The San Francisco call., 1899-02-26
CONSUL DARNALL
De EMANDS A SCALP
Warning Officials at
Nogales.
SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS MADE
FIGHT HAS BEEN CARRIED TO
WASHINGTON.
Collector Of Customs Chenoweth
Charged With Having Been
Too Thrifty While in
Office.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

NOGALES. Ariz.. Feb. 25-A very
pretty fight is on here between the
American Consul at Nogales, Sonora,
Mexico, James F. Darnall of Indiana.
and the Collector of Customs at No
gales, Ariz., H. K. Chenoweth, and the
contest has been carried to Washington.
where 1t is intimated Consul Darnall,
who is very influential. has preferred
serious charges against Collector Chen
oweth, with the avowed intention Of
getting the political scalp of that treas
ury official.
1t is alleged that some weeks ago a
fraudulent affidavit against Consul
Darnall was concocted in the office of
the Collector of Customs for the United
States at Nogales. This alleged affi-
davit is said to have charged Consul
Darnall with having fraudulently is
sued to Chinese a certificate of right
to return to the United States, for
which he was alleged to have been
paid $100. The affiant purported to be
Chinese, who alleged he had paid
Consul Darnall the money to get him
to cross Celestial friend from Mexico
into the United States
This affidavit was forwarded to the
State Department at Washington and
Consul Darnall was asked to explain
he looked up the affiant and obtained
from him counter affidavit to the eff
feet that he had not knowingly exc
cuted an affidavit against Consul Dar-
nall. He further alleged that he had
been taken to the American custom
house by Collector Chenoweth, the sec
retary of the latter, Eugene Sykes, and
Charles Meehan, Chinese Inspector. and
told that unless he signed certain pa
pers submitted to him he would be de-
ported. He signed, supposng he was
Following a necessary procedure in his
own case to prevent deportation. Con-
sui Darnall forwarded to the State De-
partment this later and true affidavit
of the Chinese and he received in re-
turn full and complete exoneration
But the blood of the Hoosier Consul
was now at a fever heat, and he de-
termined to have the scalp of Collec-
tor Chenoweth. First, he took in hand
E. S. Stokes, special agent of the
Treasury Department, and accused
him point blank of guilty knowledge
and concealment of a very corrupt
state of affairs in the custom house. al
leging that Mrs. Chenoweth. wife of
the Collector, a Mexican woman of no
business ability whatever, was drawing
500 a month as cashier of the custom
house, and had never rendered one mo-
ment's service; that Judge Eb. Will
liams, Chenoweth's political mentor.
had been drawing salary as deputy
statistical clerk, without giving a days
service; that Professor O. l.. Lewis,
principal of the Nogales public school,
had drawn~a a salary as Janitor at the
custom house without doing a days
work; that before Lewis went upon the
payroll one J. L. Hunter, a professional
bully, especially imported from Grip
pie Creek by Collector Chenoweth to
do up his political enemies. had
signed the vouchers as janitor and
drawn the salary without ever doing
any work, the necessary sweeping and
cleaning having been done by Robert
Catlett, a mounted inspector, who was
supposed to be riding along the inter-
national boundary on the lookout for
smugglers.
Special Agent Stokes at once called
in Special Inspector T. j. Roush. and
the two proceeded to an official in
vestigation of the Nogales custom
house, finding all the above allegations
tervieWed Professor Lewis and fright
ened that gentleman into making a
confession, supporting his statement
with an affidavit. Lewis, who is a very
honest young man, and distant rela-
tive of Chenoweth, swore that he had
been requested by Chenoweth to quail
fly as janitor. He objected on the
ground that he could not attend to the
duties Chenoweth replied that that
would make no difference-it was sim
ply matter of form. So he took the
oath of office, and at the end of
month signed a salary voucher. but
never received either check or money
for the alleged service he had not rem
dered.
The affidavit of Professor Lewis has
been forwarded to the Treasury De-
partment, and it is rumored that Con-
sui Darnall has laid the matter before
the President, through the State De-
partment The town is agog over the
sensation, and nothing else is talked
oh