Smuggling had three layers of
men engaged in the smuggling business:
![[*]](http://www.gandolf.com/support/bullets/square4.gif)
'Freighter'
The man who entered on the business as a
speculation. He hired a vessel and purchased the
cargo, and made the arrangements for the landing.
'Runners'
These men transported the goods onshore from the
vessel.
'Tub-carriers'
These men conveyed the kegs on their backs, slung
across their shoulders, up the cliff to their
destination. These were usually agricultural
laborers in the employment of farmers near the
coast. The farmers were in understanding with the
smugglers and supplied them with workmen in
return for a keg of spirits.
The entire English
coast was subject to blockage by the Government in
order to prevent goods from being brought into the
country without payment of duties. The utmost
ingenuity and skill had to be exercised in order to
run this blockade successfully. After this, the
smuggler still ran great risk because most of the
coast was patrolled.
One method to avoid
capture when the coast was patrolled was to sink the
kegs. A whole 'crop,' as it was called, was attached
to a rope that was weighted by stones and fattened at
both ends to an anchor. When a smuggling vessel saw
no chance of landing its cargo, it sank it and fixed
it with the anchors. The men on land received the
bearings of the crop so it could be fished up later.
But the revenuers
were aware of this dodge. Part of their duties was to
grope along the coast with
hooks--"creeping" was the technical
term--for such deposits. A crop that was sunk in a
hurry or in shallow water was vulnerable. The ropes
could chafe and break, and one keg washed ashore was
certain betrayal of the presence of a crop not far
off.
As a rule, the
contents of the crop did not suffer any deterioration
for being underwater; but if submerged too long the
spirits turned bad, known as 'stinkibus.'
Every keg as
provided by the merchants at Roscoff and elsewhere
were provided with a pair of sling ropes for
attachment to a rope for sinking, or for carrying by
the tub-men when safely on shore.
Very often, a
rowboat towing a line of kegs was pursued and the
smugglers were forced to let go the casks. When the
coastguard secured them, but found the magistrates
loathe to convict because they could not swear the
kegs which were picked up were identical with those
let go by the smugglers. Consequently, they were
ordered to mark the line by casting to them a
peculiarly painted buoy.
The government
employed spies in foreign and English ports in order
to find out information on smuggling. Woe to the spy
if he were caught! No mercy was shown. So called
'Dead Man's Pool's are found here and there along the
coast where such spies' bodies were found dumped.
Baring-Gould, A
Book of Cornwall, pages
275-276.)
