St. Paul daily globe., 1888-11-28
GARDNER AND HIS GANG.
First of the celebrated Opium
Smuggling Gases on Trial.

Smuggling Gases on Trial.
AUBURN, N. Y, Nov. e7.-The first of
the famous opium smuggling eases was
moved at the opening Of the United
States court this morning. The defend
ant is Edwin A. Gardner, and has been
indicted for smuggling an aggregate OF
$500 pounds of opium. upon which the
customs at $40 per pound, amounted to
S35, 1000. Gardner was special agent of
the government, when he acquired full
knowledge of methods of customs col
lect0rS. He Was arrested i'll February,
while attempting to remove sleigh
load of Smuggled opium from Jefferson
county for shipment West. A hidden
storehouse of the smugglers was also
found, and 7S0 pounds of opium was re-
covered. Gardner claimed to be a
government official working UP a
case. Officers searched his hiding
place and unearthed all old tool chest
which must have been use in conveying
opium aero the st. Lawrence. 1t had
compartments fitted to hold half pound
packages of opium in cans. One OF the
branches of the case is trial for con-
splracy, which is expected to take place
at this term OF court. The captured
opium has been placed in the Ogdens-
burg custom house, and the case of con-
Spiracy is an alleged combination to
steal the opium packages and substitute
blocks of wood for the double purpose
of getting the opium and destroying the
evidence. After 800 pounds had been
removed the plot was discovered. Eep-
uty Internal Revenue Collector Lytte,
whose office is next to the room in which
the opium was stored, Lawyer Stone
and ,Janitor COmiSky were arrested on
the charge of conspiracy and theft.
Gardner, who had given bail, was sub
seauently again arrested at Chicago
while trying to sell the orium. He
had been dickering with China
men, who went to a customs
officer to see il it was all
right, and tthe officers saw
that it was smuggied. John G..
Haines, a prominent lawyer of Seattle,
W. T., is also one of the defendants in
this part Of the case. Gardner was
brought into court at 10 O'Clock this
morning. His eyes are weak, and he
wore bandage over them. Ex-Con-
gresham Crowley, of Lockport, ap-
peared as his counsel. United States
ant Attorney Hoyt represented the
6ONOi iithSie. u July Neeo oOot'iiCN Al
an hour, and Assistant Hoyt opened the
case. relating the story of the smuggling
operations as given in the foregoing.
The first witness called for the govern
ment was j. Chandler Houghton, spec
ial agent of the treasury department.
He testified to arresring Gardner and
his cousin Ephraim Redwood and con-
fscating their trunks. He searched
Ephraims barn anu found 760 pounds
OF opium concealed amongst baled hay.
-Four trunks of opium was brought into
court and identified as cOnfiscated
goods. Albert Rowland, deputy collec-
tor at MorristOwn, was with Houghton
when he made the arrest, and corrobOr-
ated his testimony.
The government closed the case this
evening, and EX-Congressman Richard
Crowley, of Lockport, counsel for
Gardner. asked the court to direct YER
d ct of net guilty on the ground that
the indictment did not follow the Ian
guage of the statutes, and did not
charge the defendant with bringing an
article into the United States upon
which duty was levied. The indict-
ment describes the smuggled opium as
smoking opium:" lii the revised
statutes it is described as ''opium pre-
pared for smoking" The court denied
the motion. An adjournment was taken
until tomorrow morning.