, 1883-10-18
The Collector of Customs Coup d'Etat,

ue JOllECLOT VI GusIOIuS SUup LtdI'
EDITORS ARGUs:-As few of your
readers ever heard how the Collector
of Customs, Victor Smith, captured
the Shubrick, then revenue cutter in
this district, from the officers and
crew, l thought it would interest
them, as I can give the full particu-
lars, having been ON board at the
time.
In '63 or "a, after Victor Smith,
the then Collector of Customs, had
established the port of entry at Port
Angeles, he commenced erecting
buildings for Custom House and
marine hospital, and to carry out his
idea of economy, utilized the forces
under his control in their construc-
ton. Inspectors and revenue cutter
were all made to do their share Of the
work. The Shubrick was then in
command of Capt, Pease, and was
made to do the freighting of brick
lime and lumber, greatly to the dis
gust of the officers and crew. She
made several tri ps to Port Madison
and other places for brick and lum-
ber, and it was laughable to see old
Collins, the boatswain, piping the
men on board with lumber ON their
shoulders growing and stumbling at
every step. This went on for some
time, Captain Pease demonstrating
with the Collector against such hu-
initiating work, which he said was
beneath the dignity of the service
which he represented, and had a
demoralizing effect ON his officers
and crew, which the Collector paid
no attention to. At length Captain
Pease and his officers could or would
not stand it any longer, and conclud-
ed to leave this station and go to San
Francisco with the cutter without
asking permission, and then lay their
case before the Secretary of the
Treasury. In the meantime keeping
their own council, they got permis-
sion to coal and wood up, which they
did with an eye to their intended
trip to San Francisco, for it was
found afterwards that she had on
board eighty tons of coal and forty
cords of wood. Whether the Coilec-
tor was informed of their intention
or not, I don't know; but certain it
was he had got wind of something
and laid his plans accordingly, which
succeeded to his entire satisfaction.
About that time there arrived at
Port Angeles special agent, D. w.
Brown, to investigate the Custom
House affairs, to whom the Collector
appealed, and got his sanction to
discharge the officers and crew, it
was said, by charging the officers
with secession proclivities, and he
feared they were about to turn the
Shubrick into rebel cruiser, strength
ening his suspicious by the extra
fuel taken ON board without his con-
sent How true this was I don't
know, but subsequent events which
transpired led me to believe that
something of the kind was suspected
and told to Special Agent Brown to
get his consent to what he was about
to do without informing the officers
Of the Shubrick. ..
Our country was at that time bleed
ing at every pore, and sanitary funds
We're collected everywhere to alleviate
the sufferings of our soldiers in the
field. Victor Smith, the Collector,
and P. D. Moore, the deputy, were
very active collecting funds for that
purpose. One morning the Collector
said to me: DO you want to go to
Victoria?" I said, "Yes." well"
said he, give me three dollars for the
sanitary fund and you can go over
on the Shubriek-" Which 1 willingly
did, not having the least suspicious of
what was going to transpire ON land.
When got on board 1 was aston
lshed to see so many passengers, and
said to myself the sanitary fund has
made a nice raise if all these men
heye paid three dollars like me. We
got under way and steamed out of
the harbor, Capt, Pease and officers
directing everything as usual. I
noticed the Collector and Special
Agent in close conversation all the
time and the other passengers stand
ing IN mysterious groupes about the
quarter deck. After crossing the
center of the Straits of Fuca into
British waters the revenue flag was
hauled down and the national flag
hoisted up, as IS the custom. The
Collector called Captain Pease and
his officers together, and without any
preliminaries, said: Il relieve you of
all further command on board of |
this vessel together with the crew: and |
until further orders this vessel is un-
der the command OF Lieut.. James
Selden." 1 noticed that what l |
thought were Passengers collected
together on the ssme side of the