The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-25
MAINE BORDER sMUGGLERs.
Devices That Have Been Used 70 Beat the
Customs 0flceTs.

duBtOWB UmCuEo'
Any person that lives on the border be-
tween Maine and New Brunswick and doesn't
know anything about smuggling must be
deaf and dumb and blind. There are many
ways to evade the officers.
In the Madawaska country. between
Van Buren, and Fort Kent, the settlers are
the French Acadians, and all the customs
officers in Maine, with the Sturgls deputies
thrown in If they were there, could not
prevent them from getting their gin from
across the river. / was there once, when
the good women Of Aroostook, backed up
by the law, sent a band OF officers to prevent
the Door Frenohman from spending his
money for gin, writes a Parkhurst man in
the Leviston journal. The water was high;
there was no fording and every boat and
ferry for miles wac watched. 1t happened
that Xavier G. wal out OF gin. He kepta
public house, and nothing for his guests to
drink did not suit him at all.
But he had som ething up his sleeve 10
fool the officers. A barrel Of gin from the
Canadian side was haulei through the
woods to the river, dashed TO the under
side Of a log with hay wire, and sent adrift
with a man on the log. Now, a log can be
nelQ AZ u CSItdll diih" III ~ v oAN sifo
current will carry it across as 1t o a
ferryboat -rivermen often CROSS In this
manner and it excites no suspicion. There
was plenty Of gin and molasses at Xavier's
that day for dinner.
In one place the line runs several miles
along a side hill. ] once saw a gang Of
boys coasting on the crust some forty rods
from the road At the foot Of the hill on
the American side was a wood lot and a
big pile Of sawed wood. The boys had an
old pung, and a close observer would have
noticed that they always went in behind an
old barn on the Canadian side to start. then
thew would 60 like the wind clear down
to the wood pile in behind the fir trees.
And that very morning a man with a
double team WAS there loading wood: the
blue jays in t Q trees probably noticed that
he was building a funny load In his big
sled box: II was hollow In the middle with
woodpiles at the sides and ends, and perhaps
they noticed that every tune the pung load
OF shouting bovs came down the hill they
brought a chest Of tea, The load was
carefully covered with wood. taken to a
village merchant, driven in the back yard
and deposited in the cellar.
One of my ~neighbors once audden'v
had a call to preach and finally went over
into New Brunswick to spread the gospel.
In three weeks he returned, and when he
came back he hitched his old horse in the
village street, near the custom house,
snd had a PRAYER meeting N the street.
but no one mistristed that he had fifty
costly silk dress patterns in the bottom
Of his old wagon.
Mr. A had a farm that ran to the boundary
line. His buildings were forty rods from
the line, hut his granarv was only forty
feat. Mr., BIS farm buildings were close
H. an Tho Hanadiup aldo q rNal ran hn-
tween the granarv and Rs buildings, the
road wal on the line. A raised about 400
bushels OF oats each summer and pnt them
In his granary. Each winter he sold about
5000 bu shells, OF course things looked
very suspicious. The customs officers
hid behind fences and rock piles and
shivered many a winter night. Spoilers
and s-ies were hired, and n Government
detective loafed around the line saloons for
a month 10 plain sight OF the magic little
Eranary but discovered nothing. 1t was
| dark and deserted nights, hut in the morn
ing A would come and help load his team.
The detective would sometimes saunter
" and ask foolish questions. peek into
the bins and look for tracks in the snow
/ will tell how the Government was out
witted. Between the granary and BIS
buildings was a oulvert under the road,
a wooden spout was made Of boards about
a foot square, and some dark stormy night
AZ t00 DtHlIlIlHR Oh WlDUeT the SNOW
was cleared away, and the spout laid close
oil the ground in the c~ulvert. under the
road under fence and into AS granary.
A belt with cups attached ran inside the
spout and a crank in BIS barn was turn e
to carry the grain. AS it was down hill
o very little effort would carry a stream
Of oats into AS granarv a foot square. A
blustry night would obliterate all tracks.
A pile OF brush cut from apple trees
was piled between the gransry and the road
fence; this covered with a drift Of snow
hid the place where the spout entered the
granary on the outside, and on the inside it
was covered by sliding back a wooden
window. This was always pushed back
over the hole in the wall when they were
loading oats, TO admit light, there being
10 other window. When it was closed
the bin was in darkness and the hole could
not be seen. OF course the oats were de-
liyered in BIS barn in New Brunswick,
When the snow began to melt in the spring
the spout was removed and packed away
until the next winter.
~ one time q certain village planned 10