The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-06
N FRENCH AMERICA
St.Pierre and MiqueIon, South
of Newfoundland.
PARADISE OF SMUGGLERS
Everybody Stands in and Law
is a Dead Letter.


ca ST. Pierre and Miquelon. little sands
the largest of which is not more than
three by five miles. long ago ceded to the
French by the British, are so completely
different from the rts of the world as
II they were in Mars. To this sntiauated
unknown, Isolated haven the most utter
anchorite or abandoned criminal might
resort with positive certainty OF being as
completely cut off from modern existence
as II buried in a sepulchre. The agents
OF foreign governments are not tolerated
in st. ierre-the capitol and only town
OF the iSland-nOne of the great liners
ca1 there, and except for fishing-scn 1on-
ers, there may be said TO be no traffic be-
tween this and other ports. That does
not imply, however, Their is no traffic at
ST. Pierre; but her peculiar traffic is Of
the kind that shuns known harbors,
sneaks into hidden coves of the New
England, Canadian and Newfoundland
coasts, and there, under cover Of dark
ness, deposits cargo in such strange
places as graveyards. church vaults, and
stable lofts. Nominally, st. Pierre is
the radiating point for the French fish
ing feet that yearly cmes ut 10000 strong
to ply for cod on the Grand Banks IN
til October; in reality St Pierre is the
nesting place for the most arrant SNUG
glers on the face Of the earth.
Four days from New York via Halifax
or few hours run from some of the
southern harbors Of Newfoundland-if
one be lucky enough to get passage in a
chance schooner crossing from BURN
the three islands, st. Pierre. furthest
north Great Miquelon and Little Mique-
Ion or Langdale. are picturesque enough
to be an artists paradise. The rocky
shore rises sheer out of the sea. naked
and frowning, from six hundred to a
thousand feet. There is no sign of life,
as approaching boats almost Craze the
iron wall, till the PROV pokes round some
rocky elbow. a narrow vista between
beetling orags appears, and beyond is a
forest of motionless masts. A grizzled
French piolet with brass earrings. clam
bers up the side of the visiting steamer
and guides her into mid-harbor. where.
in addition to three-masted and two
masted sehooners. to briggs and barks to
skiffs and dories. and fishing smacks OF
every sort and size, may be seen French
men-of-war sent out to enforce French
claims on the Treaty Shore
The twon nestIes on a scooped-out sau-
Ger of land on the steep hillside. The
houses Of the quaint narrow streets are
close-built, often whitewashed inside and
out low-raftered and always gay with
boxes of flowers along each window-s-ll
From the street one may catch gIimpses
Of high old-fashioned eanopied beds
against inner walls. Everywhere are
lght-hearted Breton. Basque and Nor
man girls, pattering about in wooden
shoes. washing clothes at the banks of
some stream, or carrying baskets Of fish
on their heads. Faggot-gatherers toll up
narrow steep paths to their match box
cottages. while the Basque peasants OK
cart creaks in mtd-road, keeping time
with the monotonous acknowledgements
done" of the man Flooding behind. A
French gendarme, distneded with pom
pous Importance and gorgeous in costume
of red, blue and gold. struts about keep
ing order among the blue-bloused sailors
who SLOUGH in and out of the numerous
rum shops. Convent, monastery and ca
thedral stand out prominently from the
crucifled and theonoomr2 show y. N n
croucifixes and statues of the Virgin may
be seen in every part of the town. from
the great cross standing on the bluff 10
the image in some niche lighted by street
lanterns.
What are known in other parts Of the
world as modern conveniences are IN
known in St Pierre. Instead OF a fire
department. st. Pierre old-fashioned cur
few; and her curfew IS the rub-a-dub OF
a drum nightly beaten by the twon-crier
for all lights out at 10 p. m. The Ameri-
can headquarters Of the French Gable
Company are indeed. the only reminder
of modern progress to be found in ST.
Pierre. When a thousand vessels Of the
Grand Banks fleet from France invades
the little harbor fishermen. speaking
strange jargon and careless Of their con-
duct. fill the town TO overlooking. it re-
quires all the pomp Of the law in the
gendarme's person. as well as the author
ity Of the silent bleck-robed priests. 70
maintain the peace. Without the Bank
fleet. ST. Pierre numbers a population OF
only some five thousand. Nevertheless.
merchants retire 10 France with for
tune Of many million francs. accumulat-
ed within few years; and the ress9a for
this IS the strange traffic which 81. Pierre
plies
Boats have been known 20 pass out of
St Pierre with tw masts SWING ard
white sails flying. Passing SINE point on
the south shore of Newfoundland. the
same boat might display three uasts and
yellow sails. while Up the Glf e 81.
Lawrence only two nfasts might he Wis
ibie and the sails black Should such
chameleon change Of complexion excite
the curiosity Of soma revenue I'll ser. he
search that schooner from stem 70 stern
without finding anything but = few
hundred Cuintais 81 cod. and Z { did
not prove unplsasaatly inquisitlve With
the skipper. there might possibly - a
complimentary flask q liquor LEFT ~ his
door BIZ an unknown hand that saue
night. The revenue oficsr, however, who
knows the tricks az s. Pierre craft. pres
into fasie bulk-heaas hsh-caSks - ihe
hun ard salt barrels lying prornisc5oa
about the deck: and &c = usually re-
werded By finding stsR which costs
dollar gallon II -. Piers ana which. T.
ju6lciously doctoref with raia-Natsr and .
coIorfng-druRs may be iueresseJ = q 4
way that S miraculous and s9i3 ~ f78T .
dollars 3 gallon 70 the Inhabitants . .
Quebec q ;he ashsrmsa 81 SeTfou-iI- 4
lara Discovery eventually snss - epa-
ascation q ths schooner. Ehlsh = sod 4
by auction ard bought for song By 4
some secret aEen; - tas sane sElrEzieTs'
ring
In NeEf5unaians y IS rot faalrleus -