Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-01-03
OPIUM SMUGGLING GANG
An Interesting Story of Their Opera
tiOns.
Boss Harris Growing Rich on the
S5,000,0O0 a Year
Cleared by the
Syndicate.

CHIoAGo-An interesting story is
printed of the operations of the opium
smuggling gang, one of whose leaders,
Capt. Durant, so narrowly escaped from
the customs officers as Sand Beach, Mich.
week ago. The correspondent says
Derant and his lieutenant, Chss. Weitzel,
are living in style at the best hotel DIT
Sarnia and are lionized by the residents
of that little Canadian town. The cor
respondent had a long talk with them
recently. They have been smuggling
opium for the last two years and have
successfully landed hundreds of thou
sands of dollars worth of the costly drug
on the other eide without being detected
But this last consignment they took over
was discovered and seized by government
detectives and it came near costing Capt.
Durant his life.
-Four detectives waylaid him in the
woods at night, took him at great dis
advantage, aud tried their best TO end his
life by standing ten feet away and firing
twenty shots at him In rapid succession.
But Capt. DuranG mas a charmed life and
he made his escape without injury. just
how Capt. Durant became smuggler,
says the correspondent, Is not known
and he will not tell. In fact, he at first
vigorously denied that ne had ever en-
gagged In such dangerous aud ADVENT
uresome business. Finally his denial by
saying he had never seen an ounce OF
opium In his life, and if he had ever had
anything to do with Transporting large
quantities of the drug 10 packages across
the border it was his own personal bust
ness. One thing be was sure of, and that
was that although ho had once been ar
rested for smuggling and acquitted for
lack of evidence, he could openly defy
the Government officers to prove him
guilty. But every one around Sarnia
knows him to be one of the most daring
smugglers who ever exchanged shots with
customs house officers. They also know
that he Is one of the trusted agents of
rich Syndicate that was organized several
years ago for the express purpose of
smuggling opium into the Uuited States
from the manufactures at Victoria, B. @.
The syndicate has $5,O00,OO0 behind it
and is largely controlled by @. j. Josiyn
of Victoria.
Joslyn, among She smugglers is known
as "Boss" Harris. He is Immensely rich
and makes no effort to conceal the fact
that he is the biggest smuggler in the
Dominion. He always has large bank
account here, and he has told the cashier
of one of the leading banks that he and
his associates had made millions ont of
opium. As an illustration of the big
money to be made out of the business
he said he brought down a consignment
of opium from Victoria to Sarnia and
employed two men to carry it across the
river to Port Huron, whence it was ship
ped to California. The men carried the
drug, which was packed in tin cans, in
their GOAL pockets and rode across the
river on the regular passenger ferry
boats. Although customs officers are
constantly stationed on the ferries, the
men who transported the drug were not
detected, and the entire consignment
was carried over in less than a week.
Within four weeks from the time the
drug left Victoria by this cIrcuitous route
1t was safely delivered at San Francisco.
The United States Government was de-
frauded out of 100000 duties and "Boss"
Harris pocketed $4,000 as his share of
the profits. Outside of money risks he
takes no chances. That is, while be is
willing to risk the danger of having his
valuable cousignm ents confiscated, he
never ventures across vhe border, for he
knows that big price has been put up
on his head.
People here like him very much, for
he spends his money freely among them.
Almost any of them are ready and will
ing at all times to render him assistance
in secreting contraband goods, so as to
throw the detectives off the track, and he
pays we'll for their services.
Another active member of the Harris
gang, as Mr.. JOslyn's syndicate of ex-
pert opium sn.ugglsrs is generally called,
operates under the name of Spencer. He
attends 20 shipping the goods from Vic
tOria. A rich San Francisco merchant is
said TO be prominently identified with the
syndicate, a man for many years in the
i'm plOy of the United States Government
as an interpreter of another mexnber. A
Toronto Chinaman and Opium Pete" of
San Francisco comprise the rest of the
syndicate. Beside these there are
large number of agents, whose duty it is
to look after the cousignments after they
leave Victoria, showing them from one
point to another in the Dominion. trans
porting them over tbs border, and then
reshipping across the state to Califor.
MIA, covering up their tracks in such a
clever manner as To successfully elude
tuS Wy llduCe OF the cOStOmS Otdc5rS.
Chief among the agents are Capt. Durant
and the Weitzel brothers. Charles and
George. Both of the Weitzel boys are
now ia Sarnia, and together with Capt.
Durant are awaiting Instructions from
BOSS" Harris, who has been informed
by telegraph of the ssizure of his goods
last week.
The value of the combined product of
the factories in British Columbia, the
headquarters of the Harris gang, is es-
timsted at S5,000,O00, per annum, and of
this more then 80 per cent. goes to the
United States. 1t is believed that less
than 10 per cent. of it passes through the
custom hoases. The gang operates not
ouly at Sarina but all along the Northern
boundary of the United States as we'll
Capt. Durant told the correspondent the
story of his meeting and fight with the
customs officers in the Michigan woods
1t did rot differ materially from that al
ready related by the officers. He claims
the ambush was plot to murder him and
said he is not through with the men con
cerned III it yet. He thinks, however,
that he will be more comfortable on the
Canadian side Of the river than in the
states for some time to come.
IN GREAT LUCK.