The morning call., 1894-07-28
FORGED CERTIFICATES
Scheme of Portland SharpS to
Supply Chinese.
Many Had Already Been Printed
Before the Two of the Trio
Were Arrested.

PORTLAND, July 27.-A scheme to evade
the Chinese registration law was nn-
earthed here to-day by Federal officers
They arrested man by the name of James
Reid who, when taken Into custody, COLI
fessed being one Of the principals and
made q clean breast of the whole affair
Reid and Z. Miller and man who went
by the names of Mimic and James and
claimed to have come from Baltimo ore
recently, conceived the Idea of manufact-
uring bogus internal revenue registry GER
tificates for Cinnamon and disposing Of
them to the boss Chinaman.
To put the scheme into effect they
secured a bona-ide certificate and had a
plate die cast for counterfeiting the head
of the certificate. They then set up in
type, in size and appearance almost identi-
cal with that in the original certificates,
the remaining printed matter. had seals
made like those used by the Collector Of
Internal Revenue, and putting the form
together had i stere0typed, and from this
stereotyped plate the bogus certificates
were run off, with seal and everything
else except the signature OF the Collector
and the filling in of the blank spaces
These certificates very much resembled the
genuine and it is only on comparison that
the differences can be detected. The press
work in running off the forms was done in
we'll known printing flee at night by
one of the employees. They were then
signed, Reid says, by E. Miller, the forgery
of Collector Blackman's name being very
cleverly executed.
Reid's arrest was followed by that of
Miller, who is law student. He has been
witness in Chinese habeas corpus cases
very frequently of late. and has been
closely watched by the officers on this ac-
count.
C. B. Fety, stampmaker doing busi-
ness on Sixth street. between Stark and
Oak. and who made the seals used, was
also arrested and released under bonds of
S25OO. He claims to have been ignorant
of the use to which the seals We're to be
nut. and the officers are inclined to be-
lieye him innocent. A. Burr, who en-
grayed the die from which the heading of
the certificate was cast. was also arrested
and released under $2500 bonds.
Reid. after his confession, was released
under $500 bonds. Miller was placed un-
der bonds in like amount. which he was
unable to furnish. Mimic, or James, the
ian from Baltimore, is in San Francisco,
having gone there on the steamer Sunday
evening, taking the plates for printing the
certificates with him. Reid says it was
the intention to do business on whole
sale scale Ia San Francisco, and had the
arrests not been made to-day the principals
in the work would have gone to San Fran
cisco on to-night's steamer.
A number of the bogus certificates were
found in the store of a Chinaman named
Old Joe, on Yamhill street, some of them
uartly filled out and others entirely in
hank. except that all bore the forged sig
nature of Collector Blackman. Here they
also found stencils used to stamp in words
in certain of the blank places OF the GER
t,fca tes, such as were used in the office of
the Collector of Internal Revenue. One of
these contained the word "Laborer," an
other portland. Or" and the third
-"Tssued under amendatory act of Novem-
Der 3, 1898" They also found number
of certificates for the return of Chinese
merchants, such as were used by Blum
and his gang of smugglers. OLD Joe.
while the officers were searching his store,
slipped out. and when wanted could not be
found.