Evening journal., 1899-01-16
SMUGGLING BY INDIANS
Those OF North Dakota Are Unable to
Understand an international
boundary Line.

The Indians in the northwest can
not understand the matter of the in
ternational boundary line. aud can
not see why it is that there is 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 constant traffic
across the line and never 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 abun-
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 Il. A bunch of
some 400 fine steers turned up the
other day a couple Of miles west Of
here, and just south Of the line. II
was easy enough to sec that they had
not been in this country long; in fact,
the tracks of the herd we're fresh from
the north, and the buyer, to whom
they had been brought under a 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
fringement, 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 few miles
away and in a big bunch of timber
Another entire day was spent in pala-
ycr, the townspeople and customs Off
GERS coming out TO see the fun and
make comments on the buyer. Final
ly the cattle were driven back to Can.
ada and there bought before they
could be again smuggled over the line
Along the line there is every chance
for the smuggler. The Canadian Pa
cifc, running parallel with the line
and within easy distance of it, foI
1000 miles on one side, and the Great
Northern, occupying a similar posi-
tion on the other, afford every facility
for the rapid and quiet distributor Of
goods that ought to contribute 10 he
treasury of one nation or the other
but do not. From opium and China
men, the most lucrative smugglet
goods, to tobacco and Canadian
whisky, the traffic goes steadily on
metimes in one way and sometimes
in another. When the inspectors ruI
down the cattle that are driven acros:
and paid for, but in whose nostrils ar,
tinfoil tubes filed with opium, som,
other method is taken for getting th'
stuff across, aside from that always il
use, the simple walk across the bleal
prairie with a load of contraban,
goods. 1t is simply impossible that thl
entire border should lie guarded. an'
there are, as a matter Of fact, hun
dreds of miles without an inspector
Chicago Inter Ocean.