The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-10-02
OPIUM TOOK WINGS
AND DISAPPEARED.
But Sixty-six Tins Were Found
SnugIy Tucked Away.
Clerk Admits Ownership-Store Watched
For Three Days-The Man Who Wanted
Lucy Was One of the Coterie Arrested.

Information was obtained on Tuesday
last by one of the special officers that
large quantity of opium would be
delivered to prominent Chinese firm
on Hotel street some day during the
week, but the name of the firm could
not be ascertained, merely the location
was furnished and with that in hand a
watch was kept in the vicinity.
Yesterday afternoon while the spe-
cial was watching at the corner of Nuu-
anu and Hotel a truck driven by a
Chinaman, passed by and stopped in
front of the store of Hong Lung Kee,
a dealer in merchandise and drugs.
Before the officer could reach the spot
the case was removed from the dray,
put on a small truck and wheeled into
the store. From the street he could see
it taken inside and it is his opinion
that it was removed to the back of the
store and there disposed of.
Not being provided with a search
warrant the special was obliged to
visit the station house and then send
to Kakaako butts for Deputy Marshal
Hitchcock. During the delay there was
ample time to remove the box to
place of safety for when the warrant
was issued and placed in the hands of
KEGS place on Hotel street and could
find no trace of the case.
Directly the officers entered the store
one of the number was told to search
the upper floor. When the top land
ing was reached the proprietor of the
store emerged from room and asked
what the trouble was. Without an
swering the officer entered the room
and fonnd another man reclining on
bench. ( The room was redolent with
the odor of opium and the men ad-
mitted that they had been smoking.
A search of the place revealed two emp
ty lichee nuts that had contained OPT
UNI, two cooking needles in a bucket
of water and the bowl of an opium
pipe, but no stem.
Returning to the lower floor gen
eral search was made without oppOsi-
ton. Some tea boxes on a high shelf
attracted the attention of Lieutenant
Kekai and a ladder was procured in
order that they could be examined.
The first one taken down contained
forty tins if the best grade of Hong
Kong opium, but the other boxes on
the shelf, while bearing the appearance
of having contained opium quite re-
Gently, were empty.
the front of the store the officers pro-
ceeded to the office and had the pro-
found there and the command was Civ
en- to open drawer in a table. No
one was present who had a key, or if
they had would give it up, so it was
forced open with hatchet and six tins
of dope and a bag containing s211.25
was found.
Wee Sing, proprietor of the place,
spoke in Chinese to his clerk and the
latter at once admitted that the opium
and money found belonged to him. A
still further search among some boxes
of drugs under the counter revealed
fiat box containing twenty tins of prime
quantity of the stuff. Everything in
the store was turned over, but nothing
more was found and the men found in
the store were lined up and taken to
the station house. Among those ar
rested was Wong Tat, the reputable
Chinese merchant who came here from
San Francisco TO get DosSessiOn of
Lucy, the runaway Chinese girl
The prisoners were held in $500 bail
each for a hearing this morning.