The herald., 1895-03-30
FORGERY FOR THE chinese
Breaking Up of a Famous Gang
in San Francisco
WERE WELL ORGANIZED
Ciprico, Who Figured Ia the Boyd Case
Was a Party
Several Of the Prisoners Are Willing to Turn
States Evidence In Order to Get Out
Of the Clutches Of the Law.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 29.-In the
Arrest of Foss and other members of the
band, one of the most famous gangs OF
Chinese certificate forgers has come to
light And nothing since the days OF the
Boyd d-Ciprico combine has equalled it,
That com bination sold the red certificates
issued to Chinese by the custom house
in China and reaped fortune. Boyd ran
away to Australia, came back and turned
states evidence against Ciprico and
afterwards shot himself. Ciprico was
acquitted, Kip never came to trial. and
whaley fed the country. Another of the
gang died before his case was called.
There were five conspirators in the Boyd
Ciprico gang, and there are five in the
one lust landed. Like its predecessor, it
also dealt ins fraudulent Chinese certifi-
Gates. The names of the men arrested are
H; l. Foss, freight clerk OF the oeciden- n
tai Steamship Company's dock; Jas. II.
Sullivan formerly deputy County Clerk;
Max Kstzaucr q new arrival from Vic
toris, and said to be the leading smuggler
OF Puget Sound; Fernando d. Ciprico,
the man who was tried and acquitted for
NJ Greenwald. brother of Louis Green :.
wald, the man now serving time in San
Quentin for being mixed up in the oper-
ations Of the emerald smuggling ring.
They are all charged with conspiracy in
attempting to land Chinese in the United
The story Of the operations OF this band
is a long one, and the members had COW
cred every portion of the country. The
band had already established agencies at
thois 5Oss CITY gb.dsnSa Hssns LnIS Ssr
York and Victoria, and had laid plans to
do business not only with Chinese they
intended to import, but with as many as
possible OF the $4,000 unregistered Chinese
supposed to be in the United States.
Estimating that they could have reached
20 per cent of the unregistered residents.
or 16, 900, they beheld the profits of their
enterprise running far into the millions,
and they believed that their fabulous
profits would soon be enough to enable
them to bribe officials, buy juries, infiu-
penalties of their crimes. Seven Chinese
firms in this city were in partnership
with the forgers, and they had agreed to
take Is, 900 OF the certificates without much
delay.
The band is supposed to have begun its
operations in Phildelphia, where there is
a large paper factory and printing office,
the proprietors of which have undertaken
tho contract of making the paper and
shipping 1t to Portland.
The Imitation certificates have been
used and were about to be used moro ex-
OF new arrivals from China by way OF
Mexico and British Columbia and for the
protection OF Chinese now unlawfully in
the United States.
This morning the prisoners were taken
in charge by the United States marshal.
They were all very much dispirited and
refused to talk. 1t is understood that
Greenwald, Sullivan and Foss are ready to
MAKE confession. Ciprico, too, it is
said, is willing to tell of his connection
- - L.
make three charges against each Of the
conspiraors. They will be accused Of con-
spring to forge a Government document,
OF forging Collector Welburn's name and
also of violating section of the exclusion
act. which provides:
THAT any person who shall knowingly
and falsely alter or substitute any name
for the name written in certificate or
forge such certificate, shall be guilty of a
msde .neanor, and upon conviction there
of shall be fined in sum not exceeding
$1,000 or imprisoned in the peniten tiary
for term of not more than five Years. r"
With these charges against them it is
believed the prisoners will have hard
time to escape. The evidence is conclu
sive that the authorities are not inclined
to heed the offers of several of the culprits
to turn states evidence.
That more arrests are to follow in con-
nection with the certificate forgery there
is little doubt.
In fact, it is known that several other
parties are suspected, and although still
enjoying their liberty, they are being
kept under surveillance by the special
agents.
The prisoner Foss has limited to the
officers that he could put them on the
trail of a big gang Of opium smugglers
who are now operating between this port
and Victoria and Honolulu.
When the men appeared before the
Commissioner they had nothing to say
in their behalf. Attorney T. D: Riordan,
who appeared for them, waived the read
ing of the information, and then Com
missioner Heacock set the bail in the
case Of Foss, Ciprico and Katzauer at $1O,-
900 each, and that of Greenwald and Sui
livan at $4,000 each.
Mr.. Riordan made an attempt to have
the bail reduced. on the ground that two
OF his clients could not possibly raise the
$40, 900 and consequently would have to
tried. The United States District Attor-
ney objected and the hearing of the mat
ter was put over until Monday next at
p M. The prisoners accordingly had to
spend another night in Jail. but the
chances are that some OF them will get out
pected. but not arrested, are brother
and brother-in-law of CipricO and a
couple OF people now in Oregon. Ciprico
is great friend OF Foss and the pair were
often seen in conference on the dock.
man known as Opium Brown is
also said to have been in the plot, but the
internal revenue officers have not suffic.
lent evidence against any OF them to war
rant an arrest.
: From information that is now leaking
out it appears that some of the men under
arrest were not only engaged in the man
ufacture and sale OF forged certificates but
also in the opium smuggling business.
The drug was brought here from Victoria,
B. g., ,and shipped to Honolulu, where
two tive-tael cans are said to be worth $50.
When Foss got wind that the revenue peo-
pie were on his trail he telephoned for
deputy collector, saying. that he wanted
to give information of a big scheme to de-
fraud the United States Government. 10
the man sent out by Collector Welborn he
said there was a big opium deal on foot
by which the drug was to be shipped to
Honolulu by the wholesale. All the men
suspected OF being in the deal are now
out Of town, but Revenue Agents Nc
Glachln and Thomas expect to catch
them in few weeks.
If the men now in Jail are to be be-
lieved there are two gangs among last