St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-16
Special Agent Harden Cap
lures Quantity of Opium
at Denver,
The Fascinating Drug Packed
in a Load Of Household
Furniture.
Marshal Campbell States the
Facts in Regard to the
Case.
End Of a Systematic Effort to
SWindle Uncle
Sam.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
DENVER, Col, Dec. 15.-The United
States marshal at this point has just
seized 476 pounds of smuggled opium
prepared for smoking at the Union Pa
cific freight depot. A special agent
named Mark Harden, who is stationed
at st. Paul to inspect suspicious freight,
came across case of Struggled opium
packed in household furniture, which
was consigned to A. G. Nelson, of Den
yer. The agent left at once for this city
and communicated with United States
Marshal Hill, who dispatched an assistant
TO the yards where A. G. Nelson called
for his household furniture and was ar
rested. The prisoner was taken before
the United States commissioner and
from thence to his boarding house
where seventy-six pounds more of the
stuff was found in his trunk. United
States District Judge Hallett ordered
Nelson to be taken to st. Paul for eX-
animation and Marshal Currier left for
that place with his prisoner to-day. The
opium is valued at S1S pound and the
amount recovered is worth SS,460. 1t is
locked up in the United States marshal's
office.
Marshal Campbell was about to retire
last evening when the foregoing dis
patch was shown him.
Il think the time has come" said the
marshal, ''when the real facts OF the
case should be published. While
we know who was the consignee
of this opium, we were working in the
dark as TO the name of the conSignOr or
his abettOrs. Since the early part of
the summer we have been apprised Of
opium smuggling in this district. That
extensive
SMUGGLING HAS BEEN GOING ON
was cOnclusively shown, and the Gus
tom officers have intercepted a cOnsid-
cradle quantity of the stuff, large
amount of which was sent TO Denver.
The contraband goods intercepted are
now in St Paul and other parts of this
district. All the opium comes in from
the outside of the line. 1t is shipped
into Britislsh Columbia free of charge,
and then Struggled down through this
and other districts and distributed all
over the country. There is a duty of
40 per pound upon opium, and it may
eAsiIy be imagined what efforts will be
made to smuggle the article, if
possible, considering the large profit
which can thereby be made. The value
of Opium free of duty is s. per pound,
consequently when the duty is added
the price is raised to SIS per pound.
Special Agent Mark Harden came here
several months ago to assist in running
the offenders of the custom laws to
earth, and he, DR.. GuernOn and myself
have had repeated consultations in the
matter. We have intercepted large
quantities Of opium upon which
payment of duty was refused,
but now we have unearthed a
clear and deliberate attempt to
smuggle the article into the country.
Having ascertained that there was a
quantity of the drug being consigned to
A. &. Nelson, of Denver, packed up in
some household furniture, Mr.. Harden
was at once despatched to that city TO
effect the arrest of the consignee.
Meanwhile at this end every effort has
been made TO get at the consignof.
There is some likelihood that we shall
get them, as we have suspicious
as to who the parties are, but
desire to verify our Surmises to
the last possible degree. 1t is
OF course, easier to get at the consignee
than the consignor, especially in this
district, where they have not far to go
before they are in her majeSty'S domin-
ions. i heard yesterday that Mr..
Harden had made an arrest and that he
had secured two of them, and expects
that the United States district judges
VIII grant an eXtradition forthwith.