The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-03-29
Clever Scheme to Defeat the
Exclusion Law
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF BOYD
A Gang of Chinese Certificate FOrgers
In San Francisco
Copies Of Registration Papers Being Printed
and Sold In Wholesale Lots
to Chinese

SAN FRANClSCO, March 2S.-The led
eral officials here have unearthed gang
of forgers, organized to food the country
with bogus Chinese registration papers.
The ring has secured forged certificates
which defy almost the inspection of the
United States officers themselves. Its
members have included Chinese as well as
white men in the scheme, and have
already secured contract to supply 49,
600 of these bogus certificates of resi-
dence. The ring was organized in this
city probably year ago. The first inti-
nation the Government received of any
thing wrong was from the department in
Philadelphia. 1t was there learned that
dangerously accurate copies OF Chinese
registration certificates were being print
ed in an establishment in the Quaker
City. An investigation followed at once.
The Federal officers discovered that the
paper which so closely resembled that ls-
sued by the Government was beng
shipped to Oregon. At the same time
the discovery was made that the traffic
in Chinese from Victoria was increasing.
The two facts made chain which led to
startling developments. Those who were
smuggling Chinese into the United States
were planning to give their contrabands
full legal qualification to remain"
They. would not only supply them with
certificates, but for consideration would
also give to every other laborer in the
country the certificate he had neglected
to obtain or had no right to receive. The
headquarters of the ring were in San
Francisco, and it was intended to dis
tribute Is, 900 certificates in San Francisco
and Oregon. An ex-customs official is
said to be at the head of the gang of
swindlers.
Federal officers tonight caught two men
in the act of forging Chinese registration
certificates and arrested them. They
,v,lA of ha in Sfoav CHI IN,
Company, and are named Foss and
Ciprico. The Government officials claim
to have unearthed a gigantic conspiracy
to forge Chinese certificates. The Col
lector's agents have discovered that the
headquarters of the forgers are in the
city and that they have established
agencies at important points on the coast,
as we'll as in the principal Eastern cities.
Todd. an exclusions officer from the
Sound, is said to been the chief He has
a number of associates who have laid
their plans carefully with reference to
selling the forged certificates throughout
the country at a uniform price. The rate
on Chinese laborers was $50 and on others
500.
Robert Buns, Jr., says that II. L. Foss,
the freight clerk on the oceanic dock.
who has hitherto been charged with
smuggling and other offenses, is one of
the ringleaders of the forgers. and that
Foss and a co-forger-the notori GUS ex-
customs officer, Ciprico-had their plans
perfected to begin issuing certificates
today.
A photographer formerly in the service
of the Government is suspected to be one
of the most skillful members of the gang,
which embraces men named Wichman,
Greenwood, Davis, Bates, Harvey and
DeverauX.
There is probability that great part
of the work has been done in Victoria,
and that the plates from which the GER
tticates were printed are now there,
though the certificates and photographs for
Identification have been made here. The
penmau is an expert from Victoria, and
posoesse rare skill.
In laying plans to entrap the agents of
the forgers, the collector hired several
Chinese engaged in business in China
town to act as decoys. The member of
sell the forged instruments stumbled upon
one of the departments Chinese decoys
almost at the outset of his negotiations.
and it was through this blunder that
the forgers betrayed themselvers. For
days and weeks the investigations have
been pushed. and every detectives report
has shown that the plans Of the operators
were far reaching, their ramitcations
being so great as to involve several men
who formerly held places of honor in the
community.
Some of the first evidences of the far
reaching plans of the operators came
from New Mexico in December at which
time it was discovered that some of the
forged certificartes had been offered for
sale at Santa Fe. Soon thereafter the
certificates were found in Oregon, Wash
ington and British Columbia.
The paper on which the certificates are
printed is made with great care, though
apparently only an ordinary imitation of
parchment. AS fact, however, its COM
ponents are such as to show peculiar
changes under chemical tests. The forged
certificates are printed on paper that also
shows the same reaction. This fact
strengthens the supposition that the
leaders of the scheme knew the inner
secrets OF either department that manu-
.factured Government supplies, or of the
revenue department, which knows the
same trade secrets.
Katznauer was arrested in saloon to-
night. He is said to be a relative of
Banker Seligman OF New York. Green
wald is a cousin of Louis Greenwald. one
Of the Emerald opium smuggling gang.
Ciprico has an office in Wells Fargo's
ters OF the gan. OF the other men moth
ing is known.
The men arrested were found at 765
Clay street in Chinatown, the headquar-
ters of the gang. They are +. d. Ciprico
II. l.. Fossil. ID. Sullivan, Max katznauer
and Moses Greenwald.
SEATTLE WASH, March 2S.- Max
Katznauer is Victoria man and reputed
to be tue leading smuggler on Puget
Sound. Todd is said to have been col
lector Of internal revenue at Spokane.
IN OppnSITION tn pIIIIMAN