River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-09-23
OPIUM STRUGGLED ON BICYCLES
New Trek said to he Prncticed on
iha. Ernntier In Nnrth Ia L.nIn

A New Trek said to lie Prncticed or
the Frontier in North Dakota
The smuggling of opium and small
and valuable articles has been carried
en- across the international line near
here for many years, and large sum-
h@ye been made in the operation. OF
late years the United States officials
have been So careful that the business
has greatly languished. From reports
along the line il is now evident, how
ever, that a new scheme for defrauding
the government has been put into pTac-
tice. 1t requires the aid of the bicycle
in its execution. The frame tubing of
a wheel is found by smugglers to be
most convenient hiding place for small
articles. 1t is very simple matter to
remove the seat post, stop the lower
end of the big central tube " tn a cork
/ to which is attached long string, and
4 fill the space from cork TO seat with
opium or other yaluables. This space
will hold several pounds, and the ma
/ chine can be ridden across the line from
/ town to town in few hours. and the
/ profits secured. There is said to be
regular line for this sort of trade be-
/ tween Crystal City, town on the line
/ of the Canadian Pacific road. and Wood
! bridge and Hannah, along The northern
/ edge of this county. The receipts OF
1 opium in the county are said 10 amount
/ to several hundred pounds month.
Crystal City is the home of Premier
Greenway, of Manitoba, and has been
the seat of long-continued smuggling
transactions by reason of the fact that
it is the nearest point on the Canadian
Pacific line to North Dakota. The con-
struction of line of railway from
Langdon to Hannah and Woodbridge,
and the employment of hundreds of
men at this time, aid materially in pres
ent smuggling operations.
The last unique smuggling operations
carried on in this section were brought
to a sudden end some four years ago
BY secret service officials. An unusual
" large number of cattle were being
driven across the line to the North Da-
kota markets, and the officers deter
mined TO investigate the matter. For
some time they looked in vain for I'M
lawful operations, but finally an acct
dent revealed the fact that the nostrils
Of the cattle were stuffed with opium
wrapped carefully in tin foil, thus con
sderably more than doubling the value
of each steer in the bunch. Hundreds
of animals had been driven across be
fore the discovery was made, and it was
estimated that some $4,000 had been
made by the transaction. The origin
utors of the fraud got safely away.
The Manitoba government pays very
little attention to the collection of Gus
toms along these exposed boundaries,
and last fan hundreds of farmers living
south of the line. but nearer to the
Canadian Pacific than to any other rail
road. hauled their wheat and oats across
TO Crystal City and nearby markets for
sale to Winnipeg merchants. and did
not have to pay any import duty to the
Canadians either. The government was
generally supposed to know of the
transactions. but the cost of collection
would have left little profit to the in
terror department, and il made business
for Canadian railroads.-N. Y. Sun.