Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-08-05
SMUGGLING THAT PAYS
How Cinnamon amt Opium Are
Spirited Into This County.


from Caueda Without Pay
ms Duties
Smuggling is an offense of great an
.4uifg and one that many OF the reNo-
.stiouafv fathers oad carly settlers of
lie country pciorto she historic boston
"a H#uN. we're wont TO commit us 5re-
saeatlY rs the opportunity presented
'#sr.f. and the excessive duties made 1T
profitable As late rs the latter part
a. the eighteenth century the Snug
cling Of vine, liquor. tobacco and bul-
s.ou WAS SO generally practiced in
Great Briiain rs 10 become 4 kind OF
national falling and the smuggler
s,as often regarded as n popular hero.
The maximum penalty for bringing
.llo the United States dutiable articles,
ss.th intent to detraud the revenue,
Is i've thousand dollars fine or two
Gears imprisonment, or both, in The
discretion o5 the court, and for aiding
sad aheusup the importation of Chi.
a.lnau one thousand dollars. or one
years imprisonment. The degree OF
punishment an offender gets depends
lpon lhc circumstances OF the case. The
auuaclcr also ioricits his goods.
There is Il large body OF men system
aticaHy engaged in smuggling China.
men and opium on The Pacific coast and
the Canadian frontier. The men who
successfully engage in this business
must be peculiarly adapted TO il. The
first qualification is ingenuity enough
TO invent ways and mems, second, dis
honesty 10 the degree of defr0uliug
ths government. yet with sufficient in
te2iity and honor TO Justify the import
ars IN iutrusting to their care hundreds
and sometimes thousands OF dollars
worth OF opium. II is a popular fall
lacy that any man who is dishonest
enough and VIII assume the risk can
make money at smuggling. Ii he has
sufficient capital he can buy opium in
Canada and possibly get it across the
5arder, but IL is practically impossible
20 sell il without detection. The deal
ers III The United States will not buy It,
nor receive il, from anyone save their
trusted agents.
According to statistics there are
about one million human beings in tho
l'uited States, principally Mongolians,
addicted 10 the habit of smoking
opium. Il is prepared in Hong Kong
~ q syndicate Under The surveillance
Of the Chinese government. Prepared
opium has the appearance OF black
molaascs. 1t sells in CHM for about
even dollars per pound. and the duty
under the present tariff law is six dol
lors per pound. Formerly the duty
VAS twelve dollars per pound; it was
,hcn that the smuggler reaped q
harvest
The methods Of smugglers are too
numerous TO relate, but suffice il to
say that the government has 10 main
tain an army of detectives and spoilers
TO suppress them. The detectives who
render the most valuable service are
those stationed at the places from
whence the goods are imported. They
speed the parting guest and give the
"tipn to the detectives Mt the object
i've point. who welcome the smuggler
whenever the opportunity presents il
self. Conviction speedily follows. as
the United States statutes place the
burden Of proof on the smuggler TO
show that the opium was NOT illegally
imported The Detroit river is enc OF
tne most favorable points for sirug-
Cling on the frontier, but thanks to
the efficiency Of Special Agent Wood
one Of the cleverst officials IN the serg-
ice, il is practically broken up. The
&nugglcr usually crosses the river III
q row boat md drives by conveyance
TO some small station near Detroit,
where he boards the train for New
York or chicago.
The smuggling Of Cinnamon is very
profitable, but difficult. The Chinaman
VIII gladly pay one hundred dollars
10 be safely landed. Cinnamon were
for some time successfully imported
bg bringing them over in the state
rooms OF sleeping cars; woman's at
tine aud blocl, faces have been resorted
10. 5at thc pigtail usually discloses the
! Chmaman's identity, and this he vii.
rot part with, owing 10 the supersti-
tious belief in IL "a means to get him