Crimes of The Century
Smugglers Paradise
As people settled into their new living conditions in the camp, their new location presented them with multiple opportunities to earn a few extra shillings, through smuggling goods from over the Border, which was nearby. Packets of Cigarettes [ 'Fags' ] were the obvious items to smuggle, as every man seemed to smoke back then. I watched my father smoking, inhaling and exhaling smoke in to the air. Then after a few puffs he would 'nip' the cigarette between his tobacco - stained thumb and index finger and blow on it to make sure it was not smouldering. He would then place the half sized cigarette [Butt] behind his ear for future use. Most people from Derry smuggled cigarettes and other items on a daily basis. There was a good profit margin on selling the smuggled cigarettes on.
It was hardly as if our illicit tobacco smuggling resulted in any massive losses of tax revenue to the Government, still, the Custom men went to great lengths at times, to catch the smugglers. Some of course were caught and taken to court and fined. Also lots of us were taken to court for trivial 'offenses' that would be laughable now-a-days. I remember I was asked to go to the pub, now known as the Argyll, for a 'Bottle' for a man in the camp. It was a Sunday and of course pubs were closed, but some did provide an 'emergency service' to it's faithfull regulars. I was getting a half-a-dollar, thirty pence in today's money, but a fortune for a twelve year old back then, for going a message. I was instructed to knock on the wee hatch, at the side of the bar and tell the man it was for Johnny. I did as I was instructed and got the bottle. It was neatly wrapped in a brown paper bag, I was told to hold it tightly and not to drop it. I was walking out past the Templemore School, on my way back to the camp, when to my horror I saw this policeman coming in the Northland Road towards me on his bicycle. I stopped and pretended to look at the football pitches in the school. He stopped and ask me what was in the bottle, I bravely said a bottle of lemonade. He took it of me a seen it was a bottle of wine, " Right lad, follow me to the station." In the station he took a statement from me and I was then placed in a police car and brought to Johnny's hut.
Johnny and I were summoned to appear at Bishops Street court. My mother decided I looked very young in short trousers, so she borrowed a pair of long trousers for me on the day I had to appear in court. She thought they made me look older. On the conclusion of his case the judge ask Johnny if he had anything to say. No, just, can I have my bottle the police confiscated back. Yes you can, it is your property, the judge told him and your fined five shillings. One hour later I was back wearing short trousers.
It would be impossible whilst having a light hearted fun look back at some of the antics we all got up to without including arguably Springtown Camp's most popular couple, Rosie and Danny. Some of the court cases back then, shows how innocent life was back then. Perhaps the one court case that highlights that is the one in which Patrick Callaghan was fined three pound for picking up coal that fell from the crane unloading a coal boat, down the quay. The coal was valued in court at one shilling and sixpence, less than EIGHT PENCE in today's money!
Everything below was widely reported in the local papers at the time, and certainly none could be described as the 'crime of the century.'
