The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-01-24
rns cnAno. AeA1ssr xunEn.

Mckenzie Rrsaeusssd 10 Sptss Wsrk
his Expoaure - Jspanssc Sfaverv.
Ths asrest of ex-United States Immi-
grafton inspector Thomas u. Fisher at
Port Townsend hs& Tuesday night. on
the charge Of for3tng the involvement Of
. Canadian customs of1cer to q check
and colleUting thereon $50. has brought
forth some very pointed remarks from
ID. A. Mckenzie, who used to be deputy
collector q customs 1t this port He
sid to . Post-InteIligencer reporter con-
corning the charge:
There h nothing In this charge
am satisfIed that It has no foundation and
when brought before q court will be
thrown out. I cannot figure out eny-
thing IN the matter only spite work on
the part Of some Of Fishers en-
enies. Mr.. Fisher was q conscientious,
conservative ofacer. whose fidelity was
never questioned Fisher worked up the
case In connection with which forgery
Is claimed ana. II he had not been thrown
out OF office by change In the a<iminis-
tratfon. would have brought the matter
to = final issue
Fisher viii be remembered In this city
as the person who conducted the exami-
nation OF seventeen Japanese girls who
were believed to have been brought into
this country for the purpose OF prostitu-
ton. The investigation was carried on
In the Occidental hotel and was attended
by several ministers. Rev. Jonathan
Gobel. an old missionary. was the inter-
prefer. When the accused slave-dealers
were given a hearing before Commission
err Kiefer, the women told an entirely
different story. exonerating them.
Fisher was taken to Tacoma yesterday
and q new warrant will be SWORN out on
which to take him to Oregon.
Mr. McKenzie's opinion that Mr. Fisher
Is innocent and that he Is being made
the victim OF q conspiracy Is sustained
by the facts contained In the following
dispatch:
Port Townsend. Jan. 23-Special.-The
latest explanation Of the charges against
ex-Immtgration Inspector Fisher Is that
Collector Taylor. OF Astoria. sent
tim check to Fisher when the
was on duty at Point Roberts, ana that
it was returned TO Lockwood. the Port
land lawyer. who cashed 1t and received
$3.50. Under that theory the forgery lies
between Fisher and Lockwood. The lat
ter, however, appeared before the grand
jury and testified In behalf of the gov
eminent. and SO did Fisher. for that mat
ter, and the indictment was returned In
Portland on December g. Officers and
those who were In the service at the time
the transaction was alleged to have oc-
CURED. In 1882 and 1888. say that Fisher
was never under suspicion for an instant
and that the impression prevailed that
. Portland lawyer committed the forgery.
There IL considerable mystery about the
whole transaction. The utmost Efforts
have been made to conceal the real name
or the in1ormer. who ID Canadian CTS
toms officer stationed at Vancouver.
MIR. Fishers extensive acquaintance
throughout the Northwest, his prominence
In G. A. r. circles and lower Sound poll
tics has attracted much attention. The
general opinion prevails that he is limo
cent and is the victim OF q conspiracy
looking toward his conviction for the pur-
pose OF shielding the guilty persons"