The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-09-30
The Chinese rs Smugglers.

It must be confessed that the Chinese
are clever smugglers. Tea, being bulky
article, is not struggled to any great ex-
tent. The Inspectors ordinarily find little
in the Chinaman's baggage that is con-
traband. Sometimes few skelns of silk,
sometimes a package of tobacco, and now
and then little tea, and rarely piece of
silk. The last named, of which there is
good deal struggled, is scarcely ever
found in their baggage. 1t is generally
wrapped around their persons or con-
cealed in their garments. The silk of the
Chinese is very valuable, and if Storage
passenger is fortunate he may smuggle
enough of the finer grades to pay his pas.
sage over. The great staple Of smugglers
is opium, which, next to diamonds, is the
most valuable and the easiest to conceal.
The Chinaman is the shrewdest of snug
glers. If he has trunk he loads it with
opium. False bottoms, false tops and
split board, dig out the interior until it
is nothing but a shell, and fill it with the
precious drug. He fills bags with it and
places them about his person, under his
arms, in his shoes, and everywhere that
ingenuity can suggest. With all the care
and sagacity of long experience which the
Customs officers have had beaten into
them, the Chinaman gets in with large
quantities of opium. Each Custom House
Inspector examining cargo of Chinese
carries with him large jute bag. Into
it he throws whatever he finds of dutia-
BILE character. After he has examined
Chinaman's baggage and marked 1t with
his cipher, he "goes for" the Chinaman.
He first looks at his shoes and feels of
them, and then with great fortitude and
patience he feels up the Chinaman's legs
from his ankles to his hips, to see that no
opium or silk is concealed within the
clothing. If nothing is found, after
careful examination of clothes and per-
son, including even the hat, the China
man is passed like his baggage. And
this is the interesting part Of it. What
would an American think if on arriving
in New York Customs officer should 90
over him in the same way? And yet,
what money would the United States
make if the examination were as
strict with Americans as with Chi
namen! After the Chinaman is
passed-that is another thing not
contemplated in the Tariff laws-the In
spcctor marks him, like piece of bag
gage, with his cipher, and no Chinaman
is allowed to pass out of the Customs lines
without the mark on the back of his coat.
Think Of all the high toned smugglers in
New York having to pass out with the
brand of the Inspector on their fine coats.
From Mr.. Shannon, formerly member
of Congress, and at present Collector of
the port, have obtained much informa-
ton in regard to the smuggling of the
Chinese. From him I learned that rich
mercantile firm in this city, largely inter-
ested in the Chinese trade, conceived the
idea of smuggling clothing from China,
where the finest wooden fabrics are sur
prisingly cheap. The scheme was to pur-
chase or have manufactured in China the
finest broadcloth and other expensive fab
RIGS, to ship them on the steamer, and a
few hours before the steamer arrived in
San Francisco harbor to call the China
men together, take off their native clothes
and dress them in the fine clothes destined
for the San Francisco market. Upon the
arrival of the steamer the newly clothed
Cinnamon, hundreds in number were
profit by the imposition and stripped of
everything they had on, and the clothes
thus removed were placed on the shelf,
and of course the merchants could afford
to sell them below any legitimate dealer
The Customs officers soon dropped on"
this fraud, as the detectives say, and when
the next steamer came in the Inspectors
asked themselves whether so many steer
age passengers could afford to wear such
fine clothing? The decision was very ar
bitrary, but it was right The clothing
was stripped from them and confiscated
and since that time there has been no
effort at smuggling in that way AS stated
above, the most inviting article for snug
Cling is opium, and although large in
come ought to be derived from the duties
on that article, the fact is very little is re-
ceived. Not long ago opium to the value
of 10000 was captured, but now some
other method will be adopted.-San Fran
cisco Cor. N. Y. Tribune.