The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-10-12
Dominion Lends ASSiS' anCe
to an Alleged Ring of
SmugglerS.
MYSTERY BACK OF HOOK
TOYS ARREST.
Victoria Chinese Charged With
Forging Ev dence Against
the Suspects.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL

SEATTLE, WASH, Oct. u.-Many
special treasury officials who have been
here from New York prosecuting a search
for evidence on which to base the arrest
of those implicated in the late Puget
Sound smuggling ring are much puzzled
over the position which the Canadian
Government has taken in the affair. They
realize that if they 60 ahead with the in
vest CATION they will place the United
States in the peculiar position OF being
directly antagonistic 10 the Canadian
Government. Last Saturday the Cana.
dian police at V Gloria, b. c., caused the
arrest of Hook Toy, one of the biggest
Cinnamon in all Canada. He was charged
with forgery, and the Canadian police
charged that he forged all the incriminat-
ing letters which reached the United
States Government officials at Washing
ton, which caused b rush OF special
treasury agents to the West and later re-
suited in the arrest of zee Gee, who was
official interpreter for Collector Saunders.
The letters purported 10 have been
signed by zee Gee, and if they bad never
come into existence the Chinese inter
prefer would never have been arrested.
But what puzzles the treasury agents is
the action of Canada In causing Hook
Toys arrest. The officials have come TO
but one conclusion, and that is that Col
hector Saunders and his men are back of
Hook Toys arrest. They we'll as zee
Gee have always maintained that the let
tiers were forgeries. Federal Judge Han
ford may also be back OF Hook TOYS
arrest, and there Is no doubt that zee
Gees counsel in this city has been giving
the Canadian Government assistance in
unearthing what Is characterized as a plot
to capH nd har
of his employees TO jail
Special Treasury Agent Whitehead,
who came from New York and who had
charge of the Chinese investigation, Ief,
this city for the East very suddenly last
Saturday night as soon as he heard that
Hook Toy had teen arrested. He took
with him Special Treasury Agent Cullom
of Tacoma and a special employe of the
Treasury Department, Mr.. Lewis of New
York. 1t is believed that they went East
TO confer with Secretary Gage relative to
Canada's move.
Hook Toy has for years figured in big
Chinese cases in British Co.um bia. When
zee Gee was arrested for landing Chinese
IN this country letters were produced by
Whitehead. He refused to tell where he
got them. They told inside facts concern
ing the smuggling ring. zee Gee said he
never wrote them, and asserted that they
were written by some Chinaman en-
ployed by an enemy. He limited that
Hook Toy did it. as he had OH one other
occasion figured in a similar forgery
When Judge Hanford of the Federal
court had il brought TO his official atten-
ton that zee Gee charged the letters to
be forgeries he got possession of them and
refused to surrender them 10 Whitehead.
He said he intended to take a hand in the
investigation. Yee Gees counsel had a
conference with him, and one of them
later went 10 Victoria. Hook Toys arrest
followed.
zee Gees counsel claims to have evil
dence to prove that Hook Toy forged the
letters. They will turn over their evil
dence TO the Canadian Government In
the meantime the treasury officials are
puzzled