Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-15
GUN RUNNING RISKY
But There are Daredevil Men to
Do II.
DANGER IS GREAT BUT PAY is GOOD.
Wherever There Is Revolution or In
surreetion Against the Powers That
Be, There Is a Market For Guns ard
Business For the Gun Runner.


Business For the Gun Runner.
When the late revolution in Mexico
was at its height and bullets were
skipping over the border northward;
when President Taft was lying awake
nights wondering what he would do
with Mexico II it became necessary
to annex the country in order to keep
peace, well, one Of those blistering
days a Mexican stopped over three
DAYS in New York city, rounded up
some Of the big ammunition houses,
gave his order for 10000 arms Of
new, approved pattern and then left
again post haste with ticket for the
Rio Grande.
1t was a rush order. Several days
later the arms followed the Mexican
to the Rio Grande. The United States
officials had, of course, been appraised
Of the sale and the probable destina-
ton Of the weapons. All along the
stream a strict watch was kept. But
on a cloudy night, within 48 hours OF
their arrival at the American unload
ing place, the cases of guns and am
munition disappeared from sight OF
the patrol.
with these guns Madero's party
won their march to Mexico City
and, by the way, not all those guns
were brought into requisition by the
little army under the command OF
Francisco. Jr. Very many or them
must still be stored away for future
use.
In New York the price paid for the
guns was SO apiece. Across the bor-
der they brought $50 apiece in gold.
And the profit went to the men who
on that cloudy night ferried the sup
plies on RATS across the Rio Grande.
Such Is gun running.
II is an occupation that has made
he wealth of many families, for there
are thousands and millions or blood
thirsty people who never heard OF
The Hague and who have grudges to
settle, but lack the means Of satisfy
ing them at a safe distance, say 300
yards.
To fill this long-felt want the gun
runner exists. Quite often enough ne
is an American, for are not the Yam
KEGS the pioneers Of trade, wherever
1t may be found and under whatever
guise?
The trade Is a particularly thriving
and lucrative one In the East Indies;
for example, in Sumatra. The Malays
of Sumatra have a settled objection
to the Christian religion, to Dutch
tracts and to Holland gin. Further
more, they have learned that a blow
pipe Is out Of the running compared
to a Lee -Metford 1903, even though
the blow pipe be cheaper and its mis-
siles make a worse-looking corpse af-
ter the poison gets in its work. SO
Lee-Metfords they must have. And
so. too, since the gun runner has been
terribly busy there Of late, the Dutch
burghers and housefrows Of Padung
and Palembang stick to the cities and
leave the overseeing Of their planta-
tions to native bosses.
But the worst spot on earth, from
the authorities point Of view, OF
course, is the Persian gulf. To the
north of 1t lie those outlandish par
ishes Of the Horned One called Balu-
chistan and Arghanistan. In spite
of the drubbing that Sir Frederick
Roberts administered some twenty
five years ago, the Pathans Of those
parts still "smell the blood Of an En-
glishman." Even quarter OF CEN
tury ago they gave a warm account
of themselves with their crooked,
spindling, long-barreled flintlocks;
but today they want to meet the for
eigner with his own weapons. So they
are buying heavily Of any halfway
respectable make Of gun that comes
their way.
1t is the Arabs in this case that do
the gun running. With their dhows
they freight up at the ports to the
south, and then cruise north looking
for a good spot and good chance
for landing. The English, or their
Indian allies, are, Of course, on the
lookout Along the high and barren
shores they maintain their stations,
and in their boats they patrol the
waters. They cannot board a dhow
and ransack its cargo; they must
wait for some hostile demonstration.
1t Is a battle of wits-the lumber
ing cleverness Of the Briton against
the lightning cunning Of the Arab.
Yet many a dhow Is caught In fta-
grant, delictu, and the Maxims riddle
her like a colander in a short ten
minutes: and many another dhow Is
caught by the "shimal' or torpedo of
the Persian Gulf, Is ripped to frag-
ments and drops its costly cargo OF
guns and ammunition to redden the
bottom of the sea with rust instead
Of reddening the soil Of Afghanistan
with blood.
Yet a large share Of the dhows
come safe to some port-be 1t only a
cove in the headlands where some
inland oasis sheds a rill into the wa
ters Of the sea. And here begins the
second and equally perilous labor OF
the gun .runners-the conveying by
camelback of the precious cargo
norhward to its final market In the
shops or secret arsenals Of Kabul or
Kandahar.
i've been playing policeman out
in the Persian Gulf for the last two
years." complained a lieutenant of
the royal navy who returned to Lon
don for a short leave of absence a
short time ago. II don't mind If /
never see 1t again. either" he added.
"It makes one thirsty to even think
of it. It's a continual nightmare.
I'VE commissioned an old tub Of a
sloop at 900 odd tons,
with kennels for cabins and a cage
for an officers mess. We had re-
frigerating plant, but no Ice machine,
for all the cold air we could make
was needed to keep the cordite maga-
zine cool.
I'VE had no electric lights tween
decks, and not an electric fan on
board. l tell you we frazzled by the
time we reached Alden and thought
of the two years ahead Of us on the
hottest naval station in the whole
wide world.
when l left the gulf there were
1900 bowling fanatics squatted on
the hills under a mulletproof mullah.
all fighting mad to cut telegraph
wires and wipe out friendlies because
some guns didn't get through to them.
The whole East India squadron, un-
der Slade, is up the gulf now. The
matter grew serious.
when you're on the station you
are absolutely and completely out
side civilization, and nine days out or
ten you are under way unless you are
lucky enough to get stuck on sand
bar. In that case you get rest.
"On some Of the beats you don't
even get close to land for the night.
You drop your killick forty miles out
and get under way at dawn, for that's
the time the dhows try to land their
cargoes.
Sometimes we shadow a big dhow
for a month. She may be bursting
with arms but you can't breathe on
her because she flies a foreign friend
Iy flag. You pray that she'll dump
the arms on the beach one morning
and leave the rest to you, but she
doaSn't She pOeS hack tO MuScat in