Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-06-10
TRICKED AN OFFICER
HOW A YANKEE OUTWlTTED A SUP
PREssoR OF SMUGGLING.

A Convenient Snowdrift, q Runaway Horse
and Cool Nerve Did the Trick-An-
ways to the Swift.
The boundary line between the United
States and Canada has been the scene Of
no end Of exciting adventures, because
the desire to cheat our Uncle Samuel
out of his lawful tariff dues is some
thing that seems to be deeply rooted III
the human breast. There are professional
smugglers, but the larger per cent, I
imagine, are those who, being on the
Canadian side ct the line and finding
goods very cheap, cannot resist the temp
tation to try to get them across.
Between Maine and the British DOS
sessions is an enormously long stretch of
boundary line, and patrolling it is en-
tircly cut of the question, but still, with
all their slips the customs officers do oc-
casionally get hold of clew and run it
to the ground-sometimes with results
that are not SO pleasant. This was the
case with the officer whose story am
about to tell. At just what part of I'm
Gle Sans farm line it occurred need not
be told. The story starts upon the Ca
madam side at a secluded spot in the
woods, where man, horse sled with
an enormously big box upon it, good
horse and trunk filed with valuable
articles make break for the American
side CT the line. In some way an officer
has got wind of the attempted snug
CLING, and with a still better horse he
starts at full speed after the mysterious
trunk and the driver Of the horse sled.
1t was not until some distance across
the line upon the American side that the
driver Of the horse sled discovered that
he was pursued.
Far back on a distant hill he saw a
team coming at full speed, and knew
its meaning. He got up steam On his
own craft Immediately, and the old sled
slid into and out of "thank ye marms'
in way to make ones hair rise, but
the driver knew very well that he could
not escape being overtaken. He only de-
sired to get over the next hilltop and
out of sight for a moment. When over
the brow Of the hill, he suddenly pulled
up, took the trunk up in his arms
climbed on top of the enormous box on
the sled, and holding the trunk as high
as he could over the side dropped it in
to big snowdrift, where it sank COM
pletely out Of sight. Then the race be-
gan again.
Back at the summit Of the last hill
appeared the customs officer in hot pur-
suit, and now he yelled to the man
ahead to stop, but that individual ap-
peared singalarly deaf and in q great
hurry as we'll He kept his horse at top
speed, and looked neither to the right
nor left.
A half mile more and the officer had
drawn up close behind, when pretense
Of not hearing his profane calls could
no longer be made. The driver of the
sled gazed backward over his shoulder,
and then, i'll apparently great surprise,
he pulled up-so suddenly that the Off
GERS fcaming horse nearly plunged
head foremost into the big box.
Wha-wha-what d 'ye want?" drawled
the man ahead.
The reply CT the officer is totally I'M
suited for publication. 81 sw ar to ye,
hain't get thing here" said the
driver of the horse sled.
''Then I should like to know what in
hades you were trying to get away from
me for" said the officer.
"Git away from ye?'' said the other.
"W'y, gosh mighty! I got ter git home
n milk eight caows afore dark, SO I
hain't got no time ter be a-loafin on the
road
"Well, you just haul up, replied the
collector Of Uncle Sans duties, 'tand
I'll have look I know we'll enough
just what you've got there
'sTell ye I hain't got a thing here but
this old sled II box protested the 9th
er; but the more he protested tie more
certain became his pursuer that he had
contraband goods concealed i'll the big
box, the only opening to which was a
little door at the end, the normal use of
the box being for the conveyance Of live
pigs.
The two teams came to standstill,
and the officer got out and investigated
the turnout ahead. He opened the little
door in the rear and looked in. With his
eyes blinded by the glare of the bright
snow, he could SEQ nothing but Stygian
blacl1ness. He looked about for pole OF
stick with which to probe the inky in
terror. Stone walls were beside the road
and nothing else.
The suppresscr Of smuggling was a
man of action. There was nothing else
to do, SO he would crawl in the box and
explore the interior. He did SO, when,
quick as flash, the door flew to, the
button turned, and the horse in front OF
the old sled broke into run that threat
ened demolition to the whole outfit.
Over the uneven read went the team at
the top Of it's speed, the sled swaying
fearfully and jumping into the air at ev-
cry leap Of the horse. The man inside
was shaken about like peas i'll a bladder,
the man outside all the while plying the
whip and shouting: "Whoar' Quit
your running awayp' eli, tharP'
"Stopp" and various other remarks tend
ing to acquaint the unfortunate gentle
man inside with the fact that the horse,
suddenly becoming startled, had run
AWAY.
The end came when the driver at last
got his horse under control and a sorry
looking object crawled out Of the little
door.
"Gosh mighty" said the driver OF
the horse sled, sit wuz tew bad the boss
should take it intew his head to run
away jest " en- you wuz i'll tharP'
But the mitsion OF the law was toe
chagrined for utterance, AID he limped
slowly back O. mile to where his team
was standing. That night the trunk
was lifted from it's bed of snow by the
light Of the moon and carried safely
away. Journal
lne Unerokees' Plant.
eff the United States government