The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-04-30
SLIPPERY SUTTON
Well Known PurSGr Of Alameda
Handled Dope.
ARRESTED YESTERDAY MORNING
Seven Tins of Opium in
Trousers.
Convicted of Having Opium in Pos
session - Fine and Imprison-
ment imposed.

j. b. Sutton, purser of the o. S. s.
Alameda, which arrived in port yes
terday morning, was arrested on Nuu-
anu avenue, near Hotel street, by Spec
ial Gus Cordes about 1915 a. IN. yes
terday. AT first he would not admit
that he had opium on him Cordes
says that Sutton offered him 5000 if he
would let him go. This he could have
by calling aboard the Alameda
Cordes would not do anything like
that, and marched his prisoner to the
station house. The turnkey was just
about ready to search him, when SUIT
ton unbuttoned his coat and took from
a false pocket in the back part of his
trousers seven half-pound tins of op-
ium. These he placed on the counter.
The clerk at the receiving station tap
ped one of the tins TO make sure of II (
contents, and then Sutton was marched
below to await trial in the afternoon
Mail wharf shortly after IL o'clock.
He went through the gate without be-
ing searched by the Custom House
officers. No blame should be attached
to them, as they have always had
strict orders from headquarters to be
very careful about searching officers
from foreign steamers, such as the
Alameda, arriving in port. To resume,
Sutton jumped in "a hack with Isbes-
ter, the New Zealand mail agent on
the Alameda, and started up town.
1t seems that Marshal Brown had
suspicious in regard to Sutton and
ordered Cordes TO shadow the man.
Two or three trips up town were made,
and it looked as if there would be
nothing coming from it after all. The
last trip was made at the time stated
Sutton went to Williams art
gallery, and, leaving that place, went
up Fort and over on Hotel TO Nuuanu
avenue, on which it is supposed is a
Chinese firm, for whom the purser was
agent.
The case came up in the Police Court
before Judge De La Vergne at 2:30 p.
and Attorney Neumann
Tor the defendant Marshal Brown
preferred the charge of unlawful i'm
pOrtation of opium, TO which Sutton
plead not guilty Mr. Neumann then
arose and stated to the Court that de-
PENDANT would plead guilty to the
charge of unlawful possession, but not
unlawful importation, of opium.
+I,O ,T,o of
unlawful importation, and Captain
Van Oterendorp was asked TO take
the stand He gave his connection
with the steamship Alameda and
named the last ports at which she
touched. Next came Ibester, the New
Zealand mail agent. who told of his
riding up town in a hack with Sutton;
of their going into Williams art gal
lery. and of Sutton's leaving him, for
where he knew not. Ibester saw moth
ing of any opium transaction while in
the gallery. and that he would have
seen anything of the kind had it oc-
Cured
Customs Inspector Groves and the
native guard who were at the gate of
the Pacific Mail wharf when Sutton
went out, told what they knew of the
matter. which was confined to seeing
him on the dock and passing through
the gate.
Special COrdes-Arrested defendant
on NUuanu avenue, near Hotel street
This was close upon II a. m. Saw de
PENDANT coming up Fort street He
was alone He went TO Hotel and
then turned up Nuuanu. Saw him
talking with Lycurgus. Noticed that
defendants walk was peculiar and
that his coat bulged out from behind.
At the corner of Nuuanu and Hotel
called native officer TO my assistance.
and then | arrested defendant He