The Times-Picayune of New Orleans on
the 22 n of January, 1883 has told of smuggling at the Lewes
Breakwater. It tells that the quaint family town on the Delaware has
regained notoriety it once possessed as a haunt for smugglers as it
did in 1878 before government secret service agents caused the
risky traffic to abandon the Breakwater area.
Recent withdrawal of these agents has
allowed the immediate revival of the nefarious business without
interruption, but on a much smaller scale that the 1878 operations.
Town folk know the open secret of rum and cigar smuggling to the
tune of more than $30,000 annually being offloaded and brought to
shore by darkness of night without knowledge of Dr. Burton, the
resident Deputy Customs Collector. Lewes possesses very favorable
facilities to make smuggling successful, direct on the navigational
track and safe harbor, a safe stop for sailing vessels from southern
ports. Traders of questionable character rarely, if ever, pass Lewes
on their inward passage.
The present band of smugglers numbers
near one dozen men who are notified by the pilots who have negotiated
with ship captains., to make connections for landing the smuggled
goods.
To effectually prevent the activity
there must be established at the Breakwater a 'office' to to give
unwavering vigilance day and night by government men.
Right now, the quaint village of Lewes
is full of rum and cigars, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
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