The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-07
SMUGGLER'S SCHEME.
aow PETTY OFFICIAL WAS CIR
CUMVENTED.

n
ar Bribe and Got NOne-StuR Con-
a.,Ied in the Coal-A Night Pur-
uit-saVed by a Doctors Wife.
,r, New York Commercial Advertiser.
rrt was in 1894. was mate of a steam
INNING between New York and ports
u the west Indies and Venezuela. There
az % revolution in Colombia at the time
.4+b IFS headquarters at Cucuta. Goods
,.r,ire from the outside word to Cucuta
~. landed at Maracaibo, Venezuela, a
.,r- AZ which we called, thence by small
.sru-wheel steamers through Lake Mara
.,ibo and the Catatumbo river to San
pnaraventura and Villarnizar and thence
nv rnuleback to Cucuta and other ada
,or+ towns across the border in Colombia
SMUGGLING arms and ammunition into
venezuela and Colombia is a very profit
able business, especially so when a revo-
m+ion is on. AS a money-maker it beats
MILLER all hollow, as the profit is about 800
rer cent Making a trip a month and
mruing your money over each trip would
he 36.0 per cent. year. But it is a risky
business and a mate of a steamer is
rather handicapped when he engages in
First he has to watch against discov-
| cry by the owners of the ship, who are
| opn0s,d to it, as their ship is liable to
can fscatiOn or fine if caught, and their
AGENTS and minions around the dock
where you take on cargo; next are the
consuls from these countries at this port
who keep a staff of detectives watching
YOU all the time you are in port and fin
-,f-- of tbpSa Tt of
their ports when you arrive there. How
ever. with a judicious investment of a
norton of the $500 per cent. profits a good
many Of these obstacles can be overcome,
ana were by me for time.
THE government of Venezuela prohibits
me importation of arms and ammunition
unless under a very severe supervision and
then only in limited quantity and by pay
ing duty of 81 per kilo, which would be
about $50 per 900 for a 3S-calibre cartridge
The consequence is that cartridges in Ven
tzuela are as good as coin.
Some 100000 cartridges, 300 Winchester
rifles. 800 revolvers, some powder, caps and
two cases of loading tools was the largest
shipment / ever handed at one trip. It
was a close call in landing them We
Name near losing them all. had an engi-
neer officer as 4 partner in the business.
This IS our story: While in Maracaibo the
trim before we had received orders for the
above amount, and began to lay our wires
10 facilitate the landing of it. We placed
the matter before the commandante of the
port a typical mongrel son of Venezuela,
being a mixture of Spanish, German, In
dian and negro. He was proud of the very
slight mixture of German blood in his COM
POSITION for with few drinks aboard he
was wont to strike his breast with pride
and proclaim: 'Yo aqua dulce alemannn
am a sweet water German is the literal
transla ton. He had just received $4,000
from us for a shipment of contraband just
landed. After a good deal of haggling and
the most profuse expressions of affection
for myself and the engineer he agreed to
allow US 10 land the shipment for $500 in
god Next day we sailed for New York,
and figured out nice profit for our under
taking next trip even after paying our
sweet water German his $500.
we had 90 have trustworthy agent on
shore who knew all the reliable merchants
those who would pay and not WEIGH after
they had received the goods-who collect
ed our bills, took orders and attended to
all things on the shore end of our business
in Maracaibo He was an American doc
tor-n0w dead poor fellow-married to
native of the brunette type.
The day after we had sailed from Ma
racaibo the commandante came to the doc
tor and demanded LOGO instead Of the $500
ing as an excuse for raising the ante that
the commandate del quartet or military
commander on shore had obtained knoVl-
edge of what we were about TO do, and
wanted another $500 for his permission
The doctor told our sweetwater
friend that he had no power or authority
In the matter and that he would have 10
await our return from New York. The
doator wrote me to Curacao, a port con-
nected with Maracaibo, by a weekly mail
service and a port of call for us on our
way South. In the meantime we had ar
rived in New York got our contraband
safely on board, sailed again and arrived
at Curacao, where the doctors letter
awaited us with the news of the COM
mandates new demands. He thought he
had US where he could levy stiff back
mall and if we refused to pay his price
be would seize the goods and we would lose
all. We held a council of war Many
and fervent were the blessings piled on
the head of the sweet-Water German we
trst thought of landing the goods in Gu
racao and letting them stay there till the
following trip, rather than pay the com
mandante's blackmail; but stunS by ms
Ueachory and a certain recklessness, We
decided to take the goods to Maracaibo
DENY 10 him on our arrival there that we
Aad amy on board, and then, if opportunity
should Offer get it on shore without pay
|ha'ever-a hazardous thing to do
Leaving Curacao at 2 p. IN. we promt-
} began our preparations TO beat The
commandate. We mustered the few faith
lui men in our confidence on board, placed
Aaii of them in each coal bunker to dig
hole in the center of each in which we
could hide the goods. This was slow and
als "uraging work
'At 10 a. m. the following morning we
arrived in Maracaibo. Our Agnadulce com
mIndante was the first on board. 1t was
my duty to receive him at the gangway
II" embraced me more effusively than
ever How was my honor. his most es-
Itrmed frend?' and so on, and in whis-
per So the other officials would not hear,
Hid | the contra band?' No Great
ht,1Yons, how he changed. He turned liv-
~ ds face was a study. First surprise
N'u despair and a quick CLEAN of hate
"m his hybrid eyes struck me. followed
y! the knitting of the eyebrows in deter
HA'3uon to foil me if ] attempted TO do
"'I' To understand how he fell, you
I' realize what that one word, No
i'anl to him. He was certain he had
$1,000 in his pocket; SO certain that
. ili made all ARRANGEMENTS he mar