Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1896-04-24
sklPPeas EXPERT sMueeLnRs
Masters of Vessels Who Eyadc the Cue
toms Laws Persistently,


Masters of Vessels Who Evadc the Cue
toms Laws Persistently.
Sitting In the Office of ship chandlety
establishment in South street O few
days agoaquartette of old-time deepsct
shippers were talking over the good old
days of so shillings for wheat and
similar conditions, when the converse
ton turned to the case Of a captain wht
was recently arrested for smuggling
The conversation soon led to some in
teresting confessions.
"Bill," said one grizzled mariner who
for 20 years had sailed the seas on long
voyages in Maine clippers, do you re-
member that big black spar l carried on
deck in the -, so many years ago."
"Oh, yes" replied the man addressed
swell, sir, l carried that spar there
for eight years, and in that time sup
pose l brought $4,000 worth of stuff
in that spar into New York. When |
first got it had my carpenter hollowi il
out, with cleverly arranged openings
at either end. For years brought in
wines and laces in that old spar and no
custom house man ever thought Of look.
ing at it,"
THAT reminds me of a trick Patten
played for years in the -" said an.
other of the group. HE was in the
East Indias trade most of the time, and
every time he came into Nesv York he
brought thousands of Manila cigars,
to say nothing of many nice things for
the ladies in the way of jewelry.
"How did he do it?" asked one.
swell, he used his carpenter. He had
an upright piano in his after cabin, and
he took the underpinning away and
substituted four big, hollow legs. These
were, of course, quite noticeable, but
he had them screwed to the floor, and he
always explained to the custom house
men that he had good strong legs put
under the piano in order to hold it Sc
cure in heavy weather"
An old Cape Cod man now added a
contribution. 81 do not mind saying
boys" said he, shat my wife used to be o
good deal of smuggler For some
time / was running back and forth
across the Atlantic, touching on the
other side at Havre, Antwerp, Liver.
pool and such places. My wife had o
steawardess who had been with the
ship for some years. just before we
got into port my wife would put about
three dresses on her and couple oil
cloaks. The woman was clever, and
she would keep close around the foc'sle
and slip ashore with some of the men in
boat before we would dock. Then my
wife would meet her the next day on
shore somewhere, at some place they
had agreed on, and would give her some.
thing for her trouble. 1t worked frs,
rate until one day when the woman
went ashore and disappeared. My
wife went to the rendezvous as usual,
but the woman didn't appear. We
never saw her afterward. That was
my wife's last attempt"
II remember seeing q woman do q
rather neat thing good many years
ago." said the first speaker. ut was
Williams wife who went in the - fol-
so many years. The custom house men
found several hundred more cigars
than the law allowed, done up in boxes
intended for the owners. The custom
house men were sour fellows and
thought they had the captain in little
trouble. But Williams wife, little
woman, who had gone with her hus
band on the voyage to regain her health
stepped forward and said: Those
cigars are for my use, gentlemen Well
perhaps those fellows weren't surprised
,, Finally one of them said: Would yol
mind smoking one of them?' The lit
tie woman took one of the cigars ant
| lighted it. Her husband looked on
|, more surprised than the custom hous'
men, but his wife stuck to her worl
and finished the cigar. That settled he
claim on them. AS soon as the custom
| house fellows left the ship she ran t.
her bed. She stayed there for three
dave NJ " uaroId