Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-03-29
MYSTERY CLEARED UP.
Great Credit due the Police Of san Fran
riaro.


Great Credit due the Police of San Fran
cisco.
Some weeks ago al account was pub
lished in the Times of a fraud which 1t
was then thought was likely to remain
a mystery. A box purporting to con-
tain $500 in gold coin, was shipped in
September last by the Chinese firm OF
Hop Yik L Co., Of this city, to a branch
of their house in Canton, per clipper
ship Sea Serpent. On its arrival at the
port of consignment the box was opened
and found to contain San Francisco
having stones, in lieu of rouleaus OF
gold. Proceedings were taken against
the captain of the Sea Serpent, and
such a pressure was put upon him mat
he was compelled TO pay the S3,soo'
though the time at which, or the man
ner in which, it had been stolen, was
undiscovered or wen suspected. Inc
bogus box and its stony contents were
sent back here, and some Investigations
were made, which, however, seemed
only to point to the utter hopelessness
| of Calculating the mystery. Not daunt-
| cd with the difficulties Of the task, Chief
Crowley called in the assistance OF de-
tectiye officers Cannon and Ellis, and
set vigorously to work to get to the Dot
tom of the affair. In the first place an
advertisement was inserted in one OF the
morning papers, asking for information
as to the identity Of the drsyman who,
on the 18th September, 1866, conveyed
a box of treasure to Vallejo street wharf.
This advertisement was put in over the
signature of a well known shipping firm,
and in answer to it they shortly after re-
ceiyed an anonymous letter, stating that
the writer was the drayman in question,
expressing much anxiety to know the rea-
son of the advertisement, finally referring
the advertisers for further information to
a man who drove an express wagon,
and stood on the orner Of Howard and
Third streets. The police at once hunt
ed up this man, but found that he knew
literally nothing about the matter. In
the course Of conversation with him,
however, they discovered that he lived
next door to a man who was a drayman,
and who worked for several Chinese
firms about Sacramento and Dupont
streets. This was q clue at last, and
no time was lost in following it up. The
result Of the Investigations made IN this
direction was the arrest last night Of a
Chinaman named Lum Kee, confidential
clerk Of the firm Of Hop Yik 4 Co., and
his incarceration on q charge Of grand
larceny. Without following in detail
the intricate maneuvers through which
| the officers arrived at the result recorded
| above, we will state in brief the manner
| Of the robbery, as e~lucidated piece oy
| piece, during the inquiries extending
| over more than a month: On the 18th
| of last September the defendant, Lum
| Kee, was intrusted BY his employers
| with q box of treasure Of the value oil
| So, 500, and instructed to put il on a
| dray and convey it on board the Sea
| Serpent. He At once repaired to the
| foot of Market street, and hired u
strange drsyman to take the box from
the store Of Hop Yik L Co. Instead
of proceeding direct to the wharf
with it, he then made the drayman drive
round to his lodgings on Jackson street,
| between Dupont and Kearney, and took
| the box of treasure into the house, dis
charging the dray. He next proceeded
to force open the box and abstract the
contents, and already having prepared
the bogus box, he went and engaged a
| drayman No. 2, to convey it from his
rooms on board the ship. He arrived
at the wharf during the busy time, slip
ped on board, got his receipt, and after
ward his bill Of lading. Drayman No.
2 was the writer Of an anonymous letter
and it appears that he had previously
remarked that the box seemed very
light for the amount Of treasure SAID TO
be in it. On seeing the advertisement
he at once suspected that something
was wrong, and meeting Lum kee, told
him of it. The defendant directly told
him to say nothing about it, and prom
ised to get him a berth as regular dray-
man to the Mission Wooden Mills. de
afterward offered the dray money 10 go
out of town, which he accepted, under
advice of police, and retained, mi pre-
viously marked it. On being arrested,
Lum Kee stoutly denied all knowledge
of the transaction, but when confronted
with the man who had conveyed The
bogus box to the wharf, he was mani.
testify startled, and during the course OF
last evening he acknowledged having
effected the substitution, in conversation
with the detectives. He is well educa,
ted, about t~wenty-four years of age, and
speaks and writes English very correctly
for a Chinamnn. It is somewhat sur
prising that the marks and seals OF the
bogus box escaped notice when it was
first shipped, for they are very clumsy
limitations of those used by the hrm.
This Is by no means the first case OF the
kind which has occurred here, but it is
the only one which has been placed in
the hands of the police, aud the manner
in which they have worked it up. and
ferreted out the facts reflects the high
est credit upon all concerned. The de-
PENDANT, who has wealthy parents re-
siding here, was last night admitted to
bail in the sum Of seven thousand hve
hundred dollars.-S. +. Times, 21th inst.