The San Francisco call., 1898-04-06
Japanese Labor Contract Ors Hint at a Possible
 Murder.
Immigration Inspector Geffe- ney Warned That He Is
 in the Way.
Has Been Too Jealous In the Dis charge of His Duty and Must
 Now Go Armed.

The Immigration Commissioner has just discovered that there is no law on the statute books of the United States to punish persons who may threaten Federal officials connected with the Im- migration Bureau. AS a consequence Immigration Inspector A. H. Geffeney has armed himself with a Colts self cooking revolver and spends several hours each week practicing at a mark.
 All this furry in the bureau is be- cause of a most bare-faced attempt on the part of Japanese coolie contractors and importers of contract laborers from Japan to intimidate him by yelled threats against his life. Four years ago MT. Geffeney, at that time having been three years in the bureau, accepted glass of port wine in a Japanese house in this city Whither he had gone on business connected with his office. The wine was one-third laudanum, and it came very near ending his days. Since that time he has avoided the Jap anese quarter and has kept his weather eye peeled for squalls.
 Last Friday afternoon he was work ing in the office, when two Japanese called upon him. They were R. Tsuda, who announced himself as the president of the Wakayama Ken Jin kai, and K. Shiono, labor contractor and proprietor of a Japanese hotel on Geary street. The Wakayama Ken, they explained, was a society named after province in Japan and organized for the purpose of assisting immigrants into the United States. They spoke in Japanese, MT. Geffeney being the official interpreter of Japanese for the bureau, ana conse- Quently there could be no mistake about their meaning.
 They began with a prelude to the eff feet that a good many Japanese from the Wakayama Ken had been deported recently through the bureau in this city, and that this fact had greatly agi- tated Japanese in this city and origi- nally from that district. Those indig- nant persons. they added, had been drinking heavily of saki and their pas sions were inflamed, for which reasons Tsuda and Shiono had called upon MT. Geffeney and in friendly spirit ven- tured to warn him that if any more l Wakayama men were refused a land ing they, the well-meaning visitors, would no longer be held responsible for whatever might happen to Mr. Geffe- ney's most respected person. 1 Mr. Geffeney informed his visitors that he proposed to do his duty unde- tered by threats of bodily or other in | I1e TtpOIleu lIIS IdCl IO COlIl- missioner North, and they went to Deputy United States Attorney Schles- finger and laid the matter before him. MT. Schlesinger could not find any law | in the Federal statutes to cover the case, and therefore the matter of the attempted intimidation could not be brought before the court. | The next day, which was last Satur- day, 1r. Geffeney went on board the steamship Peru. where seventy-one Japanese immigrants were awaiting examination. While there he inter cepted a letter which was being snug gled on board by a Japanese employe of the steamer Belgic. The letter was in the Japanese characters and was ad- dressed to one of the immigrants on board the Peru, by name Honda Tomo- kusu. The following is a translation of | the letter:
 and are answering the questions do as | follows: Recently men were sent back on the ground that they wanted to learn | farming and would not work. Attached to this letter is a piece cut out of a days issue of the newspaper which states that 1 learning farming is the main reason for refusing to land immigrants. To-day a Japanese man went to Quarantine Island If you answer as he tells you all will be well. Don't you tell what you said when you bought your ticket in Japan in ref l | to all carefully.
 WAKAYAMA KEN JUN KAI l R. TSUDA AND K. SHIONO | Inclosed in the letter was a slip of paper containing the following list of questions and answers to be committed to memory by the passengers:
 Q.-What purpose did you come for? ] A.-To work.
 Q-Have you any friends here? A If you have, say you have; If not, say 1 not.
 1 Q.-Were you sent for? A.-No, I was never sent for; nor received any prom | ises.
 1 Q.-Have you any relations with the Japanese Immigration Company? A | No relations.
 The following is a translation of the newspaper clipping referred to. It is ] taken from the issue of March 2S of the New World. Japanese paper pub lished in this city:
 NEW COMERS MAY BE DEPORTED
 Yesterday we reported about T who |