Evening star., 1896-07-18

Opium smuggling lS q great business on
the Pacific coast, and. Notwithstanding the
tireless efforts Of the Treasury Department
officers. this business Is still carried on to
an extent that is astonishing Opium Is of
two kinds-prepared and crude. The pre-
pared cen be used for nothing but smoking.
On this there was duty Of $12 pound
under the Mckinley tariff. but 1t has been
reduced to IS by the Wilson bill The
treasury officers admit that practically all
while the Mckinley tariff was in force was
smuggled. At present. with the duty at
one-half Of the Mckinley tariff. smuggling
still continues. as prepared opium can be
purchased in Chinatown for a little more
than the cost price in Hong Kong or Victo-
ria, b. c.. where 1t is manufactured. Most
OF the opium smuggled into this country
Is manufactured at Victoria. and ii nat
urally gets across the line by the nearest
and most available routes.
Puget sound. with its many harbors, In
lets and streams. affords landing places for
all sorts of smuggling vessels. and its
numerous islands. with rocks and crags
and dense woods. offer the smuggler safety
from pursuit. Not only do these heavily
he smuggler himself. but they also enable
him to safely store away his contraband
goods when hotly pursued. One Of the most
common receptacles for getting opium
trunk which Is checked as baggage and
generally goes through unsearched Satch-
els and small parcels of every description
are also made use Of by the smuggler. and
OF Its inner parts and filed up with cans of
opium valued at 5000 Even the most in
nocent-looking flower pots have been made
. to serve the smugglers.
To q man the Chinese crews on the
steamers plying between San Francisco and
Mexico. South America and China, are
smugglers They hide their contraband
goods In the oldest places imaginable and
ashore nf tha
toms of1cers in ways that almost battle de-
lection. They have brought opium skillful-
iy stuned in bananas still hanging to the
stalk and in oranges A Chinese cook walk
ed ashore with several loayes of bread filled
with opium. Chinese have been detected
with boxes of the drug deftly bound in
their queues or tied under their arms
Every bit of baggage and every article they
take ashore Is a hiding place.
Cheated the Government.
In one invoice Of Chow" or chopped
vegetables over $4,000 worth of opium was
confiscated, and in one lot Of hardware
samples" a seizure OF the drug valued at
5000 was made. At that time Secretary of
the Treasury Folger was of the opinion
that one ring Of smugslers during its exist
ence had cheated the government out of
more than $4,OOO.OOO In one venture syn
dicate with $lOO0OO capital made $500. 1000 in
Ing the trial of smuggling case in San
Francisco United States treasury officer
testified that during the previous ten years
over $6.OOO,OOO worth of opium had been
smuggled into San Francisco
The Chinese resort to all manner of de-
vices down to false heels and soles to their
shoes. Some time ago 500 worth was
seized IN the hump" of an alleged hump
back. customs boat is nearly always
stationed under the wharf during the stay
of China steamer. and from time to time
the officers see planks, pieces of scantlniR
ana tins with floats attached thrown over
board for some waiting boatman to pick
up. When seized they nearly always prove
devices for smuggling in the costly opium
Ine planks and scantlings have long auEur
noies bored IN them; these are filled with
the drug and then carefully plugged up
lnnocent-looking boards are taken from a
steamer and laid carefully to one side on
the wharf They are not there long, for
presently some watchful eye has discovered
them and they are quickly 'sneaked of"
These are likewise full of opium One of
these dummy planks four inches thick by
fourteen wide arranged to contain several
served In the surveyors office at San Fran
CISCO.
Opium has been discovered In the hollow
IRON stringers Of steamers. in the false bot
toms to the chain lockers and the hollow Of
the iron masts. Opium has been covered
with Oil cloth and slowed away in the ship 8
hilge 1t has been found in the tubes of the
polers inside the vessels skin, and 1t has
Deen brought ashore In pockets on the per-
son and In hats upon the head 1t has been
discovered behind panels in the staterooms
IN partitions. strung up in sausage skins
IN table legs, in false bottoms in cuddy
noies and pantry drawers, In coal bunkers
ana under engines and boilers, in the folds
OF extra sails, in the steerage stateroom
In barrels Of picked salmon, In mats Of
rice and In every nook and corner of the
vessel Va ZIG
Recently. when one of the large steamers
vas on the dock for repairs, numbers Of
mattresses were thrown on the wharf with
the apparent intent of letting them air
They were discovered to be stuffed with
some OF the finest silks that had come into
tcat port. The government was defrauded
put p Oh more tnan $ISoOOO by firm who had
toweling'
Along the Canadian Border.
Smuggling is not confined to the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts. but extends all along
the Canadian border. The smuggling of
clothing. silks. jewelry. whisky, tobacco.
butter. India goods. opium. ETC.. is conduct
cd on very extensive scale across the
Canadian border from Maine to the state
OF Washington. Buffalo. N. Y. has become
known os the head center of a complete
ana profitable system Of swindling. Where
dollars worth Of dutiable property IN
brought from Canada by rail q thousand
COLLARS worth IL shipped across Niagara
river In skins between midnight and day
break There are saloon keepers in that
city who buy in Canada every gallon Of
tho spirituous liquor which they sell. and
they always know Just where to find par-
ties TO smuggle cask or two across the
river. 1t II only about a mile from shore
to shore. 'e
The smuggling at Detroit which is the
second best point along the border. is mere
~ bagatelle In comparison with Buffalo.
during the winter. when the lake ts frozen
teams are driven a distance Of twelve mile.
upon the Ice. and not one load In fiftv is
overhauled. Most Of them contain smug.
gled goods Suspension Bridge. Ogdens-
burgh. Richford and st. Albans, VT. and
Ell Paso. Tex. are also famous points for
smuggling. especially for Chinese Iaborers
Recently car load Of hay was sealed
and passed across the border ..in transit.'
to the United States After arriving at on.
OF the large towns on the border In ths
United States a hidden trap door was
opened In the bottom Of the car and twen-
ty-three smuggled Chinese laborers slid ont
and departed for parts unknown
Professional smugglers find their bust.
ness so profitable at times that they devote
their lives to the study Of how thew NAV
defraud the revenue. and when It is con-
sidered that this class of persons sre