Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-01-08
SMUGGLING CHINESE.
STEERING THE PRODUCTS OF CHINA
ACROSS THE BORDER.


There are just two commodities in the
contraband line that are handled here
opium and Chinese. These are compare
lively bulky, and in the east, where the
country is better settled and has less dense
forests and more customs officers, they could
not be brought in with the same ease that
they are here. There are few regions that
offer the physical advantages to smugglers
that the Puget sound district does Ac-
cording to the United States coast survey,
there are SO6 miles of shore on Puget
sound, and nearly all of it is thickly
wooded.
The line between British Columbia and
the United States winds around in a VERT
able archipelago. On one island a hun
dred Chinese can land undisturbed, or a
whole shipload of opium can be dumped
off without fear of penalty; on another
island, perhaps only short distance away,
to land Chinese or to put off opium is a
serious crime. To amply guard all these
numerous islands, straits, inlets and BAYS
the government would be obliged to main
tain whole regiment of inspectors and a
fleet of vessels.
On the sound, as in all localities near the
boundary, there is a certain under feeling
that it is no crime to smuggle little, pro
viding you are not caught Very few peo-
pie will hesitate to go across the line and
buy some article on which there is duty
and bring it over secretly if they can.
Many Of the professional smugglers think
that it is all right to swindle the govern
ment, and with the single exception of
smuggling they are as honest as the best
citizens.
NOT ENOUGH INSPECTORS
There are forty customs officers, includ-
ing collector, deputy collectors, inspectors
and clerks in the Puget sound district.
Nearly three-fourths of that humble are
inspectors. In the larger cities there are
two or three inspectors, who have regular
shifts; in the smaller ones one man is re-
quired to watch day and night Every
regular steamer coming from Victoria and
British Columbia ports has a United States
customs inspector on board, and every
train crossing the boundary carries gov
eminent official on the alert for opium, the
principal article handled by dealers in con
traband goods.
But for several reasons smuggling has
not been stopped. The number of inspec-
tors is entirely insufficient to guard all the
numerous islands, each covered with jun
gle of vegetable and forest growths and
very thinly populated. Another reason is
that the temptation is so strong and the
prospect of gain SO great that reputable
citizens and even customs officials them
selves often connive at the nefarious bust
ness.
The regular market price of smugglers
for bringing in Cinnamon is about fifty
dollars per head. Sometimes smuggler
who is hard up will bring in bunch of
them at reduced figures, but they seldom
go below thirty dollars.
The routes utilized constantly vary, but
the methods are in the main the same. A
white man goes to Victoria and finds Ce-
lestial, generally a 'highbinder," with
whom he makes arrangements to take
"over" a certain number of Cinnamon at
certain rate. Then he tells the Mongolian
where to bring the Cinnamon to board his
boat at night. Usually he cannot handle
over dozen, and nine seems to be the ia
vorite number. If the smuggler runs into
customs inspector before he gets rid OF
his Cinnamon he will find himself in the
United States penitentiary at McNeil's
island in very few days.
KILLED FOURTEEN TO SAVE HIMSELF
Larry Kelly, notorious smuggler, is
said to have confessed to fellow prisoner
that he once murdered fourteen Cinnamon
by hitting them over the head with club
one by one and throwing them overheard
rather than be caught with them on his
boat. He had powerful glass, and saw
the revenue cutter in pursuit a considera
BILE time before he was overhau!ed.
There is one large island in the sound
near the boundary, where there are be-
tween 800 and 400 Chinese, and it is next to
impossible to pick out contraband China
men after a boatload has landed. If the
load of Mongolians is to be landed in city
a confederate on shore tells the smuggler
when and where to make the landing.
If Cinnamon are to be brought in by
land they leave the Canadian Pacific rail
road at almost any station near the border.
By previous arrangement they go into the
woods, to elude the possible inspector on
watch, and here meet the man who is to
bring them through. Then, travelling by
night, they follow some trail or railroad
through the thick woods until they reach
a town where there are other Cinnamon.
In daytime they camp in the most secure
place they can find, while the smug9ler
goes out to buy food,
It does not cause any especial excite
ment in town if the smuggler's business
leaks out, but he usually tries to keep it
shady He has friends along the route to
whom he goes for Information about the
movements of customs officers. Some
times he succeeds in standing In with some
freight conductor OF brakeman and gets
the use OF box car to carry the China
men through. Cinnamon are very seldom
Struggled on the sound passenger steam
ers.
HOW OPIUM IS HANDLED.
But the greatest amount of smuggling
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