The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-02-05
LAI YUEN.
Fifty Thousand Dollars Worth
of Opium Seized.
After an All-Night Hunt Inspector Noyes
Finds the Drug in Free Warehouse
An Evening Chase.

There are now in the hands of the Custom
| house authorities nearly 200 cases OF 'chow,
in which are packed tins of prepared opium,
| the result of a seizure made by Inspectors
| Noyes and Patterson. Inspector NOyes mad
charge and directed the movements OF MS
| posse, and to him is due the success OF the
search after the drug.
That there had been q remarkable case OF
smuggling, in which a large amount oil
opium was delivered on shore, came to Hgat
last Tuesday afternoon when the Appras-
ers reached the part of Sang Yuen's conslgn-
ment left for examination. 1t is customary
for tenth part of all invoices to be held
by the Customs authorities for examination
and appraisement, and this is chosen from
the goods in the most promiscuous manner
possible to insure the best appraisement.
When Sang Yuen's goods, 30 cases in ALL
| arrived on board the j. D. Bischoff, twenty
one cases were set aside and the rest al
lowed to be landed. 1t was taken ashore by
Swayne q Hoyt, Custom-house brokers. In
due time the invoice was reached. This
was on Tuesday.
THE BEST OPIUM
The cases were marked as 'Soi," a sort OF
jelly. on top. 1t was put up in cans. Alter
taking off the top row board was found
fastened midway in the box, and at first 1t
was thought that method Of packing lad
been resorted to to keep the upper cans
from bearing too heavily on the lower row.
Taking out this partition, there was found
a double layer of tins of an altogether differ
ent shape, and evidently containing sol OF
another sort. One of the cans was opened,
and the sweet sorghum odor that greeted the
noStrllS OF the searching officers showed that
lind of an extraordinary nature had been
made.
Collector of the Port Phelps was in
formed and made an examination. Ten OF
the twenty-one cases were opened, and 1ve
were found to have opium tins. Each case
contained twenty-five pounds of the Lal
uen opium, the best HOng-Kong drug
valued at So pound. winch would make
$500 worth revealed, or $1,000 worth oil
opium In the number of cases left Tor IN
spection. The matter was put in the hands
OF Inspector NOyes for investigation, and he
gathered about him several assistants, IN
GLIDING Inspectors Patterson and Mclean,
and, at the direction of Chief of Police
Crowley, Officer Glennon was added.
TRACING THE DRUG.
Proceeding at once to the office Of Swayne
q Hoyt, brokers, it was ascertained that
Sang Yuen had given his address as IL
Brenham place. A visit to that number
failed to find the willy Chinese or his drug,
but the information that an eXpressman
named Thomas Clarity had taken the con-
signment from the water front TO China
town was soon forthcoming Clarity was
looked up and closely questioned. lie adj
mitted having taken the stuff to 707 Pacific
street and went with the officer to the place.
Inspector Noyes broke a window-pane
and pulled aside the bar that held the door
in place. No one lived there, but a search
revealed forty-iive packages marked rs. y"
A watch was placed over the seizure and
the posse disbanded. Clarity went away at
the same time and was soon seen to 60 into
his house. From that moment his every
movement was watched. Early yesterday
morning he emerged from his home and
started on stiff walk for the water front.
his steps were shadOwed, and from street
to street until he reached the place where
about month since the drug was first
landed he was kept under close sur
Vigilance. At the same time the Clerk who
landed the goods was being watched.
Their movements drew the watching Of
icers' attention to the Atlantic Free Ware
house, on the corner of Battery street and
Broadway, and they Immediately concluded
the drug must be stored there.
THEY WERE THERE.
Hardly had the doors of the warehouse
opened when Inspector Noyes, who bad
been watching all night, entered and asked
after the Sang Yuen goods. They were
there and were readily pointed OUT One
hundred and twenty-five cases were fount
packed partly in sol, partly in pickles aud
some of 1t in nuts and sauces. The whole
amount was then coufscated to the United
States.
In the two cases at the Appraisers Build
ing, the f0rty-iye cases found at 707 Pacific
street and the 125 cases III the warehouse
191 in all-are about 200 pounds. The Lai
Yuen opium Is worth SIS pound al Hong
Kong brings So a pound duty and sells al 81
profit, or has a value of So pound in this
city. This makes the seizure worth about
$4,000, if the unopened cases hold out as
well as those already opened.
That the law fixing the amount 10 be with
held for inspection at 10 per cent is faulty
is being freely stated among Custom-house
officials and employees. Sang Yuen, by sac
rIicng about $4,000 worth Of his drug could
save S60,C00 worth ana have ample time TO
deliver il beyond the reach of the inspectors.
His abOrtive attempt at smuggling in this
ease is not due to any fault of his except
that he might have subdivided the consign-
ment and got away with il in parcels. No
one knows the whereabouts of Sang Yuen.