The Portland daily press., 1895-03-15
THE AR0OsTO0K sMuGGLER.
George McNarlin of HOulton Appears
Before the U. S. Court.

A Thrasilng Machine that dId DUTY on
Both sides of the Border-A Fine and
Imprisonment.
George McNarlin, was before the US.
court yesterday morning on a charge of
smuggling across the border The fact
of his arrest was stated in the PRESS,
but the circumstances were peculiar
enough to make it worthy of more ex-
tended notice.
Last fall, according TO the story Of the
deputies at donlton, they were visited
by McNarlin, who is farmer, and were
told by him that he had been over the
border, and had purchased second
hand threshing machine and had taken
it to his place, where they would find it
in his barn. He asked them when they
would be there to inspect it and to fix
the duties which he would then pay.
> They set the time when they would
drive over, and McNarlin left the Office.
On the appointed day they visited his
place, but did not find him at home, and
also did not find the threshing machine.
They were told by McNarlin's hired man
the machine, and that he WIS threshing
grain for a nelghbor there. They later
tried several times to find The machine
on this side of the rider, and say that
McNarlin took it backward and forward
over the line number of times, doing
threshing for farmers on both sides of
the line. They made several attempts
AZ F+i,o ryij1
him to pay the duties on the machine,
and tried to find it, but could not. Nc
Marlin was in the woods, over the border
whenever they called to see the machine.
At last McNarlin told them that he
guessed he wouldn't pay the duties at
all. That he was through with his
threshing, and that the machine would
be of 10 use to him for at least a year.
He added that he had sold the machine
to man over the border, and that they
couldn't find it, or take it if they could
find it.
THAT may be sou rejoined one OF the
deputies, "but we can take you" Nc
Marlin thought otherwise and paid no
attention to the matter until be was ar
rested by Deputy Marshal Prescott.
McNarlin was the perfect picture of a
frontier farmer when he appeared in
court yesterday morning. He wore the
many colored blouse, pantaloons. torn
and mended here and there, left I'M
mended in other places, and with warm
striped stockings drawn up half way to
his knees. He IS good looking man
and talked freely. He said he was I'M
der arrest for nothing. That he bought
the thrasning machine on the "other
side of the line" and took it over the
border TO his barn. He then notified the
deputies that he had bought the machin e
and asked them to tell him what duty
he was to pay on it. When he tried the
machine he .found that 1T wouldn't
work, and he carried the separator over
the line to a shop, only about 10 rods
from his house and LETT it to be fixed.
He later took the machine over the line,
aud had the separator put in. He claims
that he was at home the first three days
of the week when the deputies should
have called to fix the duties on the ma
chine. but that the next day he was over
the line with the machine doing some
threshing for Mr.. Grant. He later SOLD
the machine TO Matthias Maugher, and
got more for it than it was worth to HIM.
He then. notified the deputies of the sale
of the machine and did not see that be
ought to pay duties on it after it had
been re-sold in the Provinces.
He saw the deputies and was referred
TO an attorney, who had no power &c
settle the case. The next thing I heard
about it was when Mr.. Prescott arrested
me and took me here" he said.
Col. Il w. Brad bury ami Marshal Dono
van had no desire to unduly press Me
Marlin, who is regarded as pretty gooe
sort of fellow even if he has very con
fused ideas as to what should be paid tt
Uncle Sam. He was to serve rather as +
sort of object lesson to Others on the
border. and so he was fined $50, and was
given 10 days additional in Jail.
"Shall you pay the fine, Mr.. McNar-
lin?" was asked after he received his
sentence, and the farmer from tbs border
smiled grimly and replied "l've got to-
His case illustrates the great difficulty
the deputies experience in enforcing the
laws against smuggling. With the hor
der" but few rods off, and with the
temptation strong to get goods "over th'
line" it is almost impossible TO enforce
the payment orduties. Near the Villages
it may be done, but along the lint
stretching Tor SO many miles Target,
through very sparsely settled country i
is almost, if not quite, impossible to de
SO. The officers are rrying their best
and some other citizens may follow Nc
Marlin to Portland.