Middletown transcript., 1921-12-10

Mr.. Gibney, too, away of under the
troDic stars, leading the care-free life
Of real sailor at last, and of Bar
tholopew McGufey. imbiblng "prlQue'
in the "cantina" Of some disreputable
cafe. Captain Scrages never knew
how badly he was going to miss them
both until they were gone, and he had
nobody to fight with except Mrs.
Scraggs and when Mrs. Scraggs Ito
quote Captain Scraggs) Slipped her
cable" in her forty-third year Captain
Scraggs felt singularly lonesome and
in a mood to accept eagerly any
deviltry that might offer.
Upon night, which happened to
be Scraggs' night off, and when he
was particularly lonely and inclined
to drown his sorrows in the Bowhead
saloon, he was approached by Scab
Johnny, and invited to repair to the
latter's dingy Office for the purpose OF
discussing what Scab Johnny guard
edly referred to as a proposition"
Upon arrival at the Office, Captain
Scraggs was introduced to a small,
ierce-looking gentleman of tropical ap-
pearance, who owned to the name OF
Don Manuel Garcia Lopez. Scab john
ny first pledged Captain Scraggs to
absolute secrecy, and made him swear
by the honor of his mother and the
bones of, his father not to divulge
word Of what he was about to tell him.
Scab Johnny was short and to the
point. He stated that, as Captain
Scraggs was doubtless aware. If he
perused the daily papers at all. there
was a revolution raging in Mexico.
His friend, Senior Lopez, represented
the under-dogs in the disturbance, and
was anxious to secure ship and
nervy sea captain to land a shipment
Of arms in Lower California. 1t ap-
peared that at sale Of condemned
army goods held at the arsenal at
Benicia, Senor Lopez had, through
Scab Johnny, purchased two thousand
single-shot Springfield rifles that had
been retired when the militia regiments
took up the Krag. The Krag in turn
having been replaced by the modern
magazine Springfield, the old single
shot Springfelds, with one hundred
thousand rounds Of 1910 ball cart
ridges, had been sold to the highest
bidder. In addition to the small arms,
Lopez had ut present in a warehouse
three machine guns and four 3-inch
breech-loading pieces Of field artillery
(the kind Of guns generally designated
as a "jackass battery" for the reason
that they can be taken down and trans
ported over rough country on mules)
together with supply Of ammuni-
ton for same.
"Now, then," Scab Johnny contin-
ned, "the job that confronts us Is to
get these munitions down to our
friends in Mexico. If we're caught
sneakin' 'em into Mexico We'll spend
the rest of our lives in federal peni-
tentiary for Dustin the neutrality laws.
All them rifles an the ammunition is
cased an In my basement at the pres
ent moment-and the government
agents knows they're there. But that
amt troubling me. l rent the saloon
next door an I'll cut hole through
the wall from my cellar into the saloon
cellar, carry 'em through the saloon
into the backyard, an out into the
alley half block away. I'm watched,
but l got the watcher spotted-only
he don't know it. Our only trouble
is a ship. How about the Maggie"
I'D have to spend about two thous-
and dollars on her to put her in condi-
ton for the voyage" Scraggs replied.
"Can do" Scab Johnny answered him
briefly, and Senor Lopez nodded ac-
quiescence. "You discharge on light
er at Descanso bay about twenty miles
below Ensenada. Whatll it cost us?"
Ten thousand dollars, in addition
to fixin' up the Maggie. Half down