Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-07-24
THE OPIUM CONSPIRACY
Indictments Found Against Customs
Officers and Others.
Frauds Discovered Through an Investie ation
Made by Secretary Carlisle-Violations
Of the Chinese Exclusion Act.

A year or more ago informa ton reached
the Treasury Department that opium in
large quantities was smuggled into the
districts OF Puget Sound. Washington and
Willamette Ore. Several seizures were
made by customs officers, one upon the
steamer Wilmington upon information fur
nished through the consul at Victoria.
b. c.. resulting in the seizure Of that YES
sci. which was one OF two steamers owned
by the Merchant Steamship Company OF
Portland, Ore, the other being the Hay
tan Republic.
n. Blum and w. Dunbar of Portland ap-
pear to have been the principal owners and
managers of this company, and their prin-
clpal business seems to have been the
smuggling Of opium and the illegal landing
In April last. upon information received
at the department that Chinese were be-
Inspector Noies was sent there here, with in
p'0ns oa the ssSfa'e sSsjecf His snd report 6f
Chinese and opium were landed through
the corrupt connivanee OF the custom oftic-
rough Investigation of the matter.
Secretary Carlisle's Investigation.
Accordingly he sent Special Agent Edwin
o. Wood Of Detroit and Special Inspector
Chas. E. Lewis of Suspension Bridge to
Portland and the ports of Puget Sound
districts dis with INSTRUCTIONS to quietly obtain
those officers responsible for these irregu-
larities. The investigation has brought to
70 defraud the revenue and to violate
the Chinese exclusion act that has yet
been disclosed: Proof has been obtained
osmss of the smuggling GTE,Ih by the the two vessels
months of about eight thousand five hun
s dupes would Gd eum Se UPON than whSh s
I The S STe>ed Of t@noias asout duf,@s Iae'
the se npmSss ansed q sy wh sdn
sion with customs officers upon false an
davits. flaiming said pers&,ls TO be mer-
done orders ware the e9
ury DepArtment to colectorA OF customs
to disregaNd affidavits Of ChinNse claiming
that a regtar business was cafrie1 on in
the manufaAtgre OF such attida5ts for the
purpose Of Ninging Chinese laborers into
the country il violation OF the INV.
I3dIcfnents Found.
\ The depart4ent has been advised that the
gyand jury/f Portland. upon information
lafS>hefSS< them by the United States dis
trict attorney. secured by Special Agent
have lately also had the cooperation OF
Special Agent Leslie Cullom. have found an
indictment against fifteen persons for con-
spiracy, eight of whom are ex-custom off,
GERS: James Lotan. late collector at Port
land; G. j. Mulkey, late special agent for
that district: Inspector Paddock. Porter
Patterson. Capt. John Ross, Thos. Berg, w.
Dunbar, y. Blum, Jacklin. Garthorn; also
two indictments each against Blum and
Dunbar, one each against Garthorn and
Jackling for smuggling opium and Chinese
No Politics I'm 1t.
Efforts have been made TO create the i'm
preston at Portland and in the district oi
Puget Sound that these prosecutions ara
due to political motives and that they were
used simply as means for the removal oi
collectors at Portland and Port Townsend
before the expiration of their terms. The
facts found by the grand jury are regarded
by the depart rtmeut officials here sufti-
cient answer to these statements. The Sec.
retary of the Trea asury and the Attorney
General are, it is stated, determined to use
all the means within their power to bring
to justice the viclators of law in these
transa actions. and to put an end to the
shameful practices which have for years
given those districts scandalous notoriety
in the country. If the collectors recently
appointed to those districts fail to enforce
the law and put an end to official corrup-
ton. Secretary Carlisle says other officers
will be found with the disposition and cour-
age necessary to the accomplishment OF
that purpose.