be found
by fishermen at break of day!
The small boats came within hailing
distance.
ship ahoyw shouted Inspector Thomp-
son.
"Do you want to come on board ?" asked
tall man on the schooner's poop deck.
The voice allayed all fears, and disgust
came instead The schooner was not a
smuggler-simply a merchant vessel be-
Gained and at anchor 1t was the Teaser
just in port, and her captain was waiting
for the breeze, which comes at daybreak
to make dock. The other schooner, which
lay still further north, was the Baltic,
from Port Townsend, and like the Teaser
was becalmcd, waiting for the wind to
spring up.
The inspector and his party turned their
boats face about and pulled for home. Not
a word was spoken.