The morning call., 1894-06-29
HIS HEAVY TRUNK
How a Clever Smuggler
TriCked Officers.
A Private Detective and Special
Agent Made an Important Dis
cOvery on Pine Street.

Private Detective T. W. Macfarland re-
Gently gave Information to the Treasury
Department through Special Agent
PheHix that nearly led to the appre-
hension of the man that was a few days
ago arrested in Spokane Falls for attempt
ing to smuggle $1,000 worth of opium into
the town in trunks. The individual
worked at San Francisco very success
fully, but was too clever to be caught
mapping.
One day an eXpressman came to Macfar-
land and said: There's a man who has a
wagon that stands up on Pine street who
acts very funny. / think he is in with a
gang of smugglers."
Mcfarland made an investigation and
discovered where q big ring had been
operating for months in novel manner.
In the 600 block on Pine street lived a
lady and her husband who volunteered the
following story to the officials. Special
Agent Phenix having been notified and
given the facts in the case by Macfarland:
drove up TO our house with large trunk.
The latter WAS addressed 10 our care, and
the expressmau said that the owner t1ld
him to say that he would call and rant
room later We had front room 10 let, so
mt the trunk in il. Sure enough, at
middle-aged gentleman rang the door-bell,
and introduced himself as a Mr.. Cooper Of
Victoria.
"'You received my trunk. 1 suppose
said he; now l am here to get a ROOM
''He paid his rent, and for several days
kent the Apartment. He acted in The most
mysterious manner, going and coming at
night with a small h8nd-satchel, and say
ing nothing to any one about his private
affairs.
Zone day during his absence my husband
and | entered his room, and took look at
the mysterious trunk. 1t was an ordinary
drummer's affair. and very heavy. We
concluded that our roomer was travelling
man.
"Our roomer went way, taking his trunk
with him. he returned several days later
with a different trunk, and said that he
had sent one OF his sample cases to Santa
Cruz had received another. and was deter
mined 10 stay in San Francisco few days
longer.
gage for him, aud suspicion dawned upon
us that the owner of the wagon was the
same person we had noticed who had
made a stand on the corner near our house,
and apparently never got anything TO do.
Midnight trips were OF great frequency
with our strange host, and gradually we
began TO suspect something We did not
have much Of an opportunity to brood
over the case though, DbcduSe tue stranger
went away in a few days, leaving nothing
but a wash tag and an old strip OF paper
with a name on 1t.
'Soon after he vanished the queer ex-
pressman and his team no longer occupied
the old stand.
my husband, who is acquainted with
Mr.. Macfarland, then gave the informa-
tnn to him to make the best Of"
Detective Macfarland took the strip OF
paper and the wash tag TO Phenix and
the latter had the detective watch the bag
gage depots for trunks addre essed to out of
the-way lodglng-houses.
1t was discovered that trunk checks had
been received by mail by the Pine-street
party and it was learned that tickets had
been purchased al Seattle and Victoria for
San Francisco by persons who had never
used them.
The mans name was learned and all the
evidence possible that could be secured
against him obtained, but while proceed
ings were being pushed the news was tele-
graphed that the party was captured at
Spokane as recited.
The clever smuggler must have had ac-
completes in the north who sent the trunks
10 him, then mailed the checks, thus sue
cessfully swindling the Government out of
about $4,000 In duties.