The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-01-11
Love IN A CHINESE LILY .HG|RGROADS SURPRISES
SURREPTITIOUS MESSAGES ARE
INTERCEPTED.
Startling Discovery of How Contraband
Information is Struggled to the Chi
nese at Quarantine.

For ways that are dark and tricks
that are vain the heather Chinee" is
still peculiar.
Surreptitious correspondence between
Chinese in Honolulu and those at quar-
antine awaiting the determination of
the question whether they will be
landed or not has been intercepted.
superintendent John ID. McVeigh this
morning and yesterday made some dis
coveries in Chinese ingenuity and per-
sistence that astonished even his ex-
perience hardened imperturbability.
Several innocent looking Chinese lily
roots were found to be as completely
full of messages as the proverbial egg
is of meat.
These roots which are edible, are in
shape and size much like a full grown
carrot. Throughout their length emp
ty circular spaces run, so that a sec
tiOn of the bulb or root looks like the
bottom of a colander. Several of these
roots were found full of messages. The
messages We're written in Chinese char
acters' on pieces of paper. Then each
was rolled up tightly till it was about
the length and thickness of a lead pen
Gil, and was then thrust into one of
these empty cylindrical spaces. As
there are a dozen or so of these spa
ces in each root, one root could be made
the vehicle of considerable informa-
ton.
The intercepted messages were all
brought to the office of Special Agent
Brown this morning to be translated
They were nearly all found to be mes
sages of instruction designed to coach
the detained Chinese what to say on
his examination for landing to enable
him to appear to have the qualifications
for a landing. The instruction was
complete on the subject. 1t told just
what the requirements necessary to be
entitled to land are, and what should
be said in order to bring the receiver
of the message within the required
qualifications.
But Chinese lily roots were not the
only vehicles used to get contraband
messages to the waiting Celestials
Some of the messages were wrapped
in tin foil and baked in the middle of a
loaf of bread. Others were slipped into
a quill and put inside dressed ducks OF
fish
In nearly all cases the messages
were instructions relating to landing
| requirements In a few cases they were
merely messages of friendship But ir
one case there was a message which
| was neither. 1t was as amorous love
! letter as was ever penned by languish
ing swain to imprisoned sweetheart. Il
was couched in the most picturesque
| flights of Cantonese love language. Il
| indicates that amorous intrigues are
not wholly unknown to the Chinese.
In intercepting it the clew was los
that would lead to the identity of the
rouge Tipped Chinese maiden with pom
AIDED hair for whom it was intended
and there was nothing in the message
! to indicate from whom it came APP
parently there was an understanding
| between the sender and the one fol
| whom the message was intended. Blu
| their secret is safe; their intrigue ha:
| not been discovered.
AS those detained at quarantine ar,
not prisoners, it has always been thu
| rule to allow friends ashore to senC
them food and delicacies, everything
sent being carefully inspected before
| being delivered.