Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1911-06-01

a few minutes later a revenue yawl
slipped alongside the anchored schoon-
er. and the men In the government
boat read the schooner's pane in gilt
letters on her slender stem. She was
the Frolic. She had sailed up Mar
ragansett in broad daylight the day be
fore and come to anchor off the coal
pocket at ten o'clock in the forenoon.
All day she lay at anchor. not far
from the channel. In full view from
the harbor and the shore. No one
had taken the trouble to read her
name ant she was passed for a visit
ing fisherman.
Twenty-Four Safely Landed.
Sixteen more Cinnamon were found
hidden In the hold. The remaining "a
had already made their escape. The
state of her hold, where AZ Cinnamon
had lived for eight days, was a shock
even to the hardened customs men. A
fishing craft of less than 100 tons does
not have much room below decks,
and at her best the mixed odor of fish
and bilge water makes 1t an undesir-
able place In which to lounge away
| an afternoon. The Cinnamon slept on
the floor. packed solid like spoons in
box. with hardly an inch of room to
turn In. For four days of her voy-
age the schooner had worked her
way through fog, In waters that were
frequented both by fishermen and
steamers. Any moment vessel might
come upon her, and the captain did not
wish to have his passengers seen upon
his decks. So during those four days
the Chinese had stayed shut up In the
hold, with only such light aid air as
found their way down the hatchway.
Except for the fog, which kept her
week at sea. and the smell of the
passengers, which drove the crew
nearly to mutiny, she had an easy pas
sage after that, and was not interrupt
ed till the government men captured
her Off the Providence coal pocket.
The captain and two of his accom-.
plices were tried and sent to prison.
The captain testified that their profits.
II the trip had proved successful. would
have been $4,000 over all expenses.
including $3.50 apiece to the crew.
Every one of the IS Cinnamon swore
in court that he had lived for many
years In America, that he had qualified
to return under the law, but that the
papers to prove 1t had been lost in the
big fire" in San Francisco.
On the Pacific coast the running"
OF Cinnamon by sea is oftener tried
and oftener detected. The slender,
swift schooners that ply In the island
trade" among the scattered groups of
the South Seas are excellently fitted
for the work. A few years ago one
OF these craft, suspected Of having
Cinnamon on board, was chased down
the coast from Puget sound by a rev.
enue cutter. The cutter was gaining.
but night came on before she could get
within gunshot.
Coolies Tossed Overheard?
She kept UP the search even after
the schooner had been lost in the
and presently, at moonrise,
saw the fugitive vessel again stand,
ing off shore. The cutter overhauled
her. The captain was in great rage
at being held up on the high seas.
When the revenue men insisted that
they would search her, he protested
still more violently. They went through
her from stem to stern and found moth
ing whatever that should not be on
homeward bound trader.
A week later two dead Chinameh
were washed ashore 80 miles up the
ha L.
learned that band of 15 cool
les had been seen making their way
10 the waterfront early In the morning
he day the schooner sailed Consider
ed as evidence, the two facts make
slender proof, but the sailors along the
coast believe that the Cinnamon were
thrown over from the schooner and
over from slave ships in the old days
when every vessel that carried black
worry" was counted as a pirate by the
aw of nations.
Both Canada and Mexico admit
Cinnamon, though the former imposes
! tax Of $500 a head on all who re-
main in the country for more than
hree months. OF late years, up to the
BEGINNING Of the present trouble, Mex
co has furnished more popular base
II operations for the smugglers. 1t
vas month or more ago that gov
launch boarded a schooner
which had sailed with Cinnamon from
over California. No Cinnamon were
m board, though certain sights and
ome not uncertain smells made the
Ulcers believe that they had been
here not long before. Again the story
vas widely circulated that the China
nen had been thrown overheard.
Again. II was only two weeks ago
hat launch with a party Of fisher
nen-a playwright, an aviator and
! steamship man-saw a scrap of
anvas waved violently on a little
'arren island of from San Diego bay.
they put in for II. and found ten Chi
lese. Six threw themselves forward
IN the ground and screamed an appeal
or help. Another had gone mad. and
vas shrieking. writhing and throwing