The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-07


on board, for when not watching ana
searching the ship he was bounding ana
threatening out friend and agent. the
poor doctor on shore. till that man was
taken seriously ill with nervous prostra-
ton During this time the commandante's
never seemed 10 sleep. On the fifth day
ne reduced his guard on the ship to two
men, but all night himself and an armed
crew circled the ship
We determined to land the goods the
following night if he repeated these tao
tlcs our plan was to offer large enough
brlbe to the two celedores which he left
on board to watch to satisfy their widest
dreams OF avarice. If this would not
tempt them we had made ARRANGEMENTS
to have them thrown overheard by some
of our West Indian crew coming upon
them in the dark Being good swimmers
unless intercepted by sharks, a remote
possibility as a shark must be starving
when he deigns to sample a niger they
could reach the shore about one mile dis
tant, but before they could give an alarm
on arrival there We would have the goods
off the ship. While this was being done
we We're 10 lower one of the ships boats
and pull off from the ship 10 decoy the
cOmmandante away from the ship. If
hailed by the commandante in his boat
ours was to keep on down the lake for an
hour or so, knowing that he would follow.
In case he opened fire We would have an
armOr-plate in the stern to protect the
crew,
The taking from the ship of contraband
to the landing places on the shore of Lake
Maracaibo is done by trusted pure-blooded
native Indians in dug-out canoes, some of
which are twenty-five feet long. They
land it al their villages on the shore of the
lake and bring il in in saddle packs on
donkeys to the stores in the city a little
"a
arrange a plan of action with the Indians.
He was down with nervous prostration.
His wife, though of a broWnish tint, had
a white heart and a stout one She boldly
stepped into the breach She knew, too,
what 20 do and how to do il. We told her
what lights would be shown on the steam
ship when all was clear and babe her
good-day as she started off for the Indian
village to make arrangements for the
night astride a very delapidated mule and
putting big cigar.
Midnight came. We were all ready.
The engineer had cut q plate of sheet iron
to fit the stern of the boat during the
day Ten 500 gold pieces to each of the
two celedores left to watch us on board
brought them to terms once in a While
we could see the commentaries boat cir
cling the ship We lowered our boat from
the davits, brought her to the gangway,
made noise to attract the commendante' s
attention, as if putting goods in her, and
after about twenty minutes pushed off
from the side l came in the boat myself
with a picked creW-a crew that could
pull and give the commandante a good
chase. I knew he was sure to follow us.
eve had not pulled more than a ships
length when l recognized the cOmman-
dante's voice on our beam, hailing: Queen
Vivo! Queen Vivol Queen VivoH
sheered off, bringing my stern to the COM
mandante, so that in case he opened fire
the armor plate made by the engineer
would protect us. He demanded us TO
stop. or he would fire. We neither stop
ped nor answered., but now headed down
the lake 'Fuegor FireD We heard the
orders and Immediately Winchester bull
lets whisted by us, cut up the water close
to our boat one striking our armor plate
in the stern, which made 1t ring.
Looking back 1 saw the signal
made on the steamer which
would bring the Indians alongside, and
knew that the engineer was doing his part
Now, if the commandante would only fol
low me for one hour. all would be safe. If
he followed me for an hour it would take
him another to get back These two hours
would give the engineer more than ample
time to load our cOntraband on the Indians
canoes. and have them well on their way
toward their rendezvous. Down the lake
IL
his soldiers firing as they came. To lead
him on al times when We opened our dis
lance too far | would slow down till he
came close, and then keep on again. In
inst an hour and five minutes from the
lime [ left the ship ! saw, on looking back
the signal lights on the steamer, when
told that the engineer had completed his
end Of the Job and that the last cartridge
had left the side. / now waited for the
comrnandante to come within speaking dis
lance to ask who he was and what ne
wanted. although l well knew. This
was done preparatory TO surrendering, so
that he would stop firing ana l could dis
pense with my armor plate ana throw II
overheard before he came alongside This
ali done. the commandante, with a Ian
fern looked in our boat and swore at find
ing no contraband. He was furious. lie
sygore he would take the American pigs
Of contrabandistos (smugglers) ashore,
have us shot in the morning or sent to
san Carlos the place where IRE prisoners
are sent in Venezuela.
"Having told him that we were Ameri-
cans and not subjects of his country, it
would be a very serious thing for him TO
arrest us and might cost him his official
head lust then one of his men called his
attention to the strange lights on our
steamer. now six miles away Ihose were
the lights which told me our work was
cpmnletpd. Inc cotluldliddHb' lpoiASA t'iiN
In y moment OWNED their import with
a terrible oath, Kissed rather than spok-
on M me. he said: You have decoyed me
ont here while your men are getting the
contraband ashore. You have bribed the
two celedores ! left to watch you They
shall not live another day TO enjoy the
pold YOU gave them. l will yet capture
that contraband He swung around his
boat. still swearing, and put back toward
the civ to try and intercept the contra
hand then on its way ashore, leaving us
to ourselves. -,.-.-.
ale never got any Of that shipment OF
contraband. The Indians and the doctor 8
wife did their work TOO well for that me
two ccledores? | never saw or heard OF
them afterward. Did the communicate
revenge his disappointment on them?
could never lind out
~ learned afterward that the Indians
were afraid and that the doctors wife
mad herself I'D them in the undertaking:
pluclfv woman she was, and she cheered
her husband with the news of her success
as a contrabandlsta."
4 crusade against profanity has been
begun in Albany. n Y. AT largely at
H. =