The morning call., 1893-07-25
Profits of the Portland
Smugglers.
ABOUT ss5,0o0 REALIZED.
The Collector and His Subordinates
Passed In About 1900 Con-
traband Coolies.
Special to THE MORNING CALI.

WASHINGTON, July 24-The treasury
is informed that fifteen persons-eight of
them Federal officers-have been indicted
at Portland, Or. for smuggling Chinese
| and opium into the United States.
Supervising Special Agent Tingle says
he thinks the Government has good case
against the indicted men. The latter claim
it is merely a scheme of administration
officials 10 trump up charges against them
in order to remove them from Office and
appoint Democrats in their places. but the
department has been convinced for several
months that there was a ring of smugglers
on the Northwest Pacific Coss. and ever
since Inspector Noyes was sent there to
investigate and reported that the Portland
Collector and his subordinates were i'm
plicated. and since the reports of nspectOrs
Wood and Lewis were received. there has
been no doubt in official circles here at all
that the right parties had been caught.
Mr.. Tingle says he regrets as much as
any body that he had to perform the dis
agreeable work of detecting these officials
in their dishonest practices. but he was
bound to perform his duty and will push
the case to the end. Tingle says the Col
about $50 per head for each Chnaman
brought In, and the revenue" derived
by these enterprising officials from this
source must have amounted to about
SS5,00O.
1t is believed that the majority of these
Chinese were admitted Oh fraudulent
afidavits. but the amazing thing about the
whole smuggling operations of the officials
is that they not only required the China
man who was candidate for illegal entry
to pay $50, but Cinnamon who were per.
mitted to enter as we'll. The Collector
allowed the Chinese to land under de-
cison of the United States Supreme
Court that the Chinese who were domi-
ciled here and who had returned to China
might be allowed to return provided they
could secure afidavits Of reputable citi-
zens that they had right here.
Mr.. Tingle says that at Victoria the
smugglers had regular headquarters where
these bogus affidavits were made out and
signed with fictitious names. acknowledged
before mythical notary public and a
counterfeit notarial seal affixed. In a
great many cases the photograph Of the
Chinaman was also attached as means of
Identification.
Tingle has estimated that there were
$500 pounds OF opium smuggled in. the
duty on which would have amounted to
100000. 1t was very difficult matter to
catch the boats with the con !raband stuff
on board. Several times they were
searched. but the boats had unloaded In
the river.
The Government has been working on
this case diligently for months, and only
succeeded at last in making cases against
the fifteen indicted men by means of some
of the guilty ones volunteering to turn
States evidence. When it was found by
the others that this evidence would be
turned again st them, there seemed to be a
general desire among dishonest officials to
become witnesses for The Government in
the hope that this might secure them i'm
munity from punishment. The several
members of the gang fell over each other
in their anxiety to become prosecuting
| witnesses.
1t is said at the Navy Department that
| Admiral Harmony's recent retirement. for
| which the department has been criticized,
was in strict accordance with his written
request. He cabled the department from
Hong Kong March 13, asking to be ordered
home and retired upon his arrival in the
| United States. He suggested juno as
| the most convenient date for his depart
ure. In letter of March occurs this
sentence: And upon my arrival in the
United States. which fact will report by
telegraph. that may be placed ON the re-
tired list. as authorized by the statutes,
having served over forty years continu-
ously in the navy Of the United States"
April "a the President approved the ap-
plication, to take effect upon the admiral's
arrival in the United States, which was
June 26, as reported by the naval agent at
San Francisco, and an order was issued
placing him on the retired list. The next
day the admiral telegraphed his arrival
and asked to be retired June %, but 1t was
i'm posi- BILE to change the date as the order
had already been issued and mailed to him.
| The Grand Jury has found true bills
against Colonel Frederick C. Ainsworth,
Chief Of the Record and Pension Division
of the War Department.; William W.
Dant, contractor employed to make the
exca vation Of the electric light plant; w.
F. Covert, superintendent. and Francis
Sasse. engineer. holding them responsible
for the old Ford Theater disaster last
June, in which twenty-three persons lost
their lives and large number were In
| jured.
The Marine Hospital Bureau Is advised
by one Of its surgeons that, despite Ital-
ian assurances to the contrary, cholera
continues at Naples. averaging three case.
daily.
A cable from the Consul in Senegal.
Africa. says that cholera prevails there.
From Jamaica comes Information of de.
velopments in the scheme for an English
syndicate to develop the fisheries of the
| Caribbean Sea. especially in ana around
the island Of Jamaica. The capital is
100000 An agent Of the syndicate /. in
Jamaica endeavoring to secure concessions