The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-07-13
sER|04 CHARGES MADE.
Collector AeAdshaw, Of Fort TOWN.
send, Accused OF Using Govern
mont Money.
He Constituted Himself Brevet.
Trustee of the Funds of
Uncle Sam.

And Loaned Thorn for Various Business
Purposes. Returning the Cash Whom
He Got Ready.
SEATTLE, WASH, July s.-The charges OF
Irregularities preferred against Customs
Collector Charles M. Bradshaw at Port
Townsend, WASH, is but another chapter of
the history of the internal revenue service
of the Puget Sound district, which has been
notorioucly rotten from the first moment of
its establishment. A few weeks ago Charles
j. Wood, deputy collector of customs pn-
der Bradshaw, was summarily removed
from his position by Bradshaw, and to re-
taliato he has gone before his father. a JUS
tlce Of the peace at Port Townsend, and
made affidavits to the effect that Collector
Bradshaw has illegally used $4,000 of the
governments money for different purposes
and incidentally pocketed the profits on
contiscated opium at public sales.
Wood alleges that from the time Collector
Bradshaw took the office to June last, he
bradshaw used without authority or war
rant of law sums of public money aggre-
eating over $80,000; that this money was
taken by Bradshaw out of the safe In
various sums and used by the collector for
personal purposes; that 1t was returned at
the collectors convenience; that the COL
| lector on divers occasions, when special
agents Of the treasury department have
been here to look over his accounts, being
short and being questioned regarding the
apparent discrepancies, has, under oath,
declared that the money was due from sub
postoffices and was in transit to this city.
Wood further charges that last February the
First National bank was very hard up and
Bradshaw, to assist the institution in tidine
over Its diffic ulties took the sum of 5000
which he 10 aned the bank; that on
an nother occasion, when United States
bank examiner was upon tour of investi-
CATION, the bank was $4,000 short of the
amount which the government requires il
always to keep on hand and that this sum
was loaned BY Bradshaw from the public
| funds.
The affidavit alleges that on or about
January l5, the collector took from the safe
in his Office the sum of $1,000, which he
handed to Superior Judge Morris B. Sachs
in Woods presence; that with this money
Sachs purchased opium at public sale OF
that article which had been confiscated
that this opium was subsequently sent by
Bradshaw TO Seattle in the custody Of q
customs inspector, the latter having in
| structtons to there sell 1t to Cinnamon; that
1t was subsequently thus sold at great
profit and that out of the money 80 secured
the amount which had been taken from the
safe was replaced. and the balance divided
equally between Sachs and Bradshaw. II
is stated that there are af1idavits from both
the inspector who carried the opium mp the
sound and the Chinaman who bought it.
Wood, continuing his interesting nara
tive alleges that his late employer had q
knack OF borrowing ready cash whenever
he could catch any OF his subordinetes pos
sessing 1t. Wood says he lent Bradshaw
$500. He repeatedly asked that the money
be repaid, and that finally. to get rid OF
him no doubt the collector told him tc
take the amount out of the office receipts
and charge to his account. Wood also
charges that W. +. Hayes, the attorney. be-
$400 from Bradshaw, the latter as usual
acting as brevet trustee for the government
of the United States.
| Opium smuggling on Puget sound is
looked upon as justifable, If not leRiti-
mate, practice by the merchants in Port
Townsend and Seattle, in pretty much the
same manner that the illicit distilling ot
whisky is countenanoed in the south. Sew
eral large firms in the two cities named
make a practice of smuggling opium as
side issue, and are interested in boats
whioh carrv on the trade with regu-
larity. The temptation to avoid the
heavy duty of $l5 per pound leads great
often deacons in the church to occasionally
smuggle few hundred pounds acl oss from
Victoria in small boats which land al
Dungeness., little port on the straits OF
Juan de Fuca, and deposit their illegal car
goes with agents who dispose of the contra.
1 hou cfn ntf in InDppanf nj
Charles NJ. Bradshaw, the collector OF
customs at Townsend, is a remarkably pic
turesque character. He arrived in Town.
send, which is one of the Oldest settlements
in tho northwest, way back iu the "'6O's."
He grew up with the country, and with him
Whidley island, to which >he occupied the
interesting relation, ii is alleged, OF
'chief." In fact, the old settlers often re-
fer to the present collector as "Chief Char
ley" and recall with much amusement the
memories of his early career when it was
wife in the territory and settlers contented
themselves with "Klutchmen' or Siwash
squaws. The collector Is tall
spnrely built man with complex
ion that suggests much of the In
dian. He has n passion for ministerial
Prince Albert coats of greasy, spotted sur
| face and notoriously disreputable linen
When the present collector of customs OF
Port Townsend changes his linen the event
is regarded as being of sufficient import
ance to furnish food for conversation fol
several days.
Ex-Deputy Collector Charles d. Wood
who says all these unpleasant things about
the collector and backs his statements by
atildayits, is himself rather unique man.
When he was appointed deputy under
Bradshaw, he Immediately began to startle
the natives of Port Townsend by tho aor.
geousness of his raiment. His pale gray
suit of clothes, silk hat, aIld black sash
were a source of constant surprise to the
Iownsendites, who gave Woods the soubri
quet of "the song-and-dance deputy" on
account of his resemblance to II we'll known
type on the variety stage.
Superior Judge Morris b. Sachs, who is
implicated in some of the crookedness
which Las been charged. was elected TO the
bench on the republican ticket over yeaI
ago. He is a law partner of Bradshaw, un
der the firm name of Bradshaw u Sachs
and his reputation is not G onsdered of the
| best.
To See III There Was Torture.
NEW YoRK, July 12.-Coroner Levy statei
that he will have the body of Smiler, who
was executed ut Sing Sing, oxhumed, ant
will hold IN inquest over IL, He nssertl