The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-03-20

II IS Alleged that Capt. Blackburn
Struggled Opium.
The Amouns IL ~f3. eoe- Reads II
Sss,o0o Furnishe<i and the
Weasel Released

At 5 O'Clock yesterday afternoon
United States Marshal Hamilton took
possession OF the Pacific Coast Steam
ship Company's steamer, the walla
waila. This act was done by virtue
oil libel issued by the United States
district court upon an information
llei by W. III. White. attorney for the
United States. at The instance Of Leslie
CuIlom. collector of customs AT Tort
Townsend.
The libel has two counts. One al
leges that on February 10th at Victoria
the Walla Walia then en- route between
San Francisco and the Sound. took
aboard $40 pounds of prepared opium.
This was valued at 5000. tits further
alleged that this was done with the
knowledge OF Captain Blackburn. the
master OF the NaIla Walla. This
opium was landed at Tacoma on the
18th instant. The packages were
marked .sauerkraut and were con-
signed to u. Light. Ellensburg
She second count sets forth that on
February % the Waila Waila took on
board at Victoria, with the knowledge
of tie captain, $50 pounds of opium,
valued at $500. II was marked "Skid
Grease" and was consigned toJ. Dark,
EIlensburg. This was landed at
Tacoma on February ~.
The amount for which the vessel is
hbelled is SIS, 600, and the reason IS
that the opium was not on the vessel 5
inward manifest.
The hearing of the libel will be in
the district court on April 4. at IL
O'Clock. and the owners have been
cited to appear at that time to show
cause why the vessel should not be
condemned and sold, in order that the
government may secure the SIS, COO
penalty. alleged TO be due for violation
of The statutes.
The opium after it was landed at Ia
coma was seized by the custom house
authorities. In the meantime the
Walla Walla had gone to San Fran
cisco. When she arrived at Port
Townsend a few days since she was
seized by Collector of Customs Leslie
Cullom.
As soon as it became known that
the vessel was hbeled, Mr.. III. Nc
Lellan, Puget Sound superintendent
for the Pacific Coast Steamship COM
pany, consulted with Col j. G.
Haines, attorney for the company,
about raising bonds to the amount of
$26, oO0-twice the amount for which
the steamer was Ebeied--to secure
her release so that she could sail for
San Francisco at O'Clock last even
ing. Shortly after o'clock the bonds
were filed with the United States dis
trict court and the vessel was duly re-
lieyed and left for Port Townsend at 8
O'Clock last evening, the usual time.
Col. j. G. Haines was seen last eve-
ming in regard to the libel and said.
THE libeling of the Walla Walla will
not amount to much. The govern
ment must prove that there was an in
tionai omission of these packages of
opium from the manifest. and it can
not possibly do this. 1t has also to be
proven that the omission was made for
the express purpose of defrauding the
government, which of course il can
not do When the case comes up i'm
court, do not think the United States
can do great deal.
United States Attorney White yes
terday morning stated that the gov
eminent could prove that the opium
was brought from Victoria, and there
fore the omission of it from the inward
foreign manifest was prima facie evil
dence that 1T was struggled in know
ingly. The coastwise manifest, said
Mr.. White. has nothing to do with
this case, as only goods and nierchan-
disc shipped from one port to another
in the United States is placed upon
that.