The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-07-03
BETRAYED By PALS"
How the Certificate FOrgerS
Were Discovered.
FIRST TIP CAME TO GLEASON.
Special Agents Ran Down the Gang
Graham Furnished the Money,
Others Did -he Work.

The sensation occasioned by the arrests
of James Graham. register OF the land
Office of Occur d'Alene City. Idaho, and
Edward Rick. on the charge Of issuing
Illegal Chinese registration certificates
may be followed by stiIl further sensa-
tions of similar character.
II is claimed on good authority that
about 300 bogus certificates containing the
name of Collector OF Internal Revenue
Lyman, of Montana, have been set afioat
by the gang OF which Graham is said
to be the head, and from the movements
OF the government officials there is reason
TO think they have some information of
a gang believed TO be working North
ern California and Southern oregon.
1t seems from today's developments
that the government officials have been
working diligently on the Graham ex-
posture since the first of May. collect
ing evidence with which TO break up the
ring" and convict the guilty parties.
Had it not been for fear that some OF
the men under suspicion were going
TO escape from the country, 1t Is prob
able that the arrests would not have
been made so suddenly.
Deputy Collector of Internal Rev
enue James p. Gleason. of Seattle,
is credited with being responsible for
the detection and arrest of Graham
and Rick. How he FIRST obtained
over in the country east of the noun
tains is a matter of conjecture, but
1t is known positively that he got
hold of man who is claimed TO have
worked on the bogus certificates under
the direction of Graham. From this man
and an accomplice, affidavits were OBJ
tanned implicating Graham as the man
who furnished ail the money to carry on
the nefarious work and to whom the
forged certificates were delivered,
Mr. Gleason Immediately reported the
matter to the department at Washington
City, and Special Internal Revenue Agent
w H. Marlborough was dispatched to this
city to consult with him about the mat
ter. Marlborough went to Spokane. where
he saw the man who had worked on the
certificates. and from him obtained con-
firmative information duplicating Graham.
He then went to Couer d'Alene and con-
fronted Graham with the evidence of his
completely in the conspiracy. 1t is said
that Graham tried to explain matters, but
could not do so satisfactorily to the gov
eminent officials and in consequence has
been aware for some time that he was
liable TO arrest at any moment.
At this time Special Agent Schuyler was
called into the case and Instructed to look
up additional evidence. In case any of the
suspects attempted % leave the country.
he was to Immediately swear out warrants
for the arrest of all aginst whom there
was tangible evidence Schuyler obtained
Information a few days ago that led him
to believe he had better act quickly, and
consequently the warrants for Graham,
Rick Harry Tilton and w. Floyd Pollard
were taken out.
1t is supposed that there were about
twenty people mixed up in the forgeries.
the principal ones being Graham and an
ex-Chinese inspector we'll known on puget
sound. The arrest of the latter may oc-
cur at any time. The others were merely
subordinates. who were hired TO copy sig
natures and do other work in connection
with the forgeries. Marlborough and
Schuyler each made three trips to Spo-
kane in connection with this business.