The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1899-01-24
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: A SMUGGLEA'S LAST TRIP. :
The Turning Point fcr'a Young Nan
on the Border.
ssoooao9G ssee aseeoc0S Sa30'

IN TIE smoking compartment Of
4 Montreal sleeper bound for New
York one night were half dozen men
politics, the service of the
road, and the possible annexation Of
Canada. sthe train ran across the line
into the United States one of the men
looked cut OF the window with the in
terest of man seeking familiar scenes
There was just light enough for him
to see that the long diteh-marlSed 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 %
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
% years old / spent much Of my time
in smuggling whisky, brandy and al
cohol 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 rot locked upon as respecta-
bic. My father was engaged in the
same business before me, and several
of our neighbors, 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
TIE 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 a good thing.
Didn't the customs officers interfere?
Well, some of them Gid conscientiously
when they got chance, and there were
plenty of them all along this line who
only made a bluff of interfering that de-
ceived no one except the government
1 knew one officer who was in the bust
ness himself. As young man | thought
that smuggling was all right, and it
never occurred TO me that was thief.
haven't done any of it since. Coming
through this region has brought back
some of the old experiences. Therewere
then, and 1 have heard that there ere
now. many stores built along the line.
so that oGe-half should be in Car.1da 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
hcd TO watch these stores closely or
lose their jobs,
Il worked q better scheme than that
When 1 was 16 years old my father
whose farm was in the neighborhood
gave ne fast mare. She was very fast
fer those days, though she wouldn't b,
worth tal.ing about now. 1 built ;
light two-whecled gig for her, and
detied every officer along the line t.
catch me. They all knew that 1 wa
smuggling, but none of them could sc
the proof. My method was simple.
would leave home about dusk in my gil
and drive leisurely across the line TO
little stone hotel, where 1 received rl
liquor. The place was known TO be
depot for smugglers, and suspicion wa
- always directed toward any man VIII
frequented it. The proprietor was
Trench-Canadran and as shifty as a
z Indian. On the ground floor of hi
] house was 4 dingy dining-room an
I opening into it a very respectable bal
I room for Lower Canada. The bar /
q self was of mahogany, and back of
stood an imposing array of ale key
The proprietor's name was Dumas, an
his Imagination was as fertile as tia
of his illustrious namesal1e. 1t please
e him to fool the customs officers, and b
e did it in many different ways. DumH
kept the liquors in long, oval-shape
kegs in his cellar. There was no rcaso
why he shouldn't have rs big a stcc
on hand as he chose. and whenever il
quisitive customs officers came over III
line in spying expeditions Dumas W.
ready TO take them into his cellar an
exhibit his stock. Not until five year
- after had left the smuggling cuisines
, did the officers discover that one bi
cask in Dumas cellar was simply
q blind that concealed the entrance to
d tunnel that ran to the barn 80 or 40 fee
- back from the house.
THAT was the keynote of the SNUG
Cling scheme. Time and again l hay
n sat in Dumas barroom drinking a.
Il with fellows whom l knew to be spo
tiers sent to keep tab on me, while d.
mas man, Madore, has softly rolled n
s l1eg of liquor through the tunnel an
into the barn. My gig was fitted u
with three heavy straps, so arrange
that key could be held by them clos
up under the scat. by slipping tt
straps clear TO one side l could cast
drop the key if 1 were closely presse'
= When everything had been arrange
Nadore would come into the barrco'
whist,ing. That was my cue to ord
any horse hitchedl up. When that Wi
done would saunter out to the bar
get into my gig and drive out b. a haS
= road. Once started knew that 60 Gu
4 toms officer could catch me. The Gu
| toms spoilers who knew that Dum'
@ kept his liquors in his cellar, and WI
had watched NE all the time and h;
seen nothing taken from the celia
concluded that had been buffed on
Time and again 1 worked that gan
ard many q long Clark ride | had taxi
to land my stuff safely. If the office
decided to guard certain road l b;
- ] II ,>fT