The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-03-14
A HARDENED CROOK.

said q. +, Reed. G. +. Reed is perhaps
one OF the most remarkable criminals
in any American prison to-day, Ho is
at present serving $50 days in the coun-
ty Jail on nine charges OF land frauds.
Reed has had q career in crooked prac'
tees extending all over America. And
yet he makes tho boast that no never
took n drink OF Intoxicating liquor in
his life, never smoked u cigar, aud
never but once admitted TO his con-
tidence q man who drank, land that, y
said Reed, accounts for my being in
jail ior the first time in my Lie"
Reed and his partner, Hamilton, were
placing claims on timber lands in
Washington and doing u confidence
game there when they came to grief.
Hamilton went free; Reed went to jail.
lie is very far from being an ordinary
man. His father served three terms in
the United States senate and was thrice
the governor OF one OF the states OF this
Union, and his uncle is one OF the
greatest silver men in America to-day,
OF course it is easy to understand that
Reed is not his name.
~ know but two things we'll" said
Reed yesterday. zone is smuggling
opium, the other politics, But with all
that | can say tr%uthtully | never took 4
cent dishonesty from an honest man
in all my life. OF course | operated
that timber steal very successfully in
Tacoma, Seattle. Portland, Denver aud
San Francisco, especially in the latter
place, where | cleaned up $4,000 in
thirty days, but the men who were in
went in with their eyes wide open,
knowing that they would have to wear
to the lie that they had entered into no
contract when they proved up, and
they were everyone scoundrels, willing
and anxious to rob the government,
Tho scheme IS to get some one to take
up 100 acres OF timber land, agreeing to
give us $40 for Il trouble in locating
them, with the understanding that
they would get 500 in Tor months.
They wanted 10 rob the government
and we robbed them. We used to
place timber claims amounting to from
100000 to 100000 Of feet n year val.
ued at from 80 cents to 81 q thousand
on the stump.
"But that is all through with, and my
dream now is to got out OF hero and 90
into politics and opium again. There is
more excitement in either one, espe-
cially opium. and l long for the chase
OF the revenue cutters again.
Those were great old days up or the
sound, when | used TO fool the CXCise
officers, and l want to get back to them
again. You know, smuggling is per.
fectly legitimate up there, providing
you are not caught at it. Everybody
around tho sound s%muggles, and some
OF the wealthiest men have made their
money that way. Why, Just look at
the figures: Opium is bought in Vic.
toria at from S. % to So 70 q pound and
the duty, OF course, is saved, and it sells
at $40 in Seattle and Sl4 in Portland, SIG
in Butte and $40 in the Sandwich
Islands.
"Of course ! had quite a large hand
and foot both in that sort of work and
many q time on a dark night have run
under the prov Of tho cutter without
being caught. They were after me very
warm for u long time, but they never
caught me but once, and that was for
switching the dummy
Switching the dummy simply con
sists OF selling q man q trunk OF fine
opium at say 50 05 a pound, and when
he comes to take it off in u boat give
him a trunk full OF sand instead. Sand
is cheap on the sound. Icame pretty
close to running navigation on the Co
lumbia river that way. used to SNUG
gle in Cinnamon, too, and got S95 apiece
for every one Of them. Many q time rs
/ rowed along with mufEled oars from
San Juan Island l have heard the whi2
OF u bullet close to my ear and the cry
OF halt which was never responded to.
"Oh, yes, about that switching the
dummy story. 1t was a German and q
Frenchman, and they wanted to be
smugglcrs. l sold them $50 pounds Of
opium at 81 u pound, which they in
tended smuggling. Out in the middle
OF the Columbia river they opened the
trunk and discovered the switch. They
dumped the sand, told tho revenue
o%lTicera about my dealings, and but for
tho influence that was back OF me !
would be in the pe%nitentiary there now.
"But / believe" continued Reed, with
q merry CLEAN in his eyes, that l cut
Il bigger figure in northwestern politics
than anything else. l am remembered
there as tho only man who ever beat
the Australian ballot system. l beat it,
but they arrested me and put me under
$4,000 bonds. You know they laugh
at n man up there when he comes mp
and says: Il control 100 votes They
give him the horse laugh aud cay
prove it, then got your money
"Well, when they adopted the Aus,
tralian ballot | said to the managers
4 can control 80 hobo votes in n ward
aud prove it, and / did.
Capt. Crews and Sheriff Durchinell
drow closer at this speech and prickGd
up their ears.
"You know" continued Reed, "wher
We started out with tho system the
voter had to present to the polling Off,
GERS q descriptive certificate OF his no.
gistration. On doing this he was given
M official ballot, and that Is the only
way u voter could get one. Twas duly
registered and had my certificate, sc
with six good men, well instructed,
went down to vote.
II put my men outside tho polls tc
start a row as soon as they saw me gel
my official ballot. They watched, anC
Just as soon rs they saw me start in the
private booth they began an %uproariouI
fight. had my official ballot, and in
the meleo 1 slipped out unnoticod
Then / went to q quiet place, made on
my official ballot as l desired to have i
voted and gave 1t to tho hired voter
He put it in his pocket, went to the
polls with q dead mans certificate o
registration and was given an otlicia
ballot to mako out aud vote. lIe Their
retired to the booth, apparently tc