The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-02-21
A MIDNIGHT RAID.
Startling Consequences of a Thiev-
ish Attempt at Smuggling.

WINE TeSlulnR III the SdnduldH VII
1age of Chippewa, l happened one
night in July, 1864, to be detained very
late at my Office, on the south side of
Chippewa creek, which discharges into
Niagara river about two miles above
the falls. The creek has two mouths,
separated by Hog island, which is some
three hundred yards below the bridge
which | must cross to reach nv house.
Thirty feet from the south end of
this bridge stood large storehouse for
bonded whisky. The building rested
upon piles driven into the bed of the
stream, and its plank floor was about
four and one-half feet above the water.
Walking quietly, had barely come
upon the bridge when / heard above
the drowsy murmur of the falls pc
culiar, grating sound, coming appar-
emily from beneath the warehouse.
What could it be? Leaning over the
railing, listened intently.
The grinding noise seemed like that
produced by hand-turned auger Dor
ing through soft wood.
| surmised at once that someone was
about to tap the lower tier of whisky,
bred and twenty gallons each. Who
could it be? Probably smugglers from
the American side of the Niagara were
at work, not buying their stuff, as
usual but stealing it.
At this time the United States import
duty on spirits was two dollars gal
Ion. Common whisky could be bought
at the Chippewa distillery for seventy
cents per gallon in gold, and readily
sold across the line for five dollars in
greenbacks; so there was large profit
in the contrab band trade, even when
the smugglers paid for the liquor.
Men engaged in this nefarious traffic
used to row down from the distillery
to the mouth of the creek at night;
then tow their boat up the Canadian
side of the Niagara to point opposite
the head of Navy island, push across to
Bucl1horn island and thence drop down
to some previously selected spot on the
New York state shore anywhere be-
tween Schlosser and Port Day. The
smugglers always knew, by a prear
ranged shore signal, that no officers
were in the way and that cash Gus
toner was waiting for the cargo.
l had listened scarce a minute to the
mysterious. noise, when a chug was
heard; then a renewed and sharper
grating. So | knew that the auger
had gone through the three-inch pine
plank floor and was now biting into
the hard oak of a cask.
The matter greatly concerned ME,
because | was the collector of inland
revenue for that county, and in charge
of the bonded warehouse, the key of
which was then in my pocket. The
raiders intended, of course, not only to
wrong Uncle Sam, but doubly to de-
fraud the Canadian owners of the
whisky who would lose the liquor it
self and also have to pay full excise
duty on all stolen from the warehouse.
The slightest alarm would have
driven the robbers off, but in that case
they would escape in the darkness. |
wished to capture them in the act, but
how would this be possible?
If l called for help at that midnight
hour the men would vanish at the first
cry. If l went back to my Office for a
revolver, and attempted to arrest them
single-handed, they would simply de-
fly me, or, perhaps, plant me at the bot
tom of the creek.
Just then a thread of light from a
burglars lantern shot out in my direc-
ton: the boring ceased, and heard
gurgling of liquid. l caught also
glimpse of three men kneeling on the
flush deck of a small scow.
One deity pushed tin tube into the
auger hole, placed under it a ten-gallon
key, and withdrew the plug from its
lower end. Eleven other kegs awaited
their turn. The men had brought pre-
cisely enough to hold the contents of
one cask. If successfully run the cargo
would bring six hundred dollars in
United States currency-all clear profit.
From the efficient way in which they
were Ike" "Mose" and Pete"
Schram, notorious smugglers, living on
Grand island, whom had often heard
of, but, never, to my knowledge, seen.
All that | have described occupied
only few minutes in the doing, but |
knew that it would take at least forty
or fifty minutes to fill the twelve kegs,
the tube being small
Whiel considering my next step l
recollected a pair of stout, determined
fellows named Bullamore johnson and
Vert Van Wyck, famous duck hunters,
of whose services / had often availed
myself. If | could get these allies in
time we should have no difficulty in
stopping the desperadoes as they
passed through the cut an artifcially
made channel, leading from Chippewa
creek to the Niagara.
This cut, one of the two mouths or
exits from the creek, was always used
by boatmen going to or from the big
river. The old natural outlet, on the
north or down river side of Hog island,
was too near the rapids for anything
except very light craft to try.
Softly regaining the shore, / got
loaded revolver from my office. and
then hurried away to the shanty of the
duck hunters, and soon woke both.
They readily agreed to help me, and
brought their guns.
Its sure to be the Schram boys"
said Bullamore. mo one else round
here has grit enough for such job.
Them fallarS has unt rich since the ha-