The morning call., 1893-06-21
EVADED THE LAW.
Chinese Were Run Over
the Border,
AND OPIUM PAID NO DUTY.
The Biggest Gang of SmuggIers That
Has Ever Been Unearthed i'm
This Country.
AND OPIUM PAID NO DUTY.
Special to THE MORNING CALL

WASHINGTON. June 2O.-The official
heads of Patrick Fl. Winston. United
States Attorney; Thomas r. Brown,
United States Marshal; Andrew Wasson,
United States Collector at Port Town
send; c. j. Mulkey. United States Special
Agent. and six Special Inspectors of Gus
toms in the Puget Sound district. all IN
the State of Washington, have fallen into
the official hopper as the result of the re-
ports made to Secretary Carlisle by
Special Agents Wood and Lewis.
These reports are numerous and circum-
stantial as to details and tell the story of
one OF the most extensive and successful
conspiracies ever formed 10 smugge Chi
nese and opium into the United States
across the far Northwestern boundary.
There has been hardly day for the past
two months that reports or kilograms have
not been received at the Treasury Depart
ment from Agents Wood and Lewis, and
on these reports the officials of the Treas.
ury Department have been summarily
dismissed.
The last batch of dismissals of customs
inspectors was made Saturday. but Secre-
tary Carlisle thinks the ends CT justice may
be defeated by making rubIic their names.
These officials, it is charged. by reports
received, have been doing a wholesale
business for several years in connection
with private parties in Victoria, B. c., in
smuggling in Chinese by means of fraudu-
lent certificates and permitting opium
smuggling. either by connivance or other
wise. Scandals for the past twelve or
fifteen years have attached more or less TO
thoca l. 81,
whose duty it was to guard from violation
the law as 10 the Illicit business of Chinese
and opium smuggling into the United
States. Politics never entered into it, but
the immense profit in the business seems
10 have corrupted many officials. More
than two months ago Agents Wood and
Lewis, new men from the East, were de-
tailed secretly to investigate these frauds,
with the result as stated. Uninfiuenced
by local surroundings or Affiliations they
went to work and unearthed what was re-
garded here as one of the greatest con spir-
aeies in which Government officials were
ever implicated.
Not to defeat the continuance OF inyesti-
CATION all the prominent Government Off
ciaPs names were removed by the Presi-
dent and their successors appointed with
out the usual announcements being made
The purpose was to keep the public in
ignorance that other implicated persons
might be caught.
The new men appointed in the place of
those removed were: James L. Saunders,
Collector at Port Townsend; James C.
Drake. United States Marshal; W. II.
Brinker. United States Attorney.
Other removals are yet to come and the
matter in due course of time will find its
way into the courts.
About four months ago Special Agent
Noyes of this city was sent to the Puget
Sound district by the Secretary of the
Treasury to make an investigation of the
Federal officials. and the dismissas now
announced result from his reports.
Ex- Collector Phelps, it Is said, was the
first to call the attention of the Treasury
Department to the fact that there was
something wrong. He found that nearly
all the opium seized here came from the
Northwest, and also that hundreds OF
Chinese were coming in from the same
direction.
Special Agent Moves. in discussing the
matter yesterday. said: 81 am not sur
prised that the changes have been made
because l knew they were coming. l was
the first one to make an investigation in
that district. and l found some very
crooked work.
There was conspiracy among some of
the officials. and they had been engaged in
permitting the illegal entry Of Chinese and
opium for over year, and there is no way
of estimating the amount of money they
made
During my investigation recommended
the immediate removal of several officials,
which was done, and in my report l ad-
vised the dismissal OF those removed yes-
terday. 1t was at my request that Special
Agents Wood and Lewis were sent to
review my report, and OF course l am
pleased that they have sustained my inves-