The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1896-12-01
A BIG HAUL N 0UNB A PORTUGUESE DAY WILCOX IS A BQIR
FOUND IN GOODS OF A LOCAL
COMMISSION FIRM.
One Man Arrested But Gets Bail--A
Defense-Bold Wholesale Importa-
tion-Tins in Dozens of Boxes.

tion-Tins in Dozens of Boxes.
The biggest opium seizure since the
capture of the schooner Henrietta was
made by Custom house officials this
morning. The stuff came in 1874 crack
er cases consigned to the Washington
Feed Co., new firm doing business
below Luce's auction rooms, Fort
street.
BY the Mt. Lebanon Sunday morn
ing arrived the consignment of crack
ers from the Portland Cracker Co., and
one hundred cases of salmon from an
other firm. This morning S. Lowdon,
one of the partners in the feed firm,
called at the custom house and swore
to an entry for the goods. After the
opium was discovered he was arrest
ed on the charge of importing
opium, "but released later upon fling
bonds in the sum of $1,000.
After Lowden had signed his entry,
instructions were given by Port Sur
veyor Stratemeyer to Inspector
Schneider and the four guards under
him to carefully search the boxes
Rumors had reached the customs Of
ficials of a shipment of opium in lot
of soap imported by the same firm,
which occasioned the order for a
special search
The first box opened contained four
the bottom second box containing
fifteen half-pound tins of opium.
When this discovery was made the
whole shipment of freight was con-
fcated and removed to the custom
house. Lodwen's arrest followed.
In a warehouse at the customs de-
partment less than four dozen of the
cases were opened and 4S0 tins of
opium were found. Over a hundred
| of the eases remain untouched.
The Washington Feed Co. is a firm
of commission merchants. A part OF
| the cracker shipment was for j. II.
Waterhouse, w. NJ. McChesney & Son,
Wing Wo Chan & Co., All Leong, Lee
! Toma and others. The names of these
parties appeared under that of the
| Washington Feed Co., designating to
whom the crackers were finally to be
delivered.
4 visit to all of the firms gives the
total of their orders as 166 boxes OF
crackers. This leaves eighteen boxes
consigned to the Washington Feed Co.
and marked as above, unaccounted for
These all presumably contain opium
Allowing for those unopened sixty
tins to the case, which is as they seen
to run. it would show a total of 1,0S(
tins. Undoubtedly there is just eX
actly 1000 tins, or 500 pounds, in the
shipment.
The process of packing the opium /!
exceedingly clever and only a mos
thorough search could possibly revea
it. In each large case are four ord
mary 25-pound cracker tins. a sec
ong tin box about three inches wide
and made to fit the bottom contains
the opium, fifteen tins each. Owe
these the crackers are carefully ar
ranged and the cover of the outer con
tainer is pasted down and labeled. Al
this work was manifestly done at th'
factory.
The part of the Washington FeeC
Co. in the transaction is best know
to the members of that firm. Mr.. A
l.. Morris, with Mr.. Lowden in tn,
business, denies stoutly any knowl
, edge of the opium and asserts tina
they have been imposed upon by out
side parties.
The Feed Co. claims, through
Messrs. Lowden and Morris, that som
one made the shipment under tn
firms name and took chances of rescu
ing the stuff after getting it through
the custom house.
Someone has lost a pile of money
perhaps as much as $4,000, on thi
opium, and the first watch of custom
guards have captured the fines
Christmas present they care for thi
year.