The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1898-10-15
SMUGGLING BY l
Fhose of North Dakota Are UnatLe to
Understand an international
Boundary Line.

The Indians in the northwest can
not understand the matter of the in
ternational boundary line, and cam
not see why it is that there is a duty
to pay when they carry goods across
it. But they have been caught so
many times by the customs officers
that they have grown wary and are
now among the most expert of snug
glers. They carry On a constant traffic
across the line and v pay duty,
to Uncle Sam or to Canada.
Indians up in the Canadian north
west, on the other side of the line, are
great cattlemen. Settlers are few, and
grass land is plenty, with an album
dance of water, and the cattle thrive.
The best market for the cattle is on
this side of the line, here or at points
on the Montana boundary. Cattlemen
on this side would rather buy these
fat cattle on the northern side at the
Canadian prices and drive them across
to the Great Northern road, paying
the duty. The Indians, though ig-
norant of many things, are surpris-
ingly well informed on prices of stock,
and are not willing to sell north of
the line for less than they could get
half a mile south of it. \ bunch of
some 400 fine steers turned up the
other day a couple of miles west of
here, and just south of the line. 1t
was easy enough to see that they had
not been in this country long; in fact,
the tracks of the herd were fresh from
the north, and the buyer, to whom
they had been brought under 4 con-
tract made the season before, after
long palaver, was Immediately spot
ted by the customs officers and was
in dread of arrest and the loss of the
entire herd. He eXpostulated with
the Indians, and attempted to explain
to them the nature of the customs
laws and the penalties for their in
fringemcnt, but all to no purpose.
They knew the cattle were worth so
much on one side and so many dollars
more on the other, and that was all
there was to it. Finally he did prevail
on them to send the herd back. The
next morning the cattle were on this
side of the line again, but 4 few miles
away and in n big bunch OF timber.
Another entire day was spent in pala-
yer, the +ownspcOple and customs Off
GERS coming out to see the fun and
make comments on the buyer. Final
ly the cattle were driven back to Cam
ada and there bought before they
could la n,rnip Srnrrrnnai Ar,r III, linz
Along the lire there is every chance
for the smuggler. The Canadian Pa
cific, running parallel with :hc line
and within casy distance of it. for
1000 miles on one side, and the Great
Northern, occupying a similar posi-
ton on the other, afford every facility
for the rapid and quiet distribution of
goods that ought to contribute to the
treasury of one nation or the other,
but do o From opium and China
men, the most lucrative smuggled
goods, to tobacco and Canadian
whisky, the traffic goes steadily on,
sometimes in one way and sometimes
in another. When the inspectors run
down the cattle that are driven across
and paid for, but in whose nostrils are
tubes filled with opium, some
other method is taken for getting the
across, aside from that alwaysin
use, the simple walk across the bleak
prairie with a load of contraband
goods. 1t is simply impossible that the
border should be guarded. and
there are, as Il matter of fact, hun
dreds of miles without an Inspector
Chicago Inter Ocean.