Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-01-13

loaded with all possible dispatch and
in due time was off and away for San
Francisco. A quick trip up and rapid
dispatch sent the bark back to Homo
lulu in a short time, and again, in even
more positive terms than before, the
informer in San Francisco notified the
custom house in Honolulu that she
carried a large quantity of opium. She
was searched even more thoroughly
than before but in vain. Nothing re-
sembling opium was found. An in
creased force of watchers was put on
board, and every person leaving the
vessel was watched and in some cases
searched. but not a grain Of the for
hidden drug was found.
81 believe it is all done to annoy Cap
tain Blank. think the informer has
been fooled by some one who owes him
a grudge, or else some one Is playing
off joke on him. said the head in
spector.
The joke seems to be on us instead
Of ON the captain growled the watch
ing inspector, who was getting rather
tired of his confinement on the vessel,
as he saw no hope Of making a seizure
his watching.
"Well, 1 do not believe there is any
opium on board, ell, captain"
Guess if there had been you would
have found it, for your men have polk
ed their noses into every rathole in the
hn toi willy N
jolly laugh.
Your awning looks a little better than
when you came in last last trip" said
the inspector, willing to change the
subject.
Eyes, it looks better, but l am sorry
I went to any expense with the thing,
for 1 am going to have the iron taken
out us soon as we get back. SO much
iron on deck plays the mischief with
the compasSes. The needle went fidd-
ling all around the card coming down.
1t was good luck rather than good sea-
manship which gave us decent land
fall, for we did not know half the time
whether we We're steering within half
a point Of the course we intended. l
cot the wooden stanchiOnS out and
those iron ones in, but out they come
as soon as we get home. l want no
more such trips as this one has been"
eff they bothered you to that extent
I should think you would have them
changed here. I should not care to go
up at this season of the year with I'M
reliable compasses."
81 believe you are right, and | will
see a carpenter and have him rig up
something this very day. l can stow
the iron away in the hold, where it
will do no harm"
81 should think you might sell them
down here for a better price than you
could get in San Francisco
.'Oh, it isn't worth the bother. They
will not take much room. and I don't
feel like selling junk down here.
Next day the iron stanchions were
taken down and piled on deck until n
leisure time came, when they were to
he slowed below. The carpenter was
busy getting the wooden ones ready
when the drayman who had hauled
the irons to the foundry the trip be-
fore drove down with a load of some
thing which was to go in the vessel
''Do you want to sell those irons?'
he asked.
Don't care much about it. Do you
want to buy?"
NO. but [ know one of the planters
from Maui who wants something of
the kind. Perhaps he would like to
buy them"
"WeI, you can see, and if he wants
them you may sci them for me and L
will pay commission"
The man drove off after getting the
captains price, and nothing more was
seen of him for two days. Then he
drove down and said that the planter
would not pay the price demanded, but
would give so much. The captain at
first refused to sell at the figure, but
after a little haggling agreed, and the
drayman loaded the iron upon his truck
and drove off.
The work of loading the bark went
rapidly forward, and in a weeks time
she was ready for sea. The captain
had Informed all his friends that he
was making his last voyage He said
he was getting old, and as he had been
talking for several years Of giving up
sea going, no one wondered that he
had decided to stop now at the Deglll-
ming of another stormy season. lie
was well liked, so everybody concerned
OF
nothing was thought of it beyond that.
Something more was thought, though,
few days later, when one or tie III
spectors brought word to the custom
house that the discarded iron stnch-
ions which the captain had sold We're
lying in the backyard Of one OF the
Chinese stores on Maunakea street.
The Chinaman who owned the store
had been long suspected Of being one
Of the opium ring, but it had been I'M
possible to connect him with any j.
legal action. A rush was made to the
place where it was reported the iron
posts We're to be found, and, sure
enough, there they were. And more
than that, when q curious fellow rolled
one of them over with his foot it was
found that the iron was a mere shell.
The whole interior was a smoothly-fin-
ished cylinder, and there was strong
reason to believe it had been stuffed
full of opium. A search revealed the
fact that ten Of the sixteen stanchions
were constructed In the same manner
A little investigation and the whole
scheme was laid bare. The iron stanch-
ions, rroro Ioadnd with nIlil1rn and the