The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-28
MORE OPIUM SEIZED.
The Dope Coming to Light in the
Coal Cargo of the Puebla.
Forty Tins Found Yesterday The Puget
Sound Gang Decentralization the
Secret Leaked Out.

The opium-smugglers in the Pacific Coast
Steamship ring" received such a scare the
other day when the City Of Puebla was
boarded by customs inspectors off Point
Reyes that they made a mistake which may
| not only break up the ring and land some
OF the members ia prison, but which will
cause them to lose about $4,000 worth Of
opium.
The success of the Inspectors who boarded
the Umatilla on her last trip here and the
arrest of Stewardess Raenbach, who was
carrying ashore false bottom basket con-
tanning a lot of opium from the City Of
Puebla, led Collector Phelps to believe that
reports of the existence Of Puget Sound
route were true. Then he had information
from Port Townsend, given by one Of the
Puebla's crew who was discharged, that the
steamer had $1,000 worth of opium aboard.
The inspectors made a very diigent search
of the vessel when they boarded her off
Point Reyes. but did not discover any con-
traband opium When they arrested Mrs
Raenbach they became more confident than
ever that the Port Townsend information
was correct.
BAGGAGE FROM PUGET SOUND.
When the baggage from Puget Sound was
searched and discharged, Inspectors Moves
and Holmes found, after checking it off on
the manifest, that three packages of per-
sOnal effects shipped from Seattle, and con-
signed TO Mrs. NJ. MARSHALL Of this city,
were missing. The inspectors at once came
to the conclusion that some thing was wrong,
and asked the freight clerk 10 let them
Inspect the packages. The freight clerk
al paIently became ratified and Stammered
forth the information that they had not yet
been taken off the steamer. Moves and
Holmes knew that all the baggage had been
taken ashore, but nevertheless went aboard
the steamer with the clerk and searched in
vain Tor the packages.
No one aboard the steamer could account
Tor the disappearance of the packages, but
The inspectors had a theory, confirmed by
the discovery Of S1400 worth Of opium in
| the engine-roOm, as recorded in The CALL
| Of yesterday. Baggage from American ports
along Puget Sound is rarely searched, the
| officials being content to examine that from
| Victoria.
A BOGUS MRS. MARSHALL,
The smugglers knowing this shipped the
three packages, which we're nothing more
than cases filed with wood, to fictitious
Mrs. Marshall" When the steamer
reached Victoria the $1,000 worth of opium
| cases were opened and the contents thrown
| into the furnace. The cases were then
| hled with opium and the smugglers con-
| fdently expected the San Francisco III
| SuectoTS 10 pass Them without inspection.
| When the customs Cfficers boarded the YES
| sci off Point Reyes the smugglers knew
some one had tipped off, the fact that
| opium WAS aboard, and not wishing to have
| the three cases seized at the dock, broke
! them open, stored the opium in the engine
| room and in the steamers cargo of coal aud
! then burned the wooden cases in the fur
| mace.
Collector Phelps is very retieent about
The matter, but has ordered his inspectors
| TO see that all the coal is taken out of the
| steamer and at the time TO search through
| il and also 10 look through the steamer for
| the remainder Of the 5000 cargo Of opium.
As a result Of this order Inspectors
| Holmes and Mckenzie discovered and
| seized two lots of iive-tael tins, 20 in each.
! in the coal slowed away under the forward
| hatch OF the Pueba This, with the S1400
| seizure reported in yesterdays CALL and
| the $40 worth found in possession of the
| Stewardess, raises the total OF the haul to
| about $1,000. The indications are that the
| Puget Sound route will have to be aban-
| doned by the opium ring "for good and
| ALL"
At11 o'clock last night all the cargo had
| been discharged, but no further discovery
| of opium had been made. Inspector Holmes.
! however, set relays OF men TO work shifting
| the coal in the bunkers. a task which will
hardly be completed before noon to-day. 1t
| ia believed that about 200 tins OF opium still
remains In the ship and these are expected
10 be found when the last lot of coal Is
turned over this morning. number Of
cunningly constructed hiding places in the
firero0m were discovered last nj ght.