Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-04-14
CHINESE SMUGGLERS.


The Trouble they give Uncle sans Few
nue. Officers In Frisco.
The customs officers of san E,'li
cisco have to deal with some at IT,.
most artful smugglers in The Wur.d
The chinese are Il race of >mUr@irr>
and there is not people on earth NOR
fertile in rXpcdicnts to cvnd" tn" rev.
enuc laws Their Stolid impressive" Il,
mcanor serves them admirably IN then
contrablnd operations. for thor a.
tiunS seldom afford. as j. the cas-" irr.
qucntly with white people amy ground
10 SUSPECT they are trying IL pltrIr'r
fraud They have taught ia" >allp.
men of til" white race the >hrrW!r>,
trick practiccd on Uncle sans llN
gathcrcrS and are never caught in one
device without being ready with al
other one equally ~ hard I" dri"'t.
Before the influx of Chinese llhprrr'.
WAS stopped. Il Mnngul. looking a. 80
all his years were acquainted with un!i
poverty AMI toll. would sometimes r',
To sneak ashore with Il dirty OIL blouse
stuffed full of fine silk handkcrrhrls
and ScarfS and Indian neck ShaWl>.
The Chinese garment for cold weather
is u quilted blouse or tunic. with
heavy Killing Of cotton Silk hIndkrr.
CIlltIS ihllE ti-ll' anu INV ~ Nih--''
blouse would sometimes contain Il val
liable invoice.
Sometimes d"murr Chinese maiden
would step ashore with tn" thick S,'r~
If her shoes stuffed with silk \ wlu.c
Convey arrived some years ago with
their shoes stuffed in this fashion. An
inquiSitivc inspector had his attention
attracted to the extraordinary thick
ness of III" SoleS and made an inv">li
CATION. which resulted in VALUABLE"
seizure.
To man the Chinese crews ON The
steamers plying between San Frau
cisco and Mexico. South America AMI
the Orient are smugglcrS. They hid"
rhCir contraband goods in tn" nddrSI
places Imaginable aud get them 1<hrrc
past the eyes of the customs Ollie, r. ia
ways that almost battle lrtrCIiOn
They have brought opium Skiirul'f
stuffed in bananas still hanging T." th"
stalk and in oranges. one day ahou.
six years ago Il Chinese dressed H. 81
cook walked lci>urrlN down the gang
plank of Pacific Mail steamer with
basket on his arm containing several
loaVcS of bread. He Shuiilrd righl lay
I customs house officer and would have
got away all right, but on the wha
tamc int" collision with II drunken
sailor. Th" sailor. who was ru hllm .
gave til" Chinese Il violent shove. sen
ing him >prawling and scattrru. H.
bread loav"S. \ policeman iurrr,rr",
md noticed that one of lii" lnIN. hi'
broken open. II" started t" cNamiW
md the Chinese started to- rum Every
loaf was filled with opium.
Chinese have been Directed with
boxes of the drug drfrly bound III H.
,hcir queues or tied under their ara
Every bit of baggage and every :''
Gle they take ashore is II hiding pl lc.'
Beams on ship ana table legs have
been followed out Us r"cCptIcir> 4
contrabanI opium. False huttIIiiS A.,
put in cuhby holes and pantry DRAW
erS. Hiding places are sought in coal
bunkerS and under the engines ana
boilers The methods of secretion ~.
so varied and ingenious that frWuC-n
ly the officers are unable To find ~nu@
gled opium. even after they have drii
Mite Information that it Is aboard Il
vessel. Only recently the officers fail
ed to find Il lot. although they knew
positively that it was on board. How
ever. keeping the closest watch un
everything that left the ship. they
finally intercepted the opium as ii was
being taken ashore.