The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-02-05

thing except very light craft to try.
Softly regaining the shore, | got a
loaded revolver from my Office, and
then hurried away to the shanty Of the
duck hunters, and soon woke both,
They readily agreed TO help me, and
brought their guns.
IT'S sure 10 be the Schram boys, "
said Bullamore. mo one else around
here has grit enough for such job.
Them fellers has got rich since the be-
ginning of the war; but III be hanged
If | thought they'd steal whiskey!
! Square, honest smugglin' isn't no great
sin, | s'pose; but out an out robbin'
i didn't b'lieve the boys would de-
mean themselves to that"
Ignoring Bullamore's fashionable dis.
! tinclion between robbing a government
and a private individual, | led to the
cut, which was about one hundred
| yards long and fifty feet wide separat-
ing Hog Island from the mainland. We
sat down uSder the clay bank midway
Of its length. The night was not so
very dark, but at distance OF ten feet
tinguished our gray-clad forms from
the background against which they
| rested.
We knew what the thieves must IN
tend to do. Their scow was so heavily
laden that they would, OF course, not
attempt to row it out on the Niagara
here. They would tow it up the Can
adian shore a couple of miles, conceal
part of their cargo and use their long
sweeps to row the scow diagonally
across to Navy Island, where they
would probably send small boats for
the hidden whiskey. So somewhere in
the cut they must put q rope and two
men ashore The third would stay on
the scow to steer it while the others
towed
We patiently waited for more than
half an hour. Then we dimly saw a
shadowy black object floating slowly
toward us.
Presently, on striking the current OF
the cut, it began to move faster, and we
then saw single row Of kegs ranged
on its deck Two men were sitting on
kegs the third, nearest the stern,
nOiselesSly worked a steering oar
In minute or two as the craft was
ing TO put it in touch with our shore,
we rose to our feet, and | said.
Land right here with that whiskey,
men! I'm an excise officer"
GO to thunder" yelled one of the
fellows in reply. Keep quiet, if you're
wise"
IT'S the Schrams, sure enough! That
is lke's voice whispered Johnson.
Then he called out. The games up,
boys! Run right in, or we'll fire on
you!"
"Hullo, Bullamore! That's nice work
for you, isn't it?" retorted Ike Fire
away and be hanged"
Meantime the steersman threw the
scow's head toward Hog Island.
As our design was to capture the men
without boodshed, | now fired a pistol
shot over their heads
Guess both sides can play that
game" exclaimed one of the thieves,
their owner instantly crouched behind
the kegs.
BY mere chance, | presume. one OF
the blindly aimed bullets grazed one
OF Bullamore's ears, which so inCensed
him that he threw up his huge smooth
bore and pulled the trigger. Most of
the shot ratified against the kegs, but
a smothered and somewhat forcibe
ejaculation showed that a stray pellet
had hit one of the thieves.
Yet the boat did not sheer in to sur
render. She was fast nearing the
mighty Niagara. We became frighten-
ed
Men, don't throw your lives away"
| implored, as we kept pace with the
scow. Come i'm and surrender. If
you run into the river, nothing can
save you from going over the falls.
You tend TO your business and Wen
mind ours" was the defiant answer |
suppose they did not know they were
so near the river But in another mo-
ment the clumsy hulk had cleared the
cut and entered upon the current of Nj
agara, which strikes against Hog ISL
and and takes a strong outward trend.
Doubtless they thought they could,
by tightening their boat, work their
way diagonally up and across the
stream to safe position for now, as
the island hid them from view. we
could hear them pitching the whiskey
overheard and shipping their sweeps.
In only one way, however. could they
possibly save themselves.
Putting his hands, funnelshape, OF
his mouth, Van Wyck, hailed
Turn your bow down stream. you
fools. and scoot ashore just below the
old channel! That's your last chance!"
No reply was made to this friendly
advice and we heard the men begin to
pull desperately. But not for one min
ute could they hold their own against