The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-06-26


Witch. estimate. Dy lie ysot:eg sc;s's,
was in the neighborhood OF $4,000.
The coast guard cutter Tampa with
nothing much to do WAS lying in Tos-
ton harbor at the time The story of
the runi-runner reached Boston, and
the customs authorities notified the
Tampa and Immediately the Tampa
put to sea. For day and a night
the Tampa zigzagged up and down the
| Massachusetts coast. The officers took
good description OF the schooner:
| they had her name, and they knew
that they had journeyed up from the
! wet oasis in the Bahamas. But the
schooner had disappeared and not
trace could be had of her since the
late dusk of the afternoon she anchored
off the coast 4S hours before.
| Dawn came and the lookout on the
Tampa sighted a two-masted schooner.
| She was proceeding leisurely to sea.
Once, twice, three times the lookout
focused his glass on the vessel, but
he could not make out the Eame
for the very good reason that there
was no name where the name should
he. The Tampa changed her course
and steamed within hailing distance
Of the SchoOner
Name Blocked Out
''What have you got on board?' the
skipper of the coast guard cutter
shouted through his megaphone.
''Nothing inst ballast. and water
ballast at that" was the prompt re-
ply from the first mate OF the
sch ooner.
Whats your name?" demanded the
American skipper.
"Ain't got none . was the answer.
Then the skipper Of the Tampa no
ticed that sometI ing was happening to
that part of the bow where the name
ought to be. He signaled the engine
room and the Tampa steamed in closer
and the skipper saw what was the
matter. A big piece of burlap the
exact color Of the schooner had been
tackled over the name
The captain of the schooner decid
eG to make d race for the open sea. /
The ship was under way before the |
commander of the Tampa realized |
what was up. She gathered speed, |
and the Tampa was after her. All |
commands to stop We're ignored by
the schooner. The little six FOUNDER
on the forward deck of the Tampa
barged away. The skipper of the
schooner knew that the next one would
not be blank. The schooner slowed
down. She came to anchor and was
towed into Boston What was left
of the original 5000 cargo of whisky
was seized, so was the ship. The
end of the story will come when the
United States courts finish the case.
Here is another little story from
the coast guard files. 1t happened a
few weeks ago. The place was the
Pacific coast near Westport, Wash.
The name of the rum-runner was The
Milk Maid, a fast gasoline launch. The
Milk Maid was bound from Vancouver.
British Columbia, for San Francisco
md tucked away in her narrow little
was whisky which sub
the customs authorities es-
ilnafed to be worth, at prevailing mar
,et prices, about 500 900.
Washed Up by Waves.
The morning of last June 3, fisher
nen and coast guard life-savers were
urprised to find the coast near West
ort for distance of about two
allies strewn with bottles of rye
Whisky There was no other wreck
ge AS the surf beat it's way in, it
yould leave as it receded another bot
e or two on the shore Strange to
ay, most of the bottles were I'M
roken, and the seals that secured the
toppers We're intact.
An investigation was promptly set
foot, and after some hours the COAST
uard men found the answer 1t was
lat battered and smashed launch
ad been hurled inshore and against
le rocks. In the wreckage Was
,und the bodies Of two men who had
zen the crew of the launch. Suisse
tent Developments proved that the
unch when it left Vancouver had
! board 1S4 cases OF liquor.
At about the same time as the West
)rt tragedy there sailed into the har-
II of Miami, Fla, ii schooner called
e Witch. She was. according to the
cords in the case, about the most in
,cent looking craft that ever came
anchor in Florida waters
The papers Of the Witch disclosed
at her cargo consisted entirely OF
a is the land of tomatoes, but evil
ntly somebody in Nassau, w. J., had
idea there was tomato shortage
the state, and so the Witch sailed
-ay with a cargo to meet the TO
ITO emergency.
The coast guard cutter Vidette was
Miami as the Witch sailed serenely -
o the harbor of Miami. The vi -
ties skipper was suspicious. He b.
I'D not exactly understand why SO
my tomatoes We're coming into a s,
tie where tomatoes are SO plentiful III
d where they grow the year round lE2
the skipper Investigated and found ~
small TASKS of whisky, private lES
ok and belonging to the crew of the Ia
tch. The skipper of the Witcl slE4
Il told you SO" and in IN
lafed that he considered the inspec Isl