The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-10-07
DISCHARGED ATLAST.
..laputy Inspector Simon Is No
:. longer ON the. Payroll.
-Four Mouths. of Abused Power-Accussd of the
!. :. Larceny of Money and. opium-Thomas
- :. stamp Frauds Revived.

rs. Simon, Deputy Inspector of the In
#. 4ltnai Revenue was dropped from the pay
.I6lf-yesteydaS morning and dismissed from
tie: 81 fvicei In the afternoon he appeared
finont his. satellites in Chinatown and an
=pGtuced his dismissal, which he character
f:zq,i<aSthe " work" Of his "enemies."
:: Last evening he appeared again in China
town and.0n the much-frequented pr0men-
AIDE in front Of the Baldwin. His face was
bsaming He fairly bubbled over with
coed news. to the effect that "some one I"
had recommended him to Collector of the
Port Phelps for the position OF seareher or
inspector in Chinatown, with the special
mission to ferret out struggled OPP m,
Such are the three chapters of crisis in
this mans career. The first is the tardy de-
movement Of a course of petty larceny in
China'o own and an abuse OF power. The
second was his realization of the fact that
he had so long cOurted with impunity. and
the third was shadow of the gathering of
the forces that had held him so long in
place. when it was at least a questionable
Foley 10 retain hun. But the third chapter
will hardly terminate in his favor.
THEFTs OF OPIUM AND MONEY.
- Ex-Deputy Inspector Simon was in the
internal Revenue Service aboutfour months,
as one Of Collector Quinu's most recent ap-
p0inJments, yet he has made more of a stir
in Chinatown than those who had been
there for wears. Nor was the stir wholly
complimentary. He had been accused time
and again by Chinese merchants with thetts
OF opium and money.
While Simon cast suspicion on himself
to such an extent that his telloW-inspectors
hin Tho lrG
and have refused TO do 50 time and agaln, he
was retained in the service for 10 reason
any one dared to assign. 1t was rumOred
tUaU the strength and interest Of the opium
ring had something TODD with this.
The Thomas stamp forgeries are still IN
the public mind, though many Of its details
and tile names Of the persons mostly mixed
up may have been lost ere this. There
were 5000 of the stamps forged by a China
man named Wong Gee On at the request OF
one Lee Gee, who aid him. Simon dis
covered the tOrgeres, and the two CHINA
men were arrested. RnmOrS Implicated
Thomas rs the man who had prompted
Wong Gee On to make the fOrgerieS, ana it
was even said Thomas had written them
himself, aud had given them t. Wong Gee
On to sell.
SIMON THREATENED WONG GEE ON.
In the County jail Wong Gee On con-
fess'd under a promise of immunity made
by Special Agent Evans, that he made the
faTgeries at Lee Gees request, and that nc
white man was implicated. Simon was
then placed in the inqutSitiun and ques-
toned about his connection with the case,
and the reason of his 0verZsal.
He pEofessed honest purposes, and the in
Ye-tigaliUu, the results of which were never
made public, was dropped, though it may
be that il led to his dismissal yesterday.
When Wong Gee On was discharged from
the County Jail he declared IN an interview
with CALL reporter in the presence OF
several witnesses that Simon and Lee Gee
had told him, when arrested, to turn the
evidence against Mr.. Thomas" BE even
threatened to send him TO San Quentin if he
did not.
q 4at interview was published with sew
eral,tharEes TO the effect that Simon had
committed petty larceny of opium and
honey and The wonder was that he should
have been detained a day on the payroll
WHO Is THE ''sOAIE ONE?
Tie fact is, Simon had pull, all the
stronger for being invisible, and the Special
Ageucy ef the Treasury is anXi0usly wait
ing to learn whether anything will come of
his declaration that some one" had recon-
neEded him 10 Collector Phelps as China
tbwu inspector
Chinatown received the news of the dis
niSsal with pleasure, as the honest opium
dealers want to feel sale from thetts by
Government officials when they enter under
cover Of authority, and Chinatown, too. is
looking toward the Custom-nouse to see
What Collector Phelps Will do with the In
sppctor VINO has been discharged from the
Internal Revenue service. 1t IS undeIstO0d
the pTdeT Of discharglng came from Wash
IngtOn City.
'Ex-Deputy Inspector Simon, though di-
vested of a shadow of authority yesterday
morning, was heard to say that he would
make a raid in the evening on certain Chi
uese merchants for opium, but previous u
his going to Chinatown the police squad and
prominent merchants were told of his dis
charge, and if he attempted such a thing it
viii be apt to 60 hard with him,