The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-05-22
OPIUM SMUGGLING.
Important Seizure OF Struggled
Opium by the Marshal.


Yesterday morning, Marshal Soper' acting
upon information given him, visited ware
house on the Esplanade, rented by China
man, and seized the goods comprised in an
invoice shipped to these islands by the brig
". G.. Irwin. This invoice called for Is 4
barrels butter, 10 barrels and 10 cans
salmon, 5 kegs sundries, 119 packages
groceries and boxes milk. The goods we're
marked &C. ". K, Honolulu, Hawaiian
Islands," and had been landed the previous
day, the proper papers being signed "Chun
Win Kee'' by Ian Chong, of the well-known
firm of Wing Wo Tai Company, doing bust
ness on Nuuanu street.
Prior to the seizure Of the goods, fourteen
of the eighteen packages purporting to be
butter, had been removed from the ware
house of which the Chinese Iessees had the
key. The balance Of the invoice was taken
to the Station House and there examined.
The remaining four kegs of butter were
found to be filled with tins of opium. In
each key were four round fat tin cases, and
around them was packed a quantity Of
sticky yellow clay, such as is found around
the Preside, near San Francisco.
Each tin on being opened, was found to
be filled with cans of opium. There were
1853 cans all told, weighing in the aggregate
1874 pounds.
Immediately after the seizure Mr.. Ian
Chong, who signed the Custom House clear
ances, was arrested On the charge of at
tempting to import opium into the Kingdom,
and gave bail in the amount of $1,000 to ap-
pear this morning at the Police Court. His
bondsmen are Messrs. Freeth & Peacock.
WHAT THE DETECTIVE SAYS.
Believing that some special light might
be thrown on this matter by the detective
who effected the capture, he was interviewed
by & representative of the ADVERTISER.
Captain O'Connor said: On the W. G.
Irwin yesterday about $50 cases arrived to
the address of &c. W. K" The agent of
Wing Wo Tai went down to the Custom
House, signed the clearance, took the cases
away and stored them in Wilder's ware
house I was present on the wharf watch
ing for another address which 1 expected.
At late hour last night 1 found out that the
address and mark had been changed before
leaving San Francisco. This morning went
and informed Marshal SOper, who had search
warrants issued. went and watched the
warehouse the goods were stored in, when
Wing Wo Tai's agent came down and asked
me what was doing there. He said he
was very glad to hear that had been made
Captain, and added: You are not de-
tective now What were you looking al
those brands for?'' referring to sacks of
barley. 1 said was looking for the pnr-
cells marked sc. w. k which Wing Wo
Tai took away from the vessel yesterday.
He said: Il suppose there is something
wrong" said: Yes, and L am going to
take them" He said "Well, you are a
poor man. Come up to Chow Wing Kee,
who owns half the goods, and own the other
half, and he will settle with you"
then called over man and told him to
take charge of the warehouse, with instruc-
tons, till returned. We got into car
rage Tie wanted to go by Beretania street
and not go through the city. / drove him
straight to the Police Station, and procured
the service of the Chinese policeman. Went
and found Marshal Soper. We all went to
the warehouse. The Chinese agent pulled
lot of letters out of his pocket and tore them
up quick. We secured the fragments. The
Marshal went in search of Mr.. Wilder,
and with his permission we entered
the warehouse. I pointed out four
casks marked ''butter," and told Marshal
soper that there we're eighty tins of opium
in each cask. The Chinese agent was
present. Marshal Soper opened the casks,
and found 81 tins opium in the first one.
There were 800 tins, all told, in the four
casks, of the first quality of opium.
This was not nearly all the lot. There
were about 100 cases additional acknowl-
edged as groceries, salmon, lard, ETC., Of
which the Marshal took charge and had re-
moved to the Police Office"
The seizure was made at about 10 O'Clock
yesterday morning, the consignees having
taken away 200 or more tins on Wednesday
evening and early yesterday morning.