The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-22
ORGANIZED orIuM sarseLEas
Fine Pigment OF n Newspaper Cor
respondents Brain.

CHICAGO, Dee. 2l-Au interesting sslsry
was presented tais morning Of the eF.ers
tiaas OF the opium Smuggling gang, eas
Of whose iesders. Capt. Durant. 50 rar
rowiy escaped frum The customs officers q,
sand Beach. Nieh.. week ago. A CORES
ponieDt says Duran, and his lieutenant
Charles weltzei, are living In STYLE AZ The
best hotel in >Araia. and are houized by
the residents Of that little Caaaaisn town.
TIE correspondent had a long ;aIk with
them Yesterday. They have been SEoHg
Cling opium fer the last two years. and
have successfully landed hundreds ~
thousands ef dollars worth OF the costly
drug on the oiaer side without being de
tecteds but this last consignment they ts..k
over was discovered aad seized b. gayera.
E.e1f detectives and il esme vefv z,asr
costing Durans bis life
Four detectives trailed him Ia the ut.ss.s
AZ uight. took him at a great Sfsassvsatae,.
aud tried their best 10 end his life hy
standing 40 feet away ard firing % shots At
him in rapid succession, but Dr.rsnt has a
charmed life and ustie his escape without
INJURY. Every oue around Saraia knows
him 10 b. one Of the most daring si.l tlgxlers
mo ever exchanged sbafs VITA custom.
house efilciais. They know also thar be is
one OF the trusted agents OF a rich SyuGi-
cate that was organized several wears $50
Tor TIE express purpose Of smuggling
opium into The United States from VfSstaria
sIhe syndicate has s5,CQa Geo behind II and
L iargely controlled By man in Victoria
khoNh as Boss Harris He IL immensely
ricD ana makes 10 efoFf 70 conceal the
fact that be j TIE biggest smaeeler in ;he
Dominion. He always has lsrge bank
account here, and he has told the cashier
OF one OF the leading banks that he and his
associates have made millions out OF
81
money 10 be made out OF the bsrSiutsS he
said be brought down a consignment az
opium from Victoria to Sarnia aud EN-.
pioyeu TWO mea to carry II across the river
70 ferf Huron. whence il was shippea 10
California The men carried the drug
NnleA was packed IN un cans. in their
coat pockets and rode across the river on
the regular passenger boats Although
customs officials are constantly Siailoned
on the ferries, the men who TRANSPORTED
tue drug were not detected and the eor,-
slgnment carried over In less than a week.
WITHIN four weeks Of the time the drug
left Victoria ey this eircGit0ns route il WAS
safely delivered al san Francisco The
United states government wES defTaui.,d
out Of over Si09.0l0 dutieesanti "Boss Uar-
ris poeketed sSo.0o0 for his share OF the
profits.
Another active member of Harris gang
operates under the sssamsd name Of
Spencer. He attends to shipping the goods
from Victoria. A rich san francisco mcr-
chant is said 10 be prominently identified
with the syndicate A man who was for
many years in the employ of the United
states government as interpreter, Is an
other member. A Toronto Chiuaman aud
an opium dealer OF san Francisco are com
prised In the syndicate Besides these are
large numberof agents whose duty il is
10 look after the consiguments after thew
leave Victoria. showing them from one
point TO smother in the Dominion, trans
porting them over the border and then
shipping across the states 10 California
covering up their tracks in ssch clever
manner as to successfully elHde the yigi-
lance of the customs officers.
The value of the combined product Of
the factory in British Columbia, the head
quarters of the Harris gang, is estimated
at s3.oo1.Ooo per annum, and OF this more
than 70 per cent. goes to the United states.
II Is believed that less than 10 per cent. OF
il passes through the custom house. The
gang operates not only at Sarnia but all
along the northern border of the United
States.