The Florence daily tribune., 1898-11-11
ceeseeeoseseoeseeooooeesss
(: A SMUGGLE,t' s LAST TRIP. :
Z The Turning Point for Young Man !
9 on the Border.
ssossooeooooeooooeeseeo
IN TIE smoking corpartment OF

i Montreal sleeper pound Tor Ne"
York one night were half dozen men
discussing politics, the service of the
road, and the possible annexation OF
Canadh. As the train ran across the line
into the United States one of the men
looked out of the window with the in
terest of a man seeking familiar scenes
There was just light enough for him
to see that the long gditeh-marked farms
of Canada, with their stone houses, had
been left behind, and that the less pic
turesque farms of the states stretched
out from the track. Settling himself
back in his seat and including the ether
smokers in his audience, he said:
This country hasn't changed in 25
years, except for the introduction of
this railroad. Twas born in this neigh
borhood, and although it sounds like a
queer admission, up to the time l was
22 years old | spent much OF my time
in smuggling whisky, brandy and al
.ohol across the line. For various rea-
sons there isn't much Of this sort of
thing done now. Probably the chief
reason is that it doesn't pay, and then
again, it is not looked upon as respecta-
bic. My father was engaged in the
same business before me, and several
of our eighbors, good churchmen, were
in it up to their eyes, and it is not
strange that my conscience did not be-
gin to work on this subject until one OF
the respected citizens of a nearby town
was convicted and sent TO prison for
smuggling. The government made an
example of him, and although all of
his acquaintances regretted it at the
time, it has proved good thing.
Didn't the customs officers interfere?
Well, some of them did conscientiousiy
when they got chance, and there were
plenty of them all along this line who
only made bluff of interfering that de-
ceived no one except the government.
| knew one officer who was in the busi-
ness himself. AS d young man tho ugfit
that smuggling was all right, and 1t
never occurred 10 me that was thief.
| haven't done any of it since. Coming
through this region has brought back
some of the old experiences. Therewere
hen, and | have heard that there are
now, many stores built along the line,
so that one-hnlf should be in Carada and
the other in New York state. This made
it easy to smugg.e in small articles, but
at the same time the customs officers
had TO watch these stores closely or
lose their jobs,
81 worked n better scheme than that
When / was 16 years old my father.
whose farm was in the neighborhood,
gave me fast mare. She WIS very fast
for those days, though she wouldn't be
worth talking about now. l built a
light two-wheeled gig for her, and !
! defied every officer along the line to
catch me. They all knew that ] was
smuggling, but none of them could get
the proof. My method was simple. l
would leave home about dusk in my gig
and drive leisurely across the line to a
little stone hotel, where received my
liquor The place was known to he a
: depot for smugglers, and suspicion was
always directed toward any man who
frequented it. The proprietor was a
French-CanadSan and as shifty as an
Indian. On the ground floor of his
house was a dingy dining-room and
opening into is very respectable bar
room for Lower Canada. The bar it
self was of mahogany, and back of it
stood an imposing array of ale kegs.
The proprietor's name was Dumas, aud
his imagination was as fertile as that
of his illustrious namesalke. 1t pleased
him to fool the customs officers, and he
, did it in many different ways. Dumas
kept the liquors in long, oval-shapsd
kegs in his cellar. There was no reason
why he shouldn't have as big a stock
on hand as he chose, and whenever in
/ ,l,a
line in spying expeditions Dumas was
ready to take them into his cellar and
exhibit his stock. Not until five years
after l had left the smuggling business
did the officers discover that one big
cnsk in Dumas cellar was simply n
blind that concealed the entrance to "a
tunnel that ran to the barn 80 or 40 feet
back from the house.
THAT was the keynote of the SNUG
Cling scheme. Time and again have
sat in Dumas barroom drinking ale
with fellows whom knew to be spot
tiers sent to keep tab on me, while Du'
mas man. Madore, has softly rolled my
keg of liquor through the tunnel and
into the barn. My gig was fitted uT
with three heavy straps, so ranged
that keg could be held by them clos,
> up under the seat. BY slipping the
, straps clear 10 one side could easily
drop the leg if were closely pressed
When everything had been arranget
. Madore would come into the barroou
, whistling. That was my cue to ordei
my horse hitchcdl up. When that was
: done / would saunter out to the barn
get into my gig and drive ont by a lacl
road. Once started knew that no Gus
toms officer could catch me. The Gus
: toms spoilers who knew that Duma'
kept his liquors in his cellar, and wh'
!, had watched me all the time and has
! seen nothing taken from the cell
G concluded that l had been b,mffed ou
i u