The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-12
LIKE A SNOWFALL.
How the COntraband Ring
Melted Away.
PEEPS BEHIND THE SCENES.
Barrymore and His Gang Had &c Soft
Snap" in Smuggling Till They
Fell Out.

has beeh the Reed Whalley- Farwell. COM
bination. I his combination. ii is now def
Dlteiy known, has persisted as the result of
disintegration and the shy methods of
r0gueIy of its members. which have not
only been applied to cheat the revenue
system, but to lniure one another.
Notwithstanding the bonds of secrecy
which bind The surviving members of this
BOW defunct organization, Tumors have &C.
caslonally sifted through to the outside
world concerning its troubles and former
operations, but little if any public notice
has been given the matter until the
recent Investigations ordered by the Treas
ury Department were nstigated.
Lately the disappearance of several
ku0wn-tO-be smugglers from their accus-
toned haunts. the exit of Whalley. of whom
much is known, and Reed. OF whom little
has been learned, the presence in this city
recently of Bennett Farwell, an English
adjunct of the ring, with woebegone face
ard tired eye and conspicuous absence of
ne elitteTing four-carat diamond, which
usually signaled his coming even on the
darkest night. have aroused suspicious in
tho minds of the watchful.
The visit in transit of dozen or more
small fry" smugglers seeking pastures new
mas allEaGleu the UOAlCc VI tue
officials, and some unknown agency was
credited with thu power of having made II
so warm for the illegal trafhckers that the
latter were obliged to abandon many of
their enterprises of great pith and mo-
ment" and 20 where they might not attract
the attention of the revenue service.
As early as 1884 a smuggler named Zen
frau WAS known 10 the Canadian revenue
officers.
ZenfTau distinguished himself by success
F,,ll brir rrfr rth Of
The Canadian border into the United States
IN 1856, but since that time and up TO year
or more ago he was not seen on the North
American Continent, having Teiurne ed to
England, where he spent the proceeds of
his illegally acquired wealth In riOt0us liy-
ing.
Coin ran short and Zenfrau, who had
learned TO live according 10 the customs of
a lord "to the manner born" began to find it
difficult to borrow enough MT ney to sup
port him in his chosen career OF a sport.
He set his brains TO work TO concoet
scheme to make another raise. de soon hit
upon a plan.
One Charles Barrymore, who boasted of
& title, an estate and more ready sovereigns
thar are generally possessed by the average
Englishman, readily agreed TO invest lew
dueats to form ring TO bring Chinese INTO
the United States.
Victoria, b. c., was selected as a basis
for operation, ana Detroit, Mich, and places
chosen a distributing points.
The plan was originally to bring 1000
Chinese into the United States, the bulk Of
the CeleStials TO be added 10 the population
OF New York City.
An agent was dispatched 10 China pro-
vided with circulars printed in Chinese
for careful distribution among the travel
ing public of the Flowery Kingdom.
1t cost Barrymore and Zenfrau nearly
$1,000 TO have these advertisements and
Uamullets of In StTuctiOU pTintPd.
The agent of the smugglers was urged
To be exceedingly careful TO whom he gave
his circulars and was authorized to secure
the service of Chinese TO represent the COM
bination in China.
This was the origin OF the extensive Chi
Rese smuggling into this country. The ring
kept taking in new members and foolshly
admitting outsiders into their confidence.
The first scheme, just explained, was a
failure. The failure had Its ludcrous side.
II seems that the Chlnaman who was
employed TO get up the circulars for Barry
more and Zenfrau Instead of composing the
circulars he was paid TO do filed the
smugGlers' pamphlets with glowing adYer-
tisements of New York and San Francisco
Chinese restaurants and gambling games.
This story, however, has never been au-
thenticated.
The seed of contrabandism having been
planted firmly such small reverse as the
failure of first attempt" did by no means
discourage the growth of tie ring. The
Barrymore combine became more and more
powerful and was known under a dozen
euphoniOus titles.
Crooks and r0usrabouts took to snug
CLING. Custom-house employees were bribed.
Every sound steamer carried its contingent
of small-fry smugglers, and even the freight
clerks and purseTs OF those vessels talked
glibly about the profits OF steering China
men and Carrying dope"
This was in the palmy days of the boom
In the Northwest.
Soon there appeared upon the field of
action certain cunning, inscrutable persons
who always managed to keep in the dark.
These individuals constituted collectively
what's known as the "Victora-Port Towns
end opium-smuggling ring" a mysterious
combination of dishonesty and capital
which has TO this day deied the joint Gus
toms services of Canada and the United
States.
No enc knows definitely of what class of
mankind this smugglers' ring is composed
but the public has been repeatedly Informed
by our inadequate coast guards that the
revenue service IS in possession Of clews
ana clews, but as Mark Twain says, you
cannot hang a clew for murder" no more
can you indict 1t for smuggling.
But light at last has come out Of darkness,
as far as The Chinese smuggling branch of
this ring is concerned at least.
Last February Barrymore. he Of the
sporting inclined nature, inheritOT OF landed
estates and hacker of Zenfrau, came TO San
Francisco.
he left track of aliases In his wake
Oakland. He unfurled a brand new ban
ner" to the breeze in every town that he
stopped AT.
He entered San Francisco as Barrymore,
just plain Barrymore and nothing more. No
titled Lord" nor Duke" preceded the
ancient name of his forefathers.
He stopped at the Princess lodging-house
for few days and attempted to gain
favor with the ladies. He hadn't much
money, so had to move to cheaper quarters.
Several days later he came into the West
eTn Union Telegraph Office and asked for a
cable blank, which was handed him. There
was troubled look on his face and his
manner had not that repnse which stamps
the caste Of We're de We're"
Twenty-four hours later he was on mis-
way TO Mexico A few months later along
came Sim Reed.
Rumors galore have been flying around
about Reed. He did not come in the inter
est Of the ring" or to meet Vreeman. as
reported. No. the investigation up north
was getting too warm for him so he left for
Mexico also. Others followed, until scarcely
one of this ring is left to engage In the
smuggling business over the border.
There was surely something back of all
this mysterious dispersion of smuggers
and further investigation into the cause
OF the scattering of the clans unearthed the
full history OF the gangs troubles.
To Farwell Is attributed the downfall OF
the combine.
BY combining their capital the smugglers
managed to raise $4,000. and another ex-
petition was planned against the restriction
act. The scheme this time was TO bring
Chinese In via Mexico, and II is claimed
that plans were so openly made that it is
impossible that representatives of this Gov
eminent In tho north could not know OF
the movements of the principals.
Reed was treasurer, and distinguished
himself by cashing forged orders signed by
FaTwell, who played q double game and
worked the Government and the ring also.
Then Malcolm spent 500 chasing Farwell.
This occurred before any steps were taken
10 carry out the original plan adopted by
the crowd.
Barrymore got frightened aud drew down
his stake. leaving Reed with no coin but
owner pro TEN. of several thousands of dol
lars worth of opium en- route, part of which