Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-06-13
TRICKED AN OFFICER
HOW A YANKEE oUTwlTTE0 a SUP
PRESSOR OF SMUGGLING.

a Co1vonicnt Snowdrift. = Runaway Horse
sna = Cocl Nerve Did the Trick-An-
other Proof That the Race Ia Not Al
ways 60 the swirl
Tho 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 20 be deeply rooted in
the human breast. There are professional /
Smugglers. but the larger per cent, I !
imagine. are those who, being ON the
Canadian side OF the line and finding !
goods very cheap, cannot resist the temp
tation to try TO get them across.
Between Maine and the British pos
sessions is an enormously long stretch OF
boundary line, and patrolling it is en-
tirely out Of the question, but still, with
all their slips the customs officers do oc-
casionnlly get hold of a clew and run it
90 the 0ruund-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 On
Gle Sam farm line it occurred need not
be told. The story starts upon the Ca
madam side at a secluded spot in the
woods, where a man. = horse sled with
an enormously big box upon it, good
horse and trunk filed with valuable
articles make a break for the American
side eff 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.
It 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 distant hill he saw a
! team coming at full speed, and knew
its meaning. He got up steam ON his
4 own craft Immediately and the old sled
J. slid into and out of thank We marms''
In g way 70 make ones hair rise, but
s 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 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 higl
IS 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
r Back at the summit of the last hill
y appeared the customs officer in hot pur
tt suit, and now he yelled to the maj
T, ahead to stop, but that individual ap
peared singularly deaf and in a grea
hurry as we'll He kept his horse at to-
speed. and looked neither to the RICH
80 nor left.
a A half mile more and the officer ha'
10 drawn up close behind. when pretens
a Of not hearing his profane calls coul
no longer be made The driver Of To
sled gazed backward over his shoulder
and then, in apparently great surprise
at he pulled up-so suddenly that the off
q. GERS foaming horse nearly plunge
on head foremost into the big box
az Iwnsa-wha- hat u ySs w5Iittff ~ tirawie
" the man ahead.
-, The reply Of the officer is totally III
"a suited for publication. II sw'ar to y
I hain't got thing here" said Il
driver of the horse sled
''Then should like to know what
hades you were trying to get away fro
me for, f" said the officer.
"Git away from ye7'' said the othe
"W'y, gosh mighty got ter git hon
N milk eight caows afore dark, so
! hain't got no time ter be a-loahn ON Il
road. -
~ 'tWell, you just haul up, replied Il
hr; collector of Uncle Sans duties, ''al
% % I'll have look. / know we'll enoul
&C. just what you've got there. -
as TELL ye hain't got thing here b
en- this old sled n box" protested the OF
Sc er; but the more he protested the mo
ted certain became his pursuer that he h
her contraband goods concealed in the
md box. the only opening to which was
'nS little door at the end, the normal use
rk. tbo No. ha;,e, fov fine ,onvevance of II
pigs.
The two teams came to q standsti
and the officer got out and investigat
the turnout ahead. He opened the lit
door in the rear and looked in. With
Ia eyes blinded by the glare Of the brie
as snow, he could see nothing but Stygi
80 blaclmess. He looked about for pole
,ct- stick with which to probe the inky
OF terror. Stone walls were beside the rc
{ in and nothing else.
ere The suppressor of smuggling wa
ted man of action. There was nothing G
lers to do, so he would crawl in the box 9
'eo- explore the interior. He did so, VIII
nth quick as a fash, the door few to,
pau button turned, and the horse in front
az the old sled broke into run that thre
~ ened demolition to the whole out
49, Over the uneven road went the team
edi- the top of its speed, the sled sway
fearfully and jumping into the air at
May cry leap of the horse. The man ms
an a was shaken about like peas in bladC
con- the man outside all the while plying
'reo whip and shouting: "WhoaP' &c
10 your running awayI' "Hi, tina
'ne '.Stopr' and various other remarks te
IA ing to acquaint the unfortunate gen
1;no man inside with the fact that the hoi
,een suddenly becoming startled, had
away.
last The end came when the driver at
ace, got his horse under control and sc
nent looking object crawled out of the Ii
nJu- door.
alter Gosh mighty said the drive
ipon the horse sled, sit wuz tew bad the
should take it intew his head to
'naro away jest W en- you wuz in tharP'
hits But the minion of the law was
more chaRrined for utterance, and he linn
o by slowly back a mile to where his IL
ions, was standing. That night the tr
Hot, was lifted from its bed OF snow by
all light OF Il moon and carried sa
10 10 away.-Le vision Journal