The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
Traffic in Certificates on
a Gigantic Scale Is
Discovered.
Enterprising Sharpers Purchase
Papers of Mongols Leaving
the Country.
After Bling "Doctored" They Are Sold
to Coolies Who Are Com.
ing Unlawfully.

SEATTLE, WASH, Dec. 24-Tne United
States Governm ent officials have unearthed
another gigantic fraud in connection with
the Chinese certificates. Hundreds OF
Cinnamon have gained entrance in an un-
lawful manner into the United States, and
unless the Treasury Department at Wash
ington City takes immediate steps to pre-.
vent Cinnamon on leaving the United
States from taking with them their GER
ti6cates the wholesale fraud will continue.
Three Cinnamon are now in the King
County Jail and will be prosecuted for
forgery. The others will be deported on
the next steamer leaving for China. They
are but few mem bers of an organized
gang who have made thousands of dollars
by the unlawful work. How far the fraud
has gone the Government officials do not
know, and it will be long time before they
will know. The Cinnamon who have
come into the United States because of
the fraud practiced are now scattered
about the country. Tney have what on
the face appear to be genuine certificates,
and if arrested it will be almost impossi-
BILE to prove them guilty without coming
to this district of internal revenue.
The fraud is the cleverest that has yet
been practiced and it was only by accident
that it was detected at all. Five China
men showed up in Port Townsend a few
days ago who were for some reason sus-
pected of being unlawfuily in the United
States. They had certificates in their pos
session, however, which bore the stamp of
the Collector of Internal Revenue for this
district and were apparently all right in
other respects. A Deputy Internal Reye-
nue. Collector from Portland arrived later
with duplicates of the certificates in the
possession of the detained Cinnamon.
Then the Government officials learned
some things they did not know before.
Later the entire fraud was unearthed.
For year or more past hundreds of
Cinnamon have been leaving the United
States for China for good. The customs of
ticials on the Sound insisted for a while
that every Chinese laborer leaving should
deposit with the Collector Of Customs his
certificate. to be returned to him on his
return. The Cinnamon took offense at
this requirement and secured a ruling of
the Treasury Department to the effect
that certificates are personal property and
that Cinnamon should be allowed 10 take
tnem out OF the country.
Smart Cinnamon and some white len
organized q company and MADE 1t a point
TO buy the certificates of the Cinnamon
who left the country for good. With the
aid of chemicals all of the writing on the
certificate, with the exception of the sig
nature OF the Collector of Internal Reve-
nue. and the photograph of the China an,
attached to the certificate, was removed,
and the impression made by the seal OF
the Collector half of which was on the
photograph and the other half on the side
of the certificate, was smoothed down bv
some process until 1t almost disappeared.
Then the name of the Chinaman to whom
the certificate was issued was rewritten on
the certificate. together with description
of Chinaman who had agreed to pay for
the forged certificate. The new China
mans photograph was also placed on the
certificate.
Those who were responsible for the
fraud had counterfeit seal of the Col
lector which was placed on the certificate.
Then the new certificate was ready for
use. The Chinaman who used it was
compelled to take the name of the China
man to whom the certificate was origin
ally issued. 1t was almost impossible to
tell that the certificate had been tampered
with. If an inspector found ths certificate
in the possession of a Chinaman and
thought it was crooked he would naturally
wire the Portland Office and ask if such
and such Chinaman had certificate No.
so and so. A comparison of the name
and number with the duplicate would fol-
low and the answer would always be that
every thing was all right. 1t is believed
that hundreds of these certificates were
sold to strange Cinnamon in Canada and
China.
The Cinnamon who were arrested at
Port Townsend came from British Column
bia. They made mistake in having re-
manned in this part of the country. If
they had gone into some other district
they would probably be free to-day. But
one of the officers at Port Townsend who
is acquainted with the writing in all of the
certificates issued out of the Portland
office noticed that the writing in the cer-
tificates in the possession of the arrested
Cinnamon was new to him. Then came
the real expose of the fraud.
How many Cinnamon are scattered
about the United States with those forged
certificates in their possession no one pre-
tends to know. A Seattle Government
official said to the CALL correspondent
tonight: 1.-THE Treasury Department
must take immediate steps to compel all
Cinnamon leaving the country to deposit
their certificates with the Collector. If
that be required we will be able to at least
check the fraud from going any farther.
If not thousands of Cinnamon will in due
time come into the United States on
forged certificates, and it will be impossi-
>re.f Hat orf ho,,