Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-07-17
The Daily Short Story
THE sMUooLERs.


got her becalmed."
There was no time to be lost. The
breeze might spring up at any moment
and the best vessel and the crew most
conversant with the coast, handiest in
bad weather and most reckless of con
! sequences, remain free to renew a ca
reer of fraud and violence. So the Off
Ger in command ordered a couple of
I boats to be manned at once and put off
to secure the prize.
But the Lotteries made up their
minds not 10 give up their valuable
cargo and fine craft without struggle
and made all the usual preparations
against boarderS.
AS the attacking boats approached
shots were exchanged. and they were
finally beaten off. Ambrose Bowden.
who pulled the bow oar of one of them.
was killed. Indeed the officer in COM
mand would not have been justified in
persevering with the attack at the risk
of his mems lives, for the object he
had in view, that of suppresslng the
Lottery, could now be attained without
further sacrifice. The crew were still
known, and, though it had been i'm
possible to surprise them in an overt
act of smuggling, it would be a very
different matter now that they had the
brand of Cain upon their foreheads.
So it proved. When the ARRAY was re-
ported, the authorities determined to
make an example and issued orders to
arrest the vessel and all or any men,
bers of the crew wherever they might
be found.
And now commenced the punishment
of the smugglers. who led the lives of
hunted rats. Officers of justice. with
soldiers TO aid them, were perpetually
on their track. Dragons secured the
country proving for them. They could
not visit their families without the
strictest precautions and had to move
about by night. In the daytime they
lay concealed in barns and granaries,
where they constantly heard inquiries
made about them.
OF course their only chance of escape
lay in the fact that the whole country
side was in their favor and against the
revenue people. There was not farm
or, an innkeeper, a shopman or labor
er unwilling TO do his best to aid and
conceal them. Still. at every game of
hide and seek the searcher wins in the
| end. To lie in concealment beyond n
certain time is trying 10 the nerves.
One Of the smugglers. named Toms,
/, grew tired and allowed himself to be
| arrested, when he turned kings evil
! dence and pointed out Tom Potter as
the man who had fred the fatal shot
! You may imagine the storm of exc
Grafton which arose against the traitor.
| especially when the drag oOns managed
! by n stratagem to elude the precautions
| taken for the cOncealment of Potter.
who was at length arrested in his own
house and carried TO London. The only
! chance of saving him lay in getting the
: one witness for the prosecution. Roger
| Toms, out of the way. But this was
! difficult. for Toms. knowing well that
, his life was i'm danger. had taken ref
| uge on board a revenue cutter, which
| he never left. However. certain infu-
entail and responsible persons whom
she could trust sought his wife and pre-
I vailed upon her to use her influence to
! lure her husband away from the neigh
! borhood of his protectors the first time
that he landed to see her
Satisfied that no violence would be
offered him and anxious to save him
! from the disgrace of his comrades
blood. she consented and was the
! means OF HIS ldillUE llllo All dlubuSi-
| The word given. however. was faith
| fully kept. No injury or unnecessary
discomfort was inflicted upon him, but
he was spirited away 10 Guernsey, with
the intention of sending him to some
place where he would be out of the
way and unable to give evidence at the
, time of the trial. But Toms was traced
by the government officers to Guernsey
-, 8, hi e. 1,fv lust
sailing for America.
His evidence on Potter's trial
amounted to this: That he Toms. was
i'm the cabin of the Lottery during the
attack and that Potter had come down
and said, II have done for one of
them"
For the defense an old coast guards
man. one OF the boats crew of which
the murdered man was n member, was
called. and lie swore that BOwden was
killed by an accidental shot fired by
one of themselves. and i'm confirmation
of this II was shown that the shot had
entered his breast, he rowing the bow
oar of boat going toward the ship.
However. the smugglers had fired on |
the boats. that was evident. and some |
one ought to be hanged so judge and |
jury were not particular 70 a 'eChhiSii-
ity or two. and Tom Potter was con- |
demned and executed.
The fate of Roger Toms. who inform
ed against him. was far worse one
The people of his native town execrat- |
ed him. Even his children were brought /
up to detest him. for his name was n
byword of reproach. He would certain
" have been killed il he had gone free
" about. so he remained i'm mental
capacity within the walls of Newgate
till the day of his denth.-New, York
News.
Just Like n Man.